ARMOR WARS Star Don Cheadle Addresses Claims He "Aunt Viv'd" Terrence Howard After Being Cast In IRON MAN 2

ARMOR WARS Star Don Cheadle Addresses Claims He "Aunt Viv'd" Terrence Howard After Being Cast In IRON MAN 2

Rumours have persisted for years about what led to Don Cheadle taking over the role of War Machine from Terrence Howard, but the MCU's Rhodey has now made it clear his predecessor didn't get "Aunt Viv'd."

By JoshWilding - Jan 06, 2023 09:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Armor Wars
Source: GQ (via The Direct)

Terrence Howard played James "Rhodey" Rhodes in 2008's Iron Man, but didn't return for the sequel due to a dispute over pay. Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter reportedly called for the actor to be recast in an effort to save money, allegedly believing no one would notice due to the actor's race. 

Don Cheadle was enlisted to replace Howard, and got to do what his predecessor never could: suit up as War Machine. Since then, he's reprised the role in movies like Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War, later suiting up again for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

During a recent, now-deleted interview with GQ (via The Direct), it was put to Cheadle that he "Aunt Viv'd" Howard (a reference to Janet Hubert being replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). 

"I Aunt Viv’d him? I did not move Terrence [Howard] out of a role," the actor stated. "He was not...They had decided that they weren’t. That was not happening and it was an open part."

Cheadle, who returns to the MCU in Secret Invasion later this year, also reflected on how he landed the role. 

"I was at my kid's laser tag birthday party and they called me and said, 'This is what’s happening, we’re giving you the offer, if you don’t say yes, we’re going to the next person, this is going to happen very fast.' So they said, 'Why don’t you go ahead and take an hour and decide if you want to do it?'"

"I said, 'It was a six-movie deal.' I was like, 'In an hour, I have to decide? What are the other movies?' They’re like, 'It’s going to be these Avengers. It’s going to be these many Iron Mans. This is what it is, so you kind of have to say yes or no, if you’re in or out.'"

Despite not knowing what the plan for the character was from there, Cheadle went back to his son's birthday party, talked to his wife and agent, and two hours later, agreed to take on the role. 

We'd say he made the right decision, and Rhodey will actually be taking centre stage in Marvel Studios' upcoming Armor Wars movie. Originally planned as a Disney+ TV series, the decision was ultimately made that this story deserved to be told on the biggest screen possible. 

As for Howard, there's always a chance he could show up as a Variant in The Multiverse Saga, right?

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regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 1/6/2023, 9:34 AM
Love Cheadle as an actor. Dude is awesome and I'd say he's a better actor than Howard.


Having said that... Terrence had better chemistry with RDJ in the first movie and I always preferred his performance as Rhodey.

slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 1/6/2023, 9:37 AM
@regularmovieguy - agree to disagree
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 1/6/2023, 9:39 AM
@slickrickdesigns

What’s your favorite Rhodey performance?
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 1/6/2023, 9:47 AM
@regularmovieguy - Cheadle’s Rhodey has been consistent across the board. I did wish they gave him more to do in Age of Ultron.
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 1/6/2023, 9:54 AM
@slickrickdesigns

He’s been consistent, for sure. Just don’t think he’s been given much to do outside of the Iron Man movies.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 1/6/2023, 9:57 AM
@regularmovieguy - yup. the chemistry was REAL because he and RDJ were really good friends. Howard vouched for Downey when they brought him up for the role.
TheSuperMex
TheSuperMex - 1/6/2023, 10:11 AM
@regularmovieguy - I felt Howard was a better fit. He played off RDJ really well. Cheadle was decent but he never felt like RDJ’s best friend.
BassMan
BassMan - 1/6/2023, 10:13 AM
@regularmovieguy - 100% agree
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 1/6/2023, 10:18 AM
@regularmovieguy - I would disagree. Howard didn't have the voice for it. I felt this way the whole time I was watching Iron Man 1. He felt too soft. I had a hard time believing he was a military guy because of his soft voice.

I know that's probably a bad reason, but he just didn't do it for me. Cheadle was a huge improvement in my opinion, and I'm a bit irritated that he's only now getting his own project.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 1/6/2023, 10:22 AM
@regularmovieguy - this is a fact, Howard should have shut up and waited for after Avengers to negotiate a big deal. Oh well
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 1/6/2023, 9:36 AM
I’m glad he took the role, Terrence Howard was horrible in the first film.
Maybe not horrible but def wasn’t good.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/6/2023, 10:53 AM
@slickrickdesigns - he was horrible but not horrible?



IM2008 is still thee best Rhodey film
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 1/6/2023, 9:39 AM
No wayyy.

That was dark skin replaced by light. This the opposite
Vigor
Vigor - 1/6/2023, 10:02 AM
@TheWalkingCuban - lol exactly
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 1/6/2023, 10:45 AM
@Vigor - haha
OmegaDaGrodd
OmegaDaGrodd - 1/6/2023, 9:44 AM
It really is a shame they never got to have a movie where him and Tony actually got to work together very much. There are sprinkles of it in Iron Man Three but otherwise you get 1-2 passing moments per film
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 1/6/2023, 9:47 AM
@OmegaDaGrodd - Yeah, it’s like that Obi-Wan/Anakin effect. You know they have this big, great friendship, but we don’t see it much on screen unfortunately.
TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 1/6/2023, 9:47 AM
During a recent, now-deleted interview with GQ (via The Direct), it was put to Cheadle that he "Aunt Viv'd" Howard (a reference to Janet Hubert replacing Daphne Maxwell Reid in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air).

Whoever 'put it' to him like that needs firing. Jesus.
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