10 Actors Who Have Taken Shots At The MCU
Terrence Howard isn't the only star to take a swing for Marvel...
The MCU is the biggest film franchise not just of the decade, but in all of movie history. With Avengers: Endgame becoming the most successful movie of all time and new Marvel movies already planned for the next decade, the cinematic behemoth that is the MCU shows no signs of going away any time soon. Every Hollywood actor of note has either already appeared in an MCU movie or is eager to appear in future ones.
But despite its immense success, not everyone is a fan of their formula. When Disney bought Marvel Studios, they applied their trademark combination of kid-friendly creativity, economic muscle and stringent rules of operation that have made Disney the most powerful film studio ever.
Time and again, there have been actors who have criticizesd this mode of operation. Some of those actors had a personal reason for speaking out. For others, the motivation was mainly artistic.
10. Terrence Howard Puts The Iron Man Team On Blast
"You know what’s so funny? Even though I love Don Cheadle so much and I love what he’s done, I still hear a lot of fans asking, “Am I going to come back and be War Machine? Am I going to come back and be War Machine? I think they could have a huge franchise off of it. But f**k ‘em."
Why He Said It
The first Iron Man movie was nothing short of a miracle. It overcame a constantly changing script, a tight budget and a leading man who was until then seen as unhirable. But despite Robert Downey Jr.'s career-defining performance as Tony Stark, he wasn't the first cast member the studio booked.
That distinction goes to Terrence Howard, who was coming fresh off of an Oscar-nominated performance in Hustle and Flow, as well as starring in the best picture winner Crash. In other words, Howard was a pretty big deal when he signed on to play James Rhodes AKA War Machine.
After Iron Man's gigantic box office success, Howard discovered that his part in the sequel had been reduced, along with a hefty cut in his paycheck for the planned follow-up. Howard turned down the offer and was swiftly replaced by Don Cheadle.
Howard has made it clear that he considers himself unfairly cheated out of the role. More recently, however, he seems to have made his peace with the situation.