Marvel has a fairly solid track record of keeping actors around for the inevitable sequels, largely by signing them ambitious multi-picture deals. Of course, there are a few exception, most notably Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, and Terrence Howard, who was replaced as James Rhodes in Iron Man 2 after reaching a salary impasse with the studio.
Appearing last night on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, Howard tried to clarify a few details about his abrupt departure from the franchise. “This is gonna get me in a lot of trouble,” he said. “It turns out that the person that I helped become Iron Man, when it was time to re-up for the second one took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out.”
He didn’t call out RDJ by name, instead referred to him as “the person” who became Iron Man, was, of course, which is obvioisly Robert Downey Jr.
“We did a three-picture deal, so that means that you did the deal ahead of time,” Howard continued. “It was going to be a certain amount for the first one, a certain amount for the second one, a certain amount for the third. They came to me with the second and said, ‘Look, we will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.’ And I called my friend — that I helped get the first job — and he didn’t call me back for three months.”
Following the Iron Man 2 debacle, Howard’s career took a nosedive, due to rumors, finding himself in a string of bad films. However, he’s doing press currently for his role in The Best Man Holiday, the sequel to the 1999 original, in theaters now.