Sam Rockwell convinced Iron Man 2 creators to change the script to cast him as Justin Hammer

After failing to land the role of Tony Stark in Iron Man, Sam Rockwell convinced writer Justin Theroux and director Jon Favreau to cast him as Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2.

The decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. as Stark will go down as one of the best in the history of superhero movies as the iconic actor helped usher in Marvel's dominance over the box office for the next 15 years.

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However, Favreau was initially keen on Rockwell before Downey Jr. was cast.

Rockwell has revealed that the original plan for Iron Man 2 was to have Mickey Rourke's Whiplash as the sole villain of the piece before he asked to be written in as a secondary villain.

"I got a call from Favreau about the original Iron Man and I didn't hear anything about it. Then Downey got it," the Academy Award winner told GQ.

"My partner was in (Iron Man), Leslie Bibb, and so I had dinner with those guys before opening night, and they were nervous about it, and then, of course, it was a big hit. And then my friend Justin Theroux was going to write the script (for Iron Man 2)... and I went over to his house and I said; What's going on with that Iron Man 2?' He said, 'I'm flying out to go help Favreau write the script.' And I go, 'Well, let me be in it. I want to be in the movie. Write me a part as a bad guy.'

"They talked to Mickey Rourke, and they decided to split the villain into two villains."

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Iron Man 2 (2010)

Multi-billionaire inventor and genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), six months after revealing his identity as the 'Iron Man', is forced to use his powers again. Now that the world is aware that Tony is an 'Iron Man', he is being pressured by both the press and the government to share his invention and technology with the US military. Tony refuses to reveal information, fearing it will fall into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James ''Rhodey'' Rhodes (Don Cheadle) by his side, Tony hatches new plans and must face new, dark and dangerous forces. It doesn't take long before the extremely dangerous Russian Ivan Vanko aka 'Whiplash' (Mickey Rourke) makes himself heard...

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson

Could Rockwell return as Justin Hammer?

The upcoming Armor Wars movie will see Don Cheadle reprise his role as James Rhodes/War Machine as he attempts to honour Tony Stark's legacy and the legacy of Stark Industries.

It would be a perfect opportunity for Rockwell to return as Hammer as the character was a rival weapon manufacturer to Tony in Iron Man 2.

And, it seems Rockwell would be glad to return.

"I mean, listen man, I'm around, let's do it!" he responded when asked about Hammer in Armor Wars.