Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes back in 2010's Iron Man 2. 11 years later, and he is still playing War Machine in the MCU.
After the great sacrifice of Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame, Rhodey is left to face the challenges of letting Tony's Iron Man armor into the wrong hands in the upcoming Disney+ series, Armor Wars. Many fans are hoping for a callback to Cheadle's first appearance in the MCU with a return from Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer.
The series may also set up Dominique Throne's Riri Williams for the Ironheart Disney+ series.
Cheadle most recently appeared in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 1, which gave him an Emmy nomination. Be prepared to see a lot more of Cheadle in his own series alongside a deeper look at Rhodey, according to the lead actor himself.
ARMOR WARS "IS A WHOLE NEW LEVEL"
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly promoting his new movie Space Jam: A New Legacy, Don Cheadle teased the future of War Machine.
Cheadle explained that what's next for his character "is a whole other level" and that fans will learn "what makes [Rhodey] tick:"
"What's amazing is that what's to come is a whole other level. This will be an opportunity for the first time to really see who he is and what makes him tick."
A CLOSER LOOK AT WAR MACHINE
The Disney+ series' have already thrust previous side characters up to the forefront. WandaVision gave fans a closer look at Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier put Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes in the spotlight, and Loki gave Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief his own series to rule.
MCU projects on Disney+ have given audiences the chance to get to know characters that they've seen on the big screen for years but only as second fiddle to the Tony Stark and Steve Rogers' of the world.
With Iron Man out of the picture and Rhodey's government connection, this series is shaping up to explore what happens to Tony's technology after Endgame. This was already touched upon in Spider-Man: Far From Home when Peter Parker received E.D.I.T.H.
Many wondered why Tony would've left that much weaponry to a 16-year-old kid. Maybe the answer will be explained in Armor Wars.
Learning more about Rhodey will be satisfying for any long-tome MCU fan as one of its first heroes finally gets his own spotlight. Especially after he was partially paralyzed in Captain America: Civil War, War Machine has been through a lot and still has a lot more to give in the future.
Armors Wars is set to release sometime in the near future on Disney+
