Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures
Terrence Howard was set up for one of the cushiest jobs in Hollywood after he was cast as James Rhodes in the original Iron Man movie, the first project in the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Howard, however, was fired from the franchise after just one film.
According to the Oscar-nominated actor, his temper is what cost him what would have been a key and long-running role in the MCU. As Terrence Howard tells it, not long after threatening to “knock the teeth” out of producer Joel Silver.
While Silver did not produce Iron Man, he has numerous notable credits to hs name, including 48 Hrs., Lethal Weapon, Predator, Die Hard, Road House, Demolition Man, The Matrix V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes, The Book of Eli, The Nice Guys, and more.
Terrence Howard says he was fired from the Marvel Cinematic Universe because he threatened to ‘knock the teeth out’ of an Iron Man producer
“I’m doing The Brave One, and we’re at the Venice Film Festival. And some reporter out of nowhere gaslights me. And he says to me… he’s like, ‘Why isn’t your name above the titles with Jodie [Foster]?’ And I’m sitting there thinking, yeah, why isn’t my name above the titles with Jodie?” Howard explained on the PBD Podcast.
“So I started making calls as if that was my right—and it wasn’t. And then Joel Silver came and had a conversation with me. He’s like, ‘The reason your name isn’t above the titles is because you’re not the star of this thing. It’s Jodie. And if you win… if you get nominated for an Oscar, it’s going to be for supporting actor. It’s not going to be for best actor.’ And I was like, okay, thank you for telling me that. Now I understand. But you have to remember, I’m a man just like you. And if you ever talk to me in that way again, I’m gonna knock your teeth out your mouth.”
“This is what I said… Back on the private flight with him. And Susan Downey is his producing partner. And then maybe eight months later, I lose Iron Man. And I’m sure that all of those things played their part. But I got gaslit. He did the right thing in coming and talking to me, but I responded in this aggressive manner.”
Terrence Howard shares advice Denzel Washington gave him as he admits his aggression ruined opportunities in Hollywood & reveals he suspects he lost his Iron Man role after he threaten to knock film producer Joel Silver’s teeth out
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Howard was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2, which was sneakily one of the great course corrections for the MCU given the number of projects that the James Rhodes character has appeared in. Rhodes/War Machine has since appeared in Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Secret Invasion.
After earning an Academy Award nominated for Best Actor for his role in 2005’s Hustle & Flow, Howard’s cinematic career has largely faded in the 20 years since, which his most notable roles after Iron Man being in films such as Fighting, Red Tails, Prisoners (of which he’s the worst part), and Sabotage.
In recent years, Howard’s most prominent roles have been on TV in series such as Empire (2015-2020), Law & Order: LA (2010-2011), Wayward Pines (2015-2016), The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022) and Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (2024).