It all began with him. In 2008, Marvel opened the doors to its cinematic universe by dedicating a first film to Iron Man. In front of Jon Favreau's camera, Robert Downey Jr. plays the billionaire and tech genius Tony Stark. He is friends with a former US Army fighter pilot, James Rhodes. The character, who would later become War Machine, was then played by Terrence Howard. But fans know that this is his first and last appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don Cheadle will take over for the second film, and will have the pleasure of donning his metal armor. What they know less are the reasons that led to this casting change.
It's some time after the release of the first film, which was very well received by audiences. Robert Downey Jr. has managed to endear himself to the public, and a sequel is quickly considered. But this new popularity obviously leads to a revaluation of the main actor's salary.
Questioned about this by Internet users, Terrence Howard confided: ”It's going to get me into trouble, but who cares. It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man, when it came to making a second film, took the money that was allocated to me and pushed me out.” Terrence Howard added in 2013 that he held no ill will towards his former on-screen partner. “Oh, I love him. God bless him.”
Life-changing minutes
Once Terrence Howard was dismissed from the role of James Rhodes, Marvel had to start looking for a new actor. Studios turned their attention to Don Cheadle, who had proven himself in the Ocean's Eleven saga. While celebrating his son's birthday at a laser tag game, he received a call that would change his career. He was offered the score, but had very little time to decide.
Marvel offered him a contract spanning three films, obviously including Iron Man 2, but also the second Avengers. Don Cheadle accepted and thus became an important part of the franchise. War Machine would then appear in Infinity War and Endgame before being given his own series on Disney+.
Armor Wars is not a series after all
The series was one of the projects announced shortly after the release of Avengers: Endgame in theaters. Written by Yassir Lester, it was to feature James Rhodes shortly after the death of his friend Tony Stark. Finally, Marvel announced in 2022 that the character's fate would be the subject of a film. The studio believes it has enough material to make a feature film for the big screen.
The plot will revolve around the aftermath of Tony's disappearance, while James Rhodes struggles to protect all his work and technology. The goal: to prevent these powerful weapons from falling into the wrong hands. For now, it's still unclear who will face Don Cheadle.
In the meantime, it's possible to rediscover these first steps in the MCU tonight on TMC. At 9:10 p.m., Channel 11 is giving all superhero fans a rendezvous, while they await the release of Armor Wars, scheduled for 2028 in theaters. The film is one of those whose future is uncertain following the apparent overhaul of the MCU and the departure of Jonathan Majors. By casting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, Kevin Feige has just given a spotlight on the man who was Tony Stark's best friend. War Machine's first encounter with an antagonist who resembles him.
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