A scene in Iron Man teased the possibility of Tony Stark's right-hand man Jim Rhodes some day donning a suit of armor of his own to become War Machine. The role was played by Terrence Howard, who, thanks to Marvel Studios' success, looked to have a long franchise ahead of him, as well as possibly a spin-off movie of his own. That's all changed, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which is reporting that Howard is out of the sequel. Don't worry, though -- Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes will still be there. It's just that he'll be played by Don Cheadle, instead.
There was no comment from Marvel about the switcheroo, but apparently there were sources who said money was one of the reasons they were unable to seal the deal with Howard. The change may be jarring to some fans, but it may end up working out well for Marvel. According to the report, the studio had been aiming to work with Cheadle for some time, and Howard's ouster finally gives them that chance.
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