Don Cheadle's Original Marvel Studios Contract Ended With Avengers: Endgame

War Machine might be the closest thing to a cult classic fan-favorite the MCU has — at least when it comes to characters, that is. The character is far from a Captain America or Iron Man yet he's got his own very dedicated fan base. Initially played by Terrence Howard in Iron Man, Don Cheadle took over the role beginning with Iron Man 2. In one recent interview, the actor revealed Marvel Studios only gave him two hours to decide if he'd want to do the role. Talk about a stressful two hours, eh?

In the same interview, Cheadle also revealed his hesitations came because the initial contract was for six movies. That means unless he's already signed an extension, his initial contract is now over. If we're doing our math correctly, Cheadle has appeared as War Machine/James Rhodes on six different occasions — Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

"I was actually at my kid's birthday party—a laser tag party—and I got a call from my agent, and they said, 'Hey, so I want to connect you to these Marvel guys. They want to talk to you, but they want to offer you the part,'" Cheadle said of the fateful call. "I don't think it was [Kevin] Feige. I don't know who was on the phone."

He added, "But they said, 'Hey, this is the role. We want you to do this. It's a six-picture deal.' I was like, 'What?! Oh, uh, okay…' And I'm trying to do the math. I'm like, 'That's 11 or 12 years. I'm not sure.' And they're like, 'Well, we need to know, because if you're not saying yes, then we're gonna move on to the next person. So you've got an hour.'"

Of course, that's not saying Cheadle's time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to an end. Actors have extended their movie deals with the House of Ideas time and time again and if Feige and his team want Cheadle back, it's but a matter of time before they make it happen.

Cheadle's latest MCU flick, Avengers: Endgame, is now streaming on Disney+.

Do you think War Machine will end up popping up in a subsequent MCU property? If so, where do you think that'd come? Think it over and let us know your thoughts in the comments section!