Actor Don Cheadle Recalls Having Just Two Hours to Decide on an MCU Role

By Simon Saunders -

When given the chance to join the MCU, Don Cheadle didn’t take much time to decide. Quite literally so, as the actor was given only two hours to make his final decision before the role was about to pass on to another actor. Recently, the actor shared this information with the media.

An Interview

Don Cheadle spoke about his career, stating that when the famed superhero franchise first offered him the role of War Machine back in 2010, he wasn’t given much time to think. The 58-year- old actor also revealed that he was at his kid’s birthday party when the studio called him to offer the role but gave him just two hours to decide if he’d sign for an upcoming years-long commitment. Fortunately, after discussing it with his wife and agents, Cheadle made his decision within that time. As a result, he took over the role of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man’s faithful sidekick James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine from the previous actor Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 (2010).

The Conversation

As Don Cheadle recalled the incident, he said he received the call in the middle of his child’s laser tag birthday party and was given only one hour initially to decide whether to sign the massive six-movie deal! Then the studio personnel explained to him the planning details of the upcoming Iron Man installments and also the bigger and more ambitious MCU project- Avengers. So, everything had to be fast and he had to decide if he would be in or out within one hour before the studio had to move on to the next actor with the offer. After knowing that he was at his kid’s birthday party, the studio extended the time up to two hours. Crucially, maintaining the Marvel style, the studio didn’t give Cheadle any idea of the character’s storyline at that point.

A Rare Viking Sword Was Reassembled From Two Separate Artifacts

By Kirby Dean –

When last year, an amateur treasure hunter made an important discovery of a small piece of metal in Norway, people didn’t know what it was. It turned out it was half a discovery and not just a piece of metal with no use. In fact, the rest of the puzzle was revealed when his friend, another amateur enthusiast, made another archeological find. He found an ornate, massive, and complex Viking sword.

Two Friends Found Two Parts of the Same Viking Sword Independently

The sword hilt that was pieced back together with the sword What surprised people the most was the fact that the two artifacts were parts of the same discovery. Scientists have determined that the two parts were reunited approximately 1,200 years after they separated. The reuniting of the sword was celebrated by local archeologists as it was also a particularly beautiful and unusual example of Viking metalwork.

According to Ann Zanette Glorstad, an archaeologist at the University of Oslo in Norway, the Viking artifact was likely a D-sword. She further explained that it was one of the richest, heaviest, and most ornamented sword types from the Viking Age ever found. She also pointed out that the ornaments on the hilt were enough to sense the immense work that was put into the creation of the sword.

The Decor of the Viking Sword’s Hilt Pointed to the Late Iron Age

When last year, an amateur treasure hunter made an important discovery of a small piece of metal in Norway, people did not know what it was. It turned out it was half a discovery and not just a piece of metal with no use. In fact, the rest of the puzzle was revealed when his friend, another amateur enthusiast, made another archeological find. He found an ornate, massive, and complex Viking sword. Two Friends Found Two Parts of the Same Viking Sword Independently What surprised people the most was the fact that the two artifacts were parts of the same discovery. Scientists have determined that the two parts were reunited approximately 1,200 years after they separated. The reuniting of the sword was celebrated by local archeologists as it was also a particularly beautiful and unusual example of Viking metalwork. According to Ann Zanette Glorstad, an archaeologist at the University of Oslo in Norway, the Viking artifact was likely a D-sword. She further explained that it was one of the richest, heaviest, and most ornamented sword types from the Viking Age ever found. She also pointed out that the ornaments on the hilt were enough to sense the immense work that was put into the creation of the sword. The Decor of the Viking Sword's Hilt Pointed to the Late Iron Age Glorstad said it was still difficult to see every detail, but the decor included elements of the animal style that was typical for the Late Iron Age. It had geometric figures of silver with a metal mixture that was added as black stripes in the silver. The lower helmet was decorated like the grip and was shaped like an animal head at each end. The sword has joined nearly 20 similar artifacts found in Norway, though many of those were likely imported. While an ancient Viking sword is nothing strange for Norway, this one seemed like it was forged close to where it was discovered. The decoration indicated that the sword was originally made in England or the Frankish Empire. Similar Swords of the Era Were Found In Scotland and Across Europe There were similar swords found across Europe, and the closest example is one from a ninth-century tomb that was found on the Scottish island of Eigg. That meant that the discovery was going to be of amazing interest to specialists from every part of Europe. So, the University was planning to contact researchers once the sword had been preserved to bring more clarity to its origins and parallels. For now, there are not too many details known regarding the Iron Age Viking sword, but there are a few clues. It is likely it belonged to someone of high social status. The sword was also discovered close to the grave of a rich Viking woman. Once it is properly preserved, it will be displayed for enthusiasts to see.

Glorstad said it was still difficult to see every detail, but the decor included elements of the animal style that was typical for the Late Iron Age. It had geometric figures of silver with a metal mixture that was added as black stripes in the silver. The lower helmet was decorated like the grip and was shaped like an animal head at each end. The sword has joined nearly 20 similar artifacts found in Norway, though many of those were likely imported. While an ancient Viking sword is nothing strange for Norway, this one seemed like it was forged close to where it was discovered. The decoration indicated that the sword was originally made in England or the Frankish Empire.

Similar Swords of the Era Were Found In Scotland and Across Europe

A Scottish sword of the same era being dug out

There were similar swords found across Europe, and the closest example is one from a ninth-century tomb that was found on the Scottish island of Eigg. That meant that the discovery was going to be of amazing interest to specialists from every part of Europe. So, the University was planning to contact researchers once the sword had been preserved to bring more clarity to its origins and parallels.

For now, there are not too many details known regarding the Iron Age Viking sword, but there are a few clues. It’s likely it belonged to someone of high social status. The sword was also discovered close to the grave of a rich Viking woman. Once it is properly preserved, it will be displayed for enthusiasts to see.