Terence Howard, the highest paid actor in Iron Man, left the film due to a dispute over salary with the creators. Howard was asked to work at a lower pay than the agreed upon contract amount, which was between 50 to 80 dollars. This resulted in Howard’s separation from the project.
Howard claimed that the person who helped him become Iron Man took the money that was supposed to go to him and pushed him out. He called his friend and he didn’t call him back for three months.
The controversy also led to a feud between Howard and Robert Downey Jr. Howard claimed that Downey didn’t stand up for him instead supporting the move, but in 2008, Downey denied his role in Howard’s removal from the film.
Downey’s role is Tony Stark, and Iron Man became the franchise essential character until he’s in Universe death at the end of Infinity Saga with Avengers in-game. Don Cheadle has been portraying War Machine’s character since 2010 and is expected to reprise the role in upcoming projects like Secret Invasion and Armor Wars.
Terence Howard’s absence from Iron Man 2 has caused controversy, with fans questioning if Downey fired him and made him lose millions.