Armor Wars has long been announced to arrive in the MCU's Phase 6 as an Iron Man spin-off, but after years of production not starting, many fans are wondering if Marvel Studios have canceled the project altogether.
Don Cheadle's James Rhodes (War Machine) has been a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008's Iron Man. His character last appeared in 2023's Secret Invasion, when he was revealed to be trapped in a Skrull prison while a Skrull named Raava pretended to be Rhodey.
A Timeline of Armor Wars' Rocky Development at Marvel Studios
Announced
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced Armor Wars in December 2020 at Disney's Investor Day, confirming it would be a Disney+ series starring Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine.
The series was created to explore what happens when Tony Stark's technology falls into the wrong hands, partly diving into the Avenger's legacy and death.
Armor Wars was expected to feature six episodes and, by August 2021, Yassir Lester had signed on as head writer with no director announced.
Reworked Into a Movie
Almost two years later, in September 2022, The Hollywood Reporter revealed Armor Wars was being reworked from a Disney+ series to a movie, with Yassir Lester expected to stay on to pen for the big screen.
Marvel Studios exec Nate Moore later addressed the change, explaining there were "some great ideas" for Armor Wars that "felt too big" for a show. He added that, along with being "conceptually" too grand for Disney+, the plans became "cost-prohibitive" to manage on television.
From that point, official words came few and far between, but some scoopers claimed production would begin around the "end of the year" in 2023. But alas, months have gone by, and there has been no sign of filming starting.
All Quiet on the Armor Wars Front
Yassir Lester addressed the delay to MovieWeb in October 2024, confirming that "everything's still in development." He added that just as how Blade "goes away and comes back the next day," so does Armor Wars:
"In the same way 'Blade' [starring Mahershala Ali] goes away and comes back the next day, 'Armor Wars' is — it'll be a thing that happens every few months, then it won't happen, then it'll happen again."
Don Cheadle gave a similarly vague update to TVLine when he was asked where Armor Wars stands, asking the outlet to "find out and let [him] know."
On Hold Due to Secret Invasion
Scooper DanielRPK came to the rescue in January to offer an update on Armor Wars' status, revealing it is "on hold, not canceled." He added that Marvel Studios was "reworking it" after the Secret Invasion backlash and will "focus on entirely different things than originally planned:"
"I’ve heard that 'Armor Wars' is on hold, not canceled. They’re reworking it after the backlash from 'Secret Invasion,' and at this point, it’s looking like it’ll only happen post-'Secret Wars.' It’s also expected to focus on entirely different things than originally planned."
For those unaware, Rhodey played a major role in Secret Invasion, only for Marvel Studios to reveal he had actually been a Skrull in disguise for some time.
The shocking twist meant War Machine might've been an alien imposter as far back as Captain America: Civil War—a revelation that accrued mixed reactions.
Speaking with Collider, Nate Moore explained that while Armor Wars is "not [his] project," Marvel Studios has "head to slow down some things that were on the front burner" to ensure quality.
He went on to point out that "doesn't mean [they'll] never make it," but plans may need to be "a little bit more considered:"
"You know, that’s not my project, to be honest. But, I do know, as Marvel [Studios] continues to go through this phase, we want to make sure whatever we’re making is awesome. So that means we had to slow down some things that were on the front burner. It doesn't mean we'll never make it, but it does mean we just have to be a little bit more considered so that every time out, audiences are guaranteed quality."
The Ironheart Factor
Beyond the Secret Invasion backlash and behind-the-scenes changes, the delays to Disney+'s Ironheart may have been a factor. The Dominique Thorne-led series was expected to premiere as far back as 2023 but now will not debut until this June.
Both Armor Wars and Ironheart connect to the Iron Man mythos, and many theorize that Thorne will reprise Riri Williams in the movie. One has to wonder if, along with all the other factors, Armor Wars has been pushed back to place it after Ironheart, assuming one, even partially, sets up the other.
When Could Armor Wars Be Released?
While Armor Wars was originally conceived as part of the Multiverse Saga, behind-the-scenes changes have seemingly left it as less of a priority. If the Iron Man spin-off movie still happens, one can only imagine it will be after Avengers: Secret Wars and more important projects such as X-Men and Black Panther 3.
There is every chance Armor Wars has simply petered off and will never truly resume at Marvel Studios after getting stuck in development hell. Alternatively, the studio could also pick its Iron Man spin-off backup in several years, in which case fans should not expect to see it released anytime before 2028.
Where Else Could Don Cheadle's War Machine Appear In The MCU
Don Cheadle was unfortunately absent from Marvel's mega Avengers Doomsday cast reveal livestream, leaving his appearance in that movie still up in the air.
While the plot of Doomsday is still unknown, we do know that Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Doctor Doom will connect in some unknown way. It would make sense that Rhodey would have a strong reaction to Doom looking exactly like his dead friend, Tony Stark, so we are hopeful Cheadle does make the final Doomsday cast list.
