One of the most puzzling aspects of “Iron Man 2,” was why Terrence Howard did not reprise his role as James Rhodes (aka War Machine).

In recent years, Howard has been outspoken about his departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2 after participating in the first film. He apparently didn’t know the contract wasn’t “mutually binding,” and that Marvel, despite negotiating a multi-picture agreement with him, still had the ultimate say on whether or not to bring him back.

He disclosed the behind-the-scenes turmoil that resulted in his exclusion from the “Iron Man” sequels, and he is enraged.

During a guest visit on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, the actor revealed some Hollywood insider information.

There have been reports regarding compensation and Howard’s behavior on set, but the actor himself put the record straight on television.

Howard was expected to make $8 million for Iron Man 2, a significant increase over the $4.5 million he got for the original film. Unfortunately for him, Robert Downey Jr. became greedy and took the money that was meant for Howard.

“It turns out that 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 explained.

“We did a three-picture deal. That means you did the deal ahead of time—a certain amount for the first one, a certain amount for the second, and a certain amount for the third. They came to me with the second and said ‘look, we will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.’ And I called my friend, that I helped get the first job, and he didn’t call me back for three months,” Howard added.

In the 2008 picture, Howard played James “Rhodey” Roades, an army Colonel and highly trained agent who works for the government and owns Tony Stark’s (Downey) “War Machine” iron suit.

Howard previously told the morning radio show “Sway in the Morning” a similar story last spring, stating he was given around $1 million for the second film:

“[I was paid] about $4.5 million [for the first film],” said Howard. “The second time, [the studio] said ‘We think the movie will be successful with or without you. So, instead of the $8 million that we said we were gonna pay you, we’re going to let you come back for a million dollars.’ We did a three-picture deal already, [but] I forgot, I didn’t know it wasn’t a mutually binding contract; it was only beneficial for them and they could bring me back or not. They can honor it or not.”

Even though the whole thing happened five years ago, it’s easy to see why Howard is still upset about it. I mean, his career isn’t what it used to be. He went from being nominated for an Oscar for Hustle and Flow and co-starring in a massive blockbuster like Iron Man to participating in some very bad movies including The Ledge, Winnie Mandela, and Red Tails.

“The Best Man Holiday” star told Cohen that reports that he wanted the same money as Downey were false. Instead, he claimed that the producers sought to pay him less money for the sequel than they had previously agreed to because they felt the film would be successful without him.

That came to pass. The part was later recast with “House of Lies” actor Don Cheadle, and the franchise has grossed almost $2 billion.

When Cohen asked if there were any lingering resentments, Howard said, “Oh, I love him. God’s gonna bless him.”

Howard wasn’t always so furious about what had occurred between him and the Hollywood A-lister.

In 2010, he said E! News, “Robert Downey Jr. was born to play that part. It was wonderful that that part has given him the stature that he was supposed to hold before.”

Robert Downey Jr. revealed to GQ this spring that he got a huge $50 million for his role as Iron Man in “The Avengers” last summer.

Howard revealed to “Sway” that he currently earns around $60,000 every movie.