Marvel Studios confirms Don Cheadle’s return as War Machine for a new MCU series on Disney + based on Iron Man’s Armor Wars comics.
Don Cheadle will play War Machine in a new Marvel Studios series for Disney +, Armor Wars. Colonel James Rhodes has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the beginning, but it wasn’t until Iron Man 2 that actor Don Cheadle took on the role, replacing Terrence Howard. We’ve since seen the actor in Iron man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and he was one of the few surviving heroes to star in Avengers: Endgame.
It was clear that after the death of Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame, the future of the war machine in the UCM would be to take on a greater role, although the lack of news about it left in the air if it was going to continue in it. When Marvel Studios released the list of Disney + movies and series from Phase 4, it was not confirmed that it was part of any project. However, everything pointed to War Machine returning, albeit probably as a supporting character once again. Marvel tried to make a solo War Machine movie early on, but it never materialized, keeping him out of a lead role until now.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed during Disney Investor Day 2020 that one of the new MCU series for Disney + in the works would be one starring Don Cheadle, War Machine. The series, titled Armor Wars, is based on the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton from 1987 to 1988.
In the Armor Wars comics, Tony Stark discovers that his technology is in the hands of some of his worst enemies. The Golden Avenger feels responsible for all the evil that others could do with these high-tech tools and decides that the time has come to regain control. However, it will be Rhodes who stars in the story for Disney +.
This short Armor Wars arc turning into a Disney + series will finally give Marvel Studios a chance to prop up one of its most important supporting characters. War Machine, he’s been in seven MCU movies up to this point, but he’s yet to get a chance to shine or show audiences some of the legendary character adventures that he likes to show off. That will change with Armor Wars on all fronts, while also giving the MCU a way to keep some of the Iron Man characters. Now that Tony Stark is gone, it will be interesting to see Rhodey doing what he can to keep his best friend’s technology out of the wrong hands.
As with all Marvel Studios content, Armor Wars will be the last chance to incorporate many elements from the MCU’s past, present, and future. The comics saw Tony Stark work with Scott Lang to determine who stole his technology, and Avengers: Endgamehelped establish a back-and-forth comedy between Ant-Man and War Machine. Since Rhodey is not as tech-savvy as Tony, he will likely need Scott’s help to track down the missing gear, or he might even contact Riri Williams, who will also feature a series, Ironheart, on Disney +. This story will also see Justin Hammer, the character played by Sam Rockwell, acquire Tony’s stolen designs, so Armor Wars could be an opportunity for the MCU to finally bring back Sam Rockwell as a villain from Iron Man 2.
