OG fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are well aware of the casting changes the franchise underwent during its early years, most notably Don Cheadle taking over the James Rhodes role from Terrence Howard. To give some of you a little refresher, Howard was always meant to reprise the role in Iron Man 2 but a dispute over his salary prevented him from ever returning to the billion-dollar franchise. The unfortunate incident even soured his relationship with Robert Downey Jr. who was paid more for his involvement in the 2010 blockbuster and understandably so.
Over a decade since co-starring in the original Iron Man film, it looks like the bad blood between the two has actually been resolved and if you were to ask RDJ, he still believes that he owes his Marvel fame to his old pal who apparently was instrumental in his MCU casting.
In the new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via The Direct), Downey looked back on the creation of the billion-dollar franchise and paid a heartfelt tribute to the people he's had the pleasure of working with through the years. The Tony Stark actor made sure he didn't leave out Howard who was an integral part of his MCU casting. He said: "While I have your car, I'll reach way back to day one, and express gratitude to Howard (our original Rhodey), who was integral to my being cast."
Also Read: Doctor Strange 2: Scarlet Witch's Role will Reportedly be 'Toned Down' Ahead of Reshoots
We don't know much about RDJ and Howard's current relationship but it looks like the two actors who were once the best of friends were able to settle their differences and bury the hatchet as time went on. I mean, if you think about it, RDJ wasn't exactly responsible for Terrence being booted out of Iron Man 2. What happened to him was quite unfortunate for sure and could you imagine how things would have been had he managed to stick around?
The original Iron Man film is available for streaming on Disney+.