One of the most well-known (but still curious) pieces of Marvel Cinematic Universe trivia is that Terrence Howard was the highest-paid member of the Iron Man cast, with the Academy Award-nominated actor picking up a paycheck at least three times that of the $500,000 gifted to leading man Robert Downey Jr.
Of course, once he discovered that the studio were trying to renegotiate his terms for the sequel, Howard bailed on the franchise altogether, allowing Don Cheadle to step in and fill the role of Rhodey for what’s been over a decade and counting. The Empire star has been known for his… unusual opinions on certain matters, whether it’s his language of logic “Terryology”, or his repeated affirmations that he’s an engineer as much as he is an actor.
With that in mind, fans have suspected the real reason Howard jumped ship and abandoned the MCU is because he wants to become Iron Man in real life, after he claimed to have reinvented physics itself as part of his plan to bring a new form of flight to Uganda. No, seriously.
As you can imagine, MCU supporters are having plenty of fun in the comments and replies, pointing out that Howard has ironically turned out to be a cross between Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer, as opposed to the stoic James Rhodes. We’ll happily eat as many shoes as possible should the 53 year-old come good on his promise, but we’re not entirely convinced that he’s the person to completely turn science as we know it on its head.