Avengers: Infinity War — Robert Downey Jr retains top billing; Chris Evans drops to fourth below Mark Ruffalo

Avengers: Infinity War boasts more than 20 superheroes and is expected to storm the box office, but who among its A-list cast will get top billing? Where actors are placed in the credits of their movie might not seem like a big issue to many of us but it is quite important to the stars, their contracts and oversized egos. Speculation has been rife about which characters may die in the upcoming Marvel movie but there have also been questions on the shakeup to the order of the billing. Also read:  Avengers: Infinity War first reactions — Marvel film called 'epic beyond compare' with 'best ending ever' [caption id=“attachment_4443797” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Avengers: Infinity War’s top billed stars (from L-R): Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo. Marvel Studios[/caption] Robert Downey Jr. has enjoyed top billing in all three Avengers films due to the sheer popularity of Iron Man and his Avengers leader-like status. But it is interesting to note how Chris Evans aka Captain America continues to be demoted down the order with each movie. Evans was second-billed after Downey Jr. in 2012’s Avengers but his spot was taken by Chris Hemsworth (Thor) since Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). And now Evans finds himself below Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) in the upcoming Avengers film. This could be attributed to Hemsworth and Ruffalo’s mainstream success outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Australian actor has enjoyed commercial success with films like Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Rush (2013) and more recently with 12 Strong. Ruffalo, meanwhile, has earned critical acclaim with roles in films from 2000’s You Can Count on Me to Oscars 2016’s Best Picture winner Spotlight. Also read:  Avengers: Infinity War — From unwieldy ensemble to superhero fatigue, many challenges for Marvel's next Though Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War have won critical and commercial acclaim, Evans has struggled to replicate his success or improve his standing outside Marvel’s marquee superhero films. The fact that both Thor and Hulk featured in Marvel’s 2017 megahit Thor: Ragnarok, which grossed a massive $854 million, didn’t help Captain America’s cause either. Another troubling point to note is that Scarlett Johansson aka Black Widow has not been able to break the Avengers glass ceiling and continues to be billed fifth. This is despite being a bigger star than Evans, Hemsworth, Ruffalo and arguably even Downey Jr. Since the first Avengers movie, Johansson’s star value has only increased with films like Her, Chef, Lucy and Ghost in the Shell. Directed by brothers, Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Infinity War features an ensemble cast which also includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. The movie hits theatres on 27 April. Also read:  Avengers: Infinity War expected to release in 2000 screens in India, unprecedented for any Hollywood film