Recently Marvel had replaced Terrence Howard's role in Iron Man 2 with Don Cheadle. It sounds surreal merely to mention it, as Iron Man was such a box office hit, and replacing one of the main actors would seem to have the potential to destroy that recipe for success. The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard was magnificent. It was one of the best on-screen adaptations of a comic, and any potential for disruption to the Tony Stark-James Rhodes on screen dynamic, could lead to a major suffering at the box office. Just the negativity of long-time comic fans who are displeased at this move alone could hurt box office in an unjustifiable way.
So what can Marvel be thinking? One scenario comes to mind, and if Marvel is following this game plan then they might be quite smart. If they aren't following it, they may need to rethink their management. This strategy supposes they intended to keep Terrence Howard, but are losing a lot of money. By negotiating with a new actor, showing they can and are willing to replace him, and letting it be leaked (it was reported by the Hollywood Reporter but does not seem to be directly announced) that Don Cheadle would replace him; they have shown Terrence, who seems to have enjoyed the role, that there is a real threat of losing the blockbuster role.
If this was indeed elaborate negotiating tactics, and they manage to re-hire Terrence Howard for the part, then Marvel could expect double publicity helping to promote their film. That is publicity that Cheadle replaced him, and then publicity again if they were to re-hire Terrence Howard, which they certainly could do at a lower negotiated rate, having proven the willingness to remove him from the role. If they re-hire him, all the negative attention now directed at the Iron Man sequel would be lost, and many of the more devoted fans may even heap praise at the decision, thus creating positive publicity.
One can hope this all was a sophisticated negotiating tactic, for if it wasn't, then Marvel is indeed making a big mistake. Don Cheadle simply doesn't even look like a military man, much less can one anticipate the on-screen chemistry between the two to be anywhere near as sensational. Cheadle would look almost out-of-place in the role, much as if Wolverine in X-men were played by Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame. It simply cannot be imagined, but perhaps as Cheadle is a high-caliber actor who has performed quite well, maybe Marvel is betting Cheadle can pull off a stellar job in a role that already has super-high expectations for it, and if he does play the role, many fans will be quite skeptical going into the theater. Certainly Cheadle will have to overcome quite a barrier in order to win over the fans with the replacement.
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