5 Movie Characters Who Improved After Recasting (And 5 Who Didn't)
1. Better - Don Cheadle As James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine
Terrence Howard was a good Rhodey. He was the serious counterbalance to Tony Stark's devil-may-care personality. The movie was a near-flawless introduction of Iron Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and brought Robert Downey Jr.'s stock up to a whole new level. Fans were clamoring for more Iron Man by the time the sequel came in 2010.
Many of the original cast returned for Iron Man 2, with one glaring exception. Rhodey was there, but now played by Crash star Don Cheadle. As mentioned earlier, Terrence Howard was a good Rhodey. It wasn't until Don Cheadle played Rhodes though, that the character truly blossomed.
Rumors swirled as to why the change was made. In a 2013 interview, Terrence Howard gave his side of the story: "It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man... when it was time to re-up for the second one, (he) took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out." Howard was not-so-subtly pointing at Robert Downey Jr. as the person who "took the money".
Don Cheadle's on-screen chemistry with Downey Jr. was undeniable. Cheadle has since appeared as Rhodey/War Machine in seven MCU films and is set to appear in two upcoming Marvel series on Disney Plus.
Sorry Terrence. Next time, baby.