@ Those in support of Terrance Howard: Not that it will sway Marvel, but there’s a petition where you can make your peace about him being traded:

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/howardinironman2

Not that I want to doubt the power of a petition, but I can already see more people not caring about this change (or not knowing about it until a trailer comes out) to make a difference in Marvel’s eyes. Unless this changes overnight, we all will have to get used to Cheadle as “War Machine” really soon.

On a side note, when Rhodey looked at the War Machine armor and said “next time baby” I was pretty pumped about seeing him as War Machine. When Cheadle inevitably dons the armor it’s going to have less of a dramatic impact for me now, but that’s really no big deal. Just how I see it.

the terrorist with the square glasses that gets half his face peeled off that…bald guy with a ring

hes the leader of a group called “10 rings” and he never dies in the movie…

Oh, wait, a minute! That would never happen…

Seriously, though, the reason I said that is when it comes to casting the Mandarin, racial depiction has been a big issue. It’s suspected that is one of the reasons we didn’t see him in the first movie, but don’t quote me on that.

When the character was created originally it was the mid 60′s when writers created characters based off of blatant racial stereotypes like The Mandarin, or Dr. Zin on Jonny Quest, even. When they cast for the character in today’s more culturally sensitive climate, they’re either going to cast him with an Asian actor but totally against the depiction in the comic books or cast an actor from another nationality that has an affinity for Asian culture.

If they did the latter, I would put Don Cheadle as him in a hot second. Remember the character he played in Rush Hour 2 (sorry to bring that movie up, John)? Plus on top of that, the actor himself is a high level player in the ancient Chinese game of Go – which, honestly, is more coincidental, if anything, but still cool. Just out of curiosity, who would you cast as the Mandarin, since it’s so taboo to play outside the trappings of race (i.e. Jackson –> Fury)?

But what the hell do I know? Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to smokin’ these rocks?

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this happen, and I’d be guilty if I didn’t cheer the actress swap Nolan pulled in the “The Dark Night” by subbing out Katie for Maggie. However, in this case, it just doesn’t seem right or for the right reasons.

- Cheadle is an accomplished actor and if they had to replace Howard, it was a damn fine choice.

- Howard was entertaining for what little role he had in “Iron Man”, but never had much of a chance to shine. However the chance of him being “War Machine” in a possible sequel would at least introduce his character to audiences and to lay the groundwork for him to play a more pivotal role in Part 2.

- Since we have to start over with Cheadle, the investment in character Howard and squares like me were hoping to seem him as “War Machine” feel cheated. It’ll always feel like a last minute substitution, like replacing the pitcher in the season winning game, when there’s nothing wrong with him and his team has a commanding lead in the last inning. The change just seems no unnecessary, and you might as well let the man finish the game and enjoy the glory afterwards.

- I agree with you, John, about actors. Technically, they are replaceable. However, dynamics between paring of actors are not. The dynamic between Downey & Howard was great in this movie, and although I’m sure the camaraderie between Downey & Cheadle could be just as goo (or better) we don’t know that for sure. In this case, I’d rather go for what we know works and not chance altering great chemistry.

- When it comes to sequels, no matter how good or bad the actors are, you go to them first to reprise their roles. Continuity is one of the most important factors when you do a sequel, otherwise you can risk the chance of wrecking the illusion behind the movie. Despite Katie being gone, I couldn’t help but be reminded that Rachel Dawes was being played by someone else in TDK, something I couldn’t shake through that entire picture.

- Although Bond is a good example, he also has a history of films behind him. I’m not a fan of all the Bonds (Timothy Dalton, anyone?) has been replaced so many times we’ve come to expect it eventually (either due to age, box office performance, etc). However, if “Quantum of Solace”, a direct continuation of “Casino Royale” didn’t have Craig in it that would have been an absolute waste, even if they found a better actor. The continuity would have been shot, and the interest Craig helped me fostered for the Bond he portrayed would have been all for nothing.

- Actors play roles differently, even when substituted. Replace one with another, and the character may come off completely different. For example, can you name any actor to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in the history of the franchise (Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, Bale even West & Conroy) to ever play him exactly the same so that we didn’t compare one to another? One might have outperformed the other, but there had to be times that you wished a previous actor had returned to play a character than the one currently playing him.

- Dumbledore, of course, was replace due to Richard Harris’s untimely passing, but the cat currently playing him seems like a lesser imitation of Harris’s performance in the first two movies. I know this is partially meant as an homage to the actor, but it only reminds me of how much better Harris would have been if he were still around. This, however, is a reality we cannot change.

- Finally (Jesus, this has gone on forever), there was no reason Marvel could give me, or has offered any of us for swapping out Howard for Cheadle. Yeah, Cheadle is outstanding, but to say he’s better than Howard is unfair since their methods are absolutely different. I’m sure if they opted Howard out for Will Smith (which Marvel will probably do when they screw Don out of a “War Machine” spin-off flick, j/k) , the same sentiments would be shared about placing a “better actor” in the role, but it would be no less as screwed up. Howard did a great job as Rhodey and there was only one reason they replaced him.

Money. Which is why we haven’t got a straight answer from Marvel Studios about the matter. After all, they gave Favreau grief when he asked for more money but they eventually realized that they couldn’t do it without him – and rightfully so. They weren’t stupid enough to botch thing with Downey’s pay raise, but they decided to cut corners and make adjustments to the budget by axing Howard since he’d be returning as well and also looking for a pay increase.

And who wouldn’t? If you were a part of the one fo the most successful comic book movies-of-all-time and KNEW you would be playing a more active role in the sequel, wouldn’t you chance asking for more movie. I’m certain Terrance wasn’t dumb enough to ask for more than the lead, but asking for 2x to 3x more wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary. An if Jon Favreau only got $4 mil (+ back-end), I’m certain supporting players like Howard & Paltrow recieved considerably less. For a movie that grossed over $400 mil in the the box office alone, is shattering the ceiling of Home Video marketplace, and with a sequel that could potentially break records, of course you would.

Instead, they didn’t even sit the man down and negotiate with him. They looked at his asking price, scoffed, and went down their list of affordable black actors and saw they could get Cheadle for something less than what Howard was asking. That was the main reason for the swap, and despite the opinion of Don being the better actor, the cause of the switch-out was far less noble.

I can’t blame Marvel for doing it. To the accounting department, I’m sure it made perfect sense, and to get another “higher profile” African-American actor for cheaper must have had those greedy producers behind the sequel losing their minds. I got no beef with Cheadle, though – if I were him and were offered to be in the sequel of a blockbuster as an established character, it would be hard to pass up – and I wouldn’t expect him to. I just wish it wasn’t under these shitty (and speculated) circumstances.

What’s really sad was that I had just finished watching all the extras on my Iron Man DVD set and was pumped for the sequel when this news hit.

Now I’m not nearly as psyched for Part 2. I hope Marvel Studios – in all their “infinite wisdom” – proves me wrong.