The fallout continues from a bombshell piece in The New Yorker about the rise and dominance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and once again former executive Ike Perlmutter is getting raked over the coals over an alleged racist comment.
This time Perlmutter is accused of saying “no one would notice” that Terrence Howard was being replaced as War Machine in Iron Man with Don Cheadle, because “Black people all look alike.” Perlmutter, who spoke with The New Yorker, denied ever saying this. Honestly, it would be more surprising if he admitted it.
Howard’s exit was the very first case of recasting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and with upcoming appearances for the character in both the upcoming Secret Invasion and Armor Wars, we’ll be seeing a whole lot of Cheadle. So why did Howard leave in the first place?
It was reportedly over a salary dispute for the second movie when star Robert Downey Jr. got a significant pay bump following the success of the first movie, but it’s not known who walked away first. In a 2012 Financial Times piece, Perlmutter allegedly told a fellow executive that the move would cut costs, before making the “look the same” remark.
At this point, it’s hard to even imagine the character being played by anyone but Cheadle.
Whether or not Perlmutter did make the offending remark, he was slowly removed from the orbit of the MCU, and eventually let go in March. It sounds like a move that was a long time coming.
