10 Actor Replacements That Actually Improved Movies
8. Don Cheadle - James Rhodes (Iron Man 2)
In the original 2008 Iron Man, the role of Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) good pal James "Rhodey" Rhodes was played by Terrence Howard.
Howard, a recent Oscar nominee at the time, commanded the highest salary on the entire set, far more than even Downey, but was reportedly offered less money to return for Iron Man 2, prompting him to balk and be replaced by Don Cheadle.
Terrence Howard's acting skill certainly isn't in doubt here, and he did a solid job as Rhodey in the first Iron Man, but Don Cheadle's more affable and gently sarcastic demeanour instantly made him much easier for the audience to warm to.
Cheadle really helped take the Rhodey/Tony dynamic to the next level, and it's difficult to picture Howard bringing quite the same to a deceptively tricky role - a part that requires the actor to be both stern and likeable.
As with the Katie Holmes/Batman situation there's no way Howard would've sunk Iron Man 2, but one suspects Rhodey wouldn't be nearly as well-regarded by fans had Cheadle not taken over.