James “Rhodey” Rhodes is a central character in the MCU—having appeared in eight films to date. The character has also featured in the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and is poised to be the main focus in Armor Wars, which is in production now. And Don Cheadle is all set to wield the suit of War Machine.
Terrence Howard was supposed to keep playing War Machine in the Marvel movies, but he got replaced by Cheadle in Iron Man 2. It was partly due to decrease in pay. The actor didn’t get along well with Robert Downey Jr., which also added to the tension.
Terrence Howard’s Troubled Journey in the MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off in 2008 with Iron Man, which introduced strong character for later like Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jon Favreau as Jon Favreau and many more.
Terrence Howard was also there as James “Rhodey” Rhodes. But his time as War Machine didn’t last long. He soon got swapped out with Don Cheadle in the sequel, Iron Man 2, (2010).
The Chicago native’s MCU run is the worst in the whole MCU. Even though he was the highest-paid actor in the film, he never returned for the Iron Man franchise. Howard’s Iron Man line “next time, baby” also hinted that he would become War Machine in future movies. But, things took a turn when Howard left the role not long after the first movie came out.
For Iron Man 2, Downey Jr.’s salary shot up to a whopping $10 million, along with a share of the profits. Because of this, Marvel slashed Howard’s pay to just $40,000 per movie.
The 54-year-old wasn’t happy about it, especially since he claimed to have helped Downey get the role by accepting a $1 million pay cut for the first Iron Man. Although, Marvel denied that the Awake star had any influence on RDJ’s casting.
Rumor also has it that Howard caused trouble on the set of Iron Man. According to Entertainment Weekly, one source claimed that director Favreau and the producers weren’t happy with his performance, which led to scenes being edited or reshot.
Terrence Howard Thrives Beyond MCU with TV Success
Even though Terrence Howard isn’t part of Marvel Studios or the Iron Man movies anymore, he’s been doing really well in other areas—especially on TV. His career has been flourishing there, showing that he’s still got plenty of success beyond the MCU.
The Hollywood star worked on several movies like The Princess and the Frog, Red Tails, and St. Vincent. He also appeared in TV series like Law & Order: LA, Empire, and Wayward Pines. Empire (in particular) was a huge hit on Fox, and helped Howard making big name in the industry.
Recently, the actor has been firm about his decision to retire from acting. Although he stated retiring in 2019, he ended up taking on roles in several projects afterward.
Watch Iron Man on Disney+.
