8 Actors Whose Careers Flopped After Leaving The MCU

The current comic-book movie boom has provided a massive shot of adrenaline to the careers of many of the actors involved.

Before Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr was pretty much finished, and before Star-Lord, Chris Pratt was just that chubby guy from Parks and Rec. Now, those two - along with a slew of others including Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds - are some of the biggest stars on the planet, all thanks to the opportunities afforded to them after taking on their superhero roles.

But it doesn't work out that way for everyone. Though starring in a comic-book movie can turn a B-lister into an A-lister, or cement a Hollywood mainstay's star power, there have been dozens of actors who've struggled after a stint in the superhero space.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe in particular - considering its gargantuan 19-film legacy - has had more than a few of its actors and actresses peak with their movie roles, before crashing back down to Earth over the next several years.

Sure, these eight actors are still around, but since leaving the MCU they haven't worked on anything nearly as prolific, and have all pretty much vanished into obscurity.

Terrence Howard's messy exit from the MCU - which resulted in him being replaced by Don Cheadle - was so high-profile that it undoubtedly limited his career options going forward.

Howard reportedly signed a three-picture deal to play the character of Colonel James Rhodes, and his contract stated that he would earn a certain amount of money for each film. But when the first Iron Man became a smash-hit, Marvel approached the actor for the sequel and offered him significantly less than what his contract stipulated, reasoning that Iron Man 2 would be successful with or without him.

As you'd expect, Howard wasn't very pleased, and chose to walk away from the role. Don Cheadle was brought in instead, taking the lower amount of money that Howard initially refused.

And since his short spell in the MCU, Howard hasn't appeared in anything nearly as big. You have to imagine that his Marvel contract dispute makes him reluctant to join another big-budget movie, but it's also likely that his public bad-mouthing of Robert Downey Jr - and reports that he was hard to work with on Iron Man - have all-but destroyed his chances of ever being asked to join another major blockbuster.

Howard is still delivering strong performances in a variety of smaller movies - and he's also part of the successful TV show Empire, which has a strong core audience - but considering that this guy could have appeared in Avengers: Infinity War (which will end up being one of the highest-grossing movies of all time) it's hard not to feel a little sorry for him.