The MCU is quickly moving ahead toward some exciting releases. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will arrive before the end of the year, and fans have exciting new set images from Ironheart and Echo to keep up with as well. But there's one series that remains firmly under the radar long after its initial announcement: Don Cheadle's Armor Wars.
First announced to be in development at Disney Investor's Day 2020, Armor Wars was described as a series that shows "Tony Stark's worst fears coming true" as his tech falls into the wrong hands. Reports have teased how it will have heavy ties to 2019's Avengers: Endgame, setting up an intense story for Cheadle in what will be his first leading effort in an MCU outing.
Black Monday's Yassir Lester is currently tapped to write the series, having worked with Cheadle in the past, but Armor Wars still stands without a release timeframe or an official start date for production. Thankfully, that status changes thanks to news providing an update on filming, which even reveals some unexpected MCU ties with the series' working title.
Armor Wars Comes with Hulk Ties
Lizzie Hill of The Cosmic Circus revealed that Marvel Studios' Armor Wars has had set up a production company called Acid Pop Productions, LLC. Not only does this mean that the show is one step closer to starting filming, but it also potentially ties back to the MCU's second theatrical release, The Incredible Hulk.
In the 2008 solo movie, the late Marvel legend Stan Lee made a quick cameo early in the movie when he drank a soda that was bottled in the plant where Edward Norton's Bruce Banner worked in Brazil.
Lee's character died from drinking a bottle that Bruce accidentally bled in, which would, in turn, make this an 'Acid Pop,' potentially linking the production company to the beverage. That soda plant hasn't been seen since that time in the MCU.
At one point, rumors hinted that production for Armor Wars wasn't set to begin until Fall 2022, so it seems that the series could be on track to start filming soon.
MCU's Early History Coming in Armor Wars?
Although Don Cheadle replaced Terrance Howard as James Rhodes after Iron Man, he's still been around longer than nearly MCU actor to date with his continuing role in the Multiverse Saga. It seems only fitting that the production company for his first solo series also has potential ties back to one of the only MCU movies that arrived before his tenure started.
As for why that production company name was picked, Marvel has a history of using unique distinctions for the MCU's various titles always in development. Whether Armor Wars actually ties back to The Incredible Hulk will be difficult to tell until more story details become available, but with Cheadle's extended tenure and the Hulk coming back into prominence in the MCU, the possibility is there.
Perhaps some of Bruce's gamma-irradiated blood has managed to cause a whole host of Hulk-related issues around the world in addition to the stolen Stark tech, only surfacing now for Rhodey to mop up the mess.
Even more exciting is that a filming start seems imminent for this Disney+ series, which has been shrouded in more mystery than nearly all of its theatrical and streaming counterparts. It is currently the only project announced at Disney Investor's Day 2020 that still doesn't have a release date, but with this update, that update could come sooner rather than later.
Don Cheadle's next MCU appearance will come in Secret Invasion, coming to Disney+ in Spring 2023.
