If you’re an MCU fan, you’ll know about the recasting of Rhodey between Iron Man and Iron Man 2.

Contracts weren’t working out for Terrence Howard, and Marvel thought about the business and signed Don Cheadle to come in and play the role instead.

In retrospect, fans believe it was a pretty smooth move, as the film didn’t linger on any changes and just rolled with the punches.

As one fan on Reddit puts it, “He walks into the hearing [in Iron Man 2] and stark says “hey buddy! Didn’t expect to see you here” and he says “look, it’s me, I’m here, get over it, let’s move on…..drop it!”

It was so smooth that one Redditor didn’t even notice the underlying tone of that line when delivered, “I never realized that’s what his comment was referring to until many many years later. And only then when someone pointed it out to me.”

It’s unlikely we’ll ever see a similar recast as the MCU is huge nowadays and unless an actor has passed away, Marvel tends to stick with the same actors or write out the roles – see Jonathon majors.

Some, like DMC_Hotness believed Howard was better in the role, they said, “Terrance Howard was better for the role. Just my opinion.”

While others think Cheadle nails the part, saying, “the Cheadle dynamic worked way better. Terrence Howard looked the part, but the voice and charisma were all off.”

Though it’s worth noting, some didn’t think it was all that smooth, with one Redditor saying, “What’s so jarring about this recast initially is that the two actors look nothing alike.”

Personally, I love Cheadle in the role, and I’ve always enjoyed his work, but we’ll never know if Howard could have carried the role further or revelled in the part.