Entertainment Weekly has an interesting article on the recent controversy surrounding the recasting of James “War Machine” Rhodes in Iron Man 2, with Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard from the first movie, which was one of the summer blockbusters of 2008.

The article points out that Howard was actually the first cast member brought onto the film, before even Robert Downey Jr., who played Tony Stark/Iron Man. Not only that, but he was also the highest-paid of the cast, even over Downey. And while some Hollywood insiders speculated that it was issues with Howard’s on-set behavior that led to the recast, or that it was monetary issued, some have pointed to the production’s dissatisfaction with Howard’s performance in the movie combined with decisions about the future of the character in the upcoming sequel, a lower offer to Howard, and his refusal to take the offer from Marvel, ultimately led to the casting change. Whether or not it was Marvel or Howard first who backed away from the deal is unknown, but the story leaked the next day in October of this year, leading the flurry of speculation.

The character of James Rhodes first appeared in “Iron Man” in 1979, a friend of Tony Stark/Iron Man and later taking on the identity of the red & gold Avenger for a short while before becoming the armored and weapon-laden hero known as War Machine. Rhodes has been a staple in Iron Man-related titles since then, currently appearing in both “Avengers: The Initiative”, “Iron Man: Director of SHIELD”, and an upcoming solo series stemming from a “War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD” storyline in the Iron Man titles.

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By Costa Koutsoutis, (Source: Entertainment Weekly)