How Terrence Howard Really Feels About Don Cheadle Playing War Machine

Back in 2012, Don Cheadle clarified that there was no animosity between him and Terrence Howard. “In fact, I saw Terrence two days after that all went down,” the actor said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning radio show. “Because of his situation and his deal with Marvel, he wasn’t coming back regardless, so it wasn’t as if I took a job from him and he understands that. It was an open job and they came to me next.” In another video, played back for Howard in a 2013 interview, Cheadle said the two were friends for years.

Afterward, Howard opened up in his own Sway in the Morning appearance how he really felt about Cheadle taking the role. “[The studio] made a great deal — Don and Robert, they get along well,” he said. “It had nothing to do with Don. It had to do with them needing to take the $7 million from me and give it to somebody else.” Howard added that Marvel actually wanted Cheadle to play War Machine initially, and thus returned to the actor when Howard left the franchise.

“With regard to Don, Don has always been my man,” Howard continued. He also claimed that the freeing up of his contract allowed him to get a degree in chemical engineering and start working with a company called SCIO to make synthetic diamonds. It should be pointed out, however, that multiple sources have fact-checked his claim about getting a degree at South Carolina University and found it to be false. 

In any case, Howard’s career hasn’t suffered because of all this. His work since “Iron Man” has included roles in “The Princess and the Frog,” several “Law & Order” shows, a regular spot on “Empire” from 2015 to 2020, and plenty of others. And apparently, he didn’t pay much attention to the Marvel universe after he was no longer in it. Howard told GQ in 2013 that he hadn’t seen 2012’s “The Avengers.” We’re guessing that’s still the case.