Marvel is getting quite the reputation for being cheap - a reputation that has already cost them several cast members on one of the future’s most anticipated comic book movies, Iron Man 2. The removal of Terrence Howard was reportedly because the actor drew too large a paycheck (of course, it was reportedly over numerous other things as well), and the studio has lost Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury as well. At one point it even looked like their tight purse strings were going to cost the studio Jon Favreau, the man behind Iron Man.

All we’ve heard until now is that the studio was coming in on the cheap with offers toward cast and crew, but thanks to Variety we get an idea of how cheap. In an article about studios controlling expenses, the trade paper revealed that Marvel’s offered salary to get Mickey Rourke into Iron Man 2 is only $250,000. That’s on the heels of Rourke’s career comeback, which has already resulted in a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination.

Now, before we start lambasting Marvel for being too cheap and risking the loss of Rourke (who, at last check, was still in negotiations for the Iron Man sequel and not fully signed on), let’s remember that Rourke may be in the middle of a comeback, but it’s a comeback that has come at high cost. Rourke has been out of the Hollywood machine for many years, and had built quite a negative reputation for himself before his exit. Coming back on such a positive note as The Wrestler doesn’t make all of the animosity and concern over his return vanish instantly.

That’s a very low figure to offer someone who would be playing the primary bad guy in a popular movie’s sequel, but it might be the right price for Rourke. The actor needs to continue building on his return, and turning the low-balling studio down might not be a step in the right direction. At the same time, I respect Marvel needs to control their costs in this time of budgetary crisis, but I have to wonder how many key actors they can afford to lose before the tight purse strings cause a low return for the movie.