Howard played Iron Man's friend/sidekick Colonel James Rhodes, also known as Iron Patriot or War Machine in the first "Iron Man" movie, which kicked off the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the end of the film, Rhodes even looks at another Iron Man suit and coyly says to himself "Next time, baby" implying that he'd be back in a potential sequel.
However, that would never come to pass. Howard was replaced by Don Cheadle in all future MCU films. During a 2013 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live," Howard explained that he had signed a three-movie deal, but when it came time for a second film, the studio proposed paying him much less than the first film. Where'd the money go? According to Howard, to Iron Man himself.
"It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man ... when it was time to re-up for the second one, [he] took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out," Howard said.
The comments didn't go down well, according to the Associated Press, but Howard later said he and Downey Jr. decided to put it behind them. "We just realized that life is too short. We both realized. Life's too short. Everybody is making money now," he said.