Terrence Howard leaving his Marvel role and Don Cheadle taking it over is one of the infamous MCU recasting tales. And now the new War Machine star has clarified how he took over for Howard.
In 2010’s Iron Man 2, Cheadle makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as James Rhodes, delivering the iconic “Look, it’s me, I’m here, deal with it, let’s move on” line. Some would have argued that it wasn’t a big problem back then, but as time has gone on, more information concerning Cheadle’s casting has been public.
At his child’s laser tag birthday party, the MCU actor revealed that he got the call to portray War Machine, noting that it was a six-picture deal at the time.
Cheadle indicated during last year’s D23 that he’s finished with his contractual responsibilities with Marvel Studios, while he is still open to participate in further MCU projects, after acting in numerous significant Marvel films, such as the most recent two Avengers flicks.
Also, Read Will Ant-Man 3 usher in the Fantastic Four? A New Update Reveals the Probability
Don Cheadle’s Response to Terrence Howard’s Replacement
Don Cheadle, who played Terrence Howard in War Machine, denied that he was Iron Man 2’s replacement for Terrence Howard in a recently deleted GQ video.
When GQ questioned whether he “Aunt Viv’d” Howard out of his job, Cheadle clarified that he didn’t, pointing out that James Rhodes’ character was “an open part” at the time:
According to GQ, Terrence Howard was “Aunt Viv’d” for the role of Rhodey, which is well-known online.
“I Aunt Viv’d him,” Cheadle said. Terrence [Howard] was not made to leave a part. He wasn’t… They had made up their minds not to be. It was an open portion and that wasn’t occurring.
Then, the Armor Wars actor reminisced about the incident when Marvel contacted to offer him the part:
“They contacted me while I was at my child’s laser tag birthday party and said, ‘This is what’s going on, we’re offering you the offer, if you don’t say yes, we’re going to the next person, this is going to happen very quickly. Why don’t you go ahead and give it an hour before deciding if you want to do it, they suggested. It was a six-movie contract, I declared. “I have to decide in an hour,” I thought. What additional movies are there? They predict that the Avengers will be involved. There will be so many Iron Men.You kind of have to say yes or no, if you’re in or out, because that is how it is. How will the character develop, for instance? Well, they say, “We can’t… We are unaware of any of it, but because it is what it is, you have one hour. At my child’s laser tag birthday celebration, I said. Oh, take two hours, they say.
Cheadle went on to reveal that he discussed the choice to accept the Marvel role with his wife and agent:
We spent two hours playing laser tag, and after that, my wife and I talked about it and attempted to get as much information as we could before taking a flyer and saying, “Okay, we’ll do it.”
The Reasons Don Cheadle Is the Ideal War Machine
Don Cheadle received the honor of playing the character of War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), even though Terrence Howard initially won the James Rhodes role in 2008’s Iron Man movie.
It makes reasonable for Cheadle to deny allegations that he abruptly replaced Howard, given that Marvel Studios approached him rather than the other way around. Hopefully the actor’s most recent statement will put an end to speculation over the MCU recast.
Marvel fans adore the actor’s rendition of the War Machine character in the MCU. The actor has an unrivaled synergy with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, and his comedic timing (‘Boom, you’re looking for this!’) is outstanding.
James Rhodes will play a key role in the MCU’s Phase 5 as he will appear in both the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion and his first standalone film, Armor Wars.
Also, Read Leading Actor Teases Deadpool vs. Wolverine MCU Rivalry