Terrence Howard has shed some new light on why he believes he was fired from Iron Man 2 — and it involves threatening a producer. Appearing on the PBD Podcast, Howard revealed that in 2007, he had a run-in at the Venice Filim Festival with producer Joel Silver, who produced The Brave One, which Howard co-starred in alongside Jodie Foster. During the exchange, Howard says he questioned why he didn’t receive more prominent credit for the film despite being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in 2005’s Hustle & Flow. Things went downhill from there:
“Joel Silver came and had a conversation with me, and he’s like, ‘The reason your name isn’t above the titles is because you’re not the star of this thing — it’s Jodie. And if you get nominated for an Oscar, it’s going to be for Supporting Actor, not Best Actor.’ And I was like, ‘Thank you for telling me that, now I understand. But, you have to remember that I’m a man just like you, and if you ever talk to me in that way again, I’m going to knock your teeth out of your mouth.'”
Joel Silver’s producing partner on The Brave One was Susan Downey, wife of Robert Downey Jr., who had already worked with Howard on Iron Man — which was, at the time of the argument, still set for release in May 2008. Silver himself has a good working relationship with Robert Downey Jr., having produced Gothika, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Sherlock Holmes. Remarking that eight months later, he lost his role in Iron Man 2, Howard mused, “I’m sure that all of those things played their part.” Neither Silver nor Susan Downey have commented on Howard’s claims.
Robert Downey Jr. & Terrence Howard in Iron Man (2008)Paramount Pictures
This adds a new wrinkle to the story of Howard being let go from Iron Man 2, although it isn’t the first time Howard has seemingly put the blame for his firing on a member of the Downey family. In 2013, Howard accused Robert Downey Jr. of being responsible, saying, “The person that I helped become Iron Man, when it was time to re-up for the second one, took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out.” Howard claimed he tried to contact Downey Jr. about the situation and didn’t hear back for three years.
On Oct. 14, 2008, days after Jon Favreau signed on to return as director for Iron Man 2, it was reported that Howard had been fired from the film and replaced by Don Cheadle. In the years since, reports have emerged that Favreau didn’t enjoy working with Howard on Iron Man and had to recut or edit many of his scenes. Howard’s time with Marvel predated the studio’s acquisition by the Walt Disney Company in 2009; ironically, that same year, Howard lent his voice to the Walt Disney Animation film The Princess & the Frog.
Howard later starred in the hit television series Empire, which in 2019 also became part of the Walt Disney Company following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. In 2020, Howard filed a lawsuit against the Disney-owned 20th Century Fox over unpaid compensation for Empire, a move that Howard alleges has since led to him being blacklisted by Hollywood:
“You’re no longer on their list because you’ve broken the cardinal rule: you never talk,” Howard declared. “Even if you’re being screwed over, you never talk. You’re supposed to keep that quiet and keep working as a good slave —and I didn’t do that.”
Even if he’s unwelcome on the Disney lot, Howard has still managed to find work since his lawsuit. He’s starred in two Peacock Originals, 2022’s The Best Man: The Final Chapter and 2024’s Fight Night: Million Dollar Heist, and in 2024 alone, he appeared in three movies: Skeletons in the Closet, Shirley, and Crescent City.