Shocking Reason Actor Was Fired from Iron Man 17 Years Ago!

While Marvel Studios has seen its share of casting changes over the years, few have been as significant as the first: the recasting of Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, later known as War Machine. Terrence Howard played the character in the 2008 “Iron Man,” but in subsequent MCU films, Don Cheadle took on the role.

Terrence Howard was reportedly the first actor signed for the original film and was initially the highest-paid cast member. According to Entertainment Weekly in 2022, it was all about money… Howard was paid $3.5 million (or $4.5 million by his account), more than Robert Downey Jr. At that time, “Iron Man” was considered a gamble: the character wasn’t deemed popular enough, and Howard had just received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for “Hustle & Flow.”

Entertainment Weekly later reported that Jon Favreau was unhappy with Howard’s performance and planned to reduce his role in “Iron Man 2,” which meant a significant pay cut.

The turn of events was dramatic, as Robert Downey Jr. would later become the highest-paid actor in Hollywood for three consecutive years. In 2013, on the show “Watch What Happens Live,” Terrence Howard told host Andy Cohen that during negotiations for “Iron Man 2,” the production wanted to significantly cut his salary to balance accounts with Downey Jr. Howard asked for $8 million; they offered him $1 million instead.

Howard “Betrayed” by Downey Jr.

From Marvel’s side, the official story was quite different. Terrence Howard, pushing back, faced rejection, and Don Cheadle was then approached to take over the role. Ultimately, Howard felt, in his own words, “betrayed” by Robert Downey Jr., whom he had supported during “Iron Man”: “The person I helped is Iron Man… In the second movie, he took the money that was supposed to be mine and kicked me out,” he told Bravo.

This fueled rumors that his departure was due to a salary dispute, although an article from several years back also mentioned difficult behavior on set…

Another Reason: A Major Dispute with a Producer

Speaking on the PBD podcast (via Dark Horizons) earlier this month, Terrence Howard revealed he believed a past altercation with producer Joel Silver contributed to his abrupt departure. The incident occurred at the 2007 Venice International Film Festival, where Howard and Silver were promoting the action film “The Brave One,” produced by Susan Downey, Robert Downey Jr.’s wife and production partner.

Howard recounted that a journalist asked why his name wasn’t headlining alongside Jodie Foster, a question that struck him. Silver later addressed the issue directly with Howard.

“Joel Silver came up to me and said, ‘If your name isn’t at the top of the bill, it’s because you’re not the star of the film, it’s Jodie. And if you’re nominated for an Oscar, it will be for Best Supporting Actor, not Best Actor.’ [I replied:] ‘Thanks for letting me know, now I understand. But remember, I’m a man like you, and if you talk to me like that again, I’ll knock your teeth out!’ Eight months later, I lost the Iron Man role, and I’m sure all of that had something to do with it.”

The Question of His Behavior

Terrence Howard also hinted that this isolated incident wasn’t the only reason, adding that his temperament cost him roles: “I’ve had quite a few opportunities, but my aggressiveness, my need to act like a man, you know, like ‘You’re not going to talk to me like that,’ instead of learning to calm down.”

Denzel Washington even advised him more than twenty years ago that his tendency to clench his fists was off-putting to producers looking to work with him.

Meanwhile, Terrence Howard continues his career: he was recently seen in the mini-series “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” and the film “Shirley,” available on Netflix.

The Iron Man saga is available for streaming on Disney+.

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