‘Armor Wars’: Fans Can’t Wait to Finally See War Machine Abandon His Sidekick Role

Disney and Marvel made waves last week when they announced a new slate of Marvel properties on the big screen and television. These included new series for Nick Fury, Baby Groot, Ironheart, She-Hulk, and several others.

However, one of the more intriguing projects they’ve announced is Armor Wars, which will bring back Don Cheadle’s War Machine in a post-Iron Man world.

As such, many fans are wondering where it will go from here. 

Intro to ‘Armor Wars’

When it comes to the MCU, there are three basic types of superheroes. First, there are those born with superpowers based on their alien race, bloodline, or other outlying reasons. Second are the ones who are accepted as ordinary people but given superpowers thanks to unseen events. Finally, there are the ones who lack superpowers but make up for it in resourcefulness. This is often done with a suit, like Iron Man and Ant-Man. 

However, these are not the only heroes who have such power at their hands. Since the first film of the franchise, Iron Man had a friend in Rhodey. Rhodey was an air force pilot initially played by Terrence Howard but quickly replaced by Don Cheadle.

Cheadle has been a mainstay in the MCU ever since, but after Stark’s death in Endgame, many were left wondering what was to come for the character. 

Rhodes had Iron Man to thank and blame for everything he has. On the bright side, he gave him the suit that allowed him to fight side by side and help protect the world from attacks both internally and across the universe. On the other side, however, his feud with Captain America eventually left him paralyzed. 

Thanks to technology, Rhodey can bypass this. However, without his friend to lead him, this show will explore his life after Endgame’s events changed the universe forever. 

What we know about ‘Armor Wars’

When it comes to Armor Wars, there are two inspirations that the makers can draw upon. The first incarnation played out in Iron Man comics in the late 1980s. These involved Tony Stark’s concern about his armor falling into the wrong hands and eventually being used against him after his tech is the template used by new enemies. The technological conundrum kicks off a Civil War-style event. 

The 2015 revival of the concept came from similar places for a 21st-century audience whose reliance on technology had only greatened. Past this, there’s little known about the series. Similar struggles to this storyline were introduced throughout the universe thanks to Stark’s involvement, but with Stark out of the picture, the possibilities are endless. 

‘Armor Wars’: Letting Rhodey shine

From the first time that Rhodes looked at Iron Man’s armor in the MCU’s first film, he’s waited his time to shine. Now, he might be forced to live his dream. Fans on Reddit spoke about the opportunity that the character has to shine away from Tony Stark’s enormous shadow.

Speaking on the subject, one Reddit user proclaimed their excitement for Cheadle to get his time to shine.

“I’m so happy that Don Cheadle will finally get to do something solo as War Machine without being tied to Tony.”

This kicked off discussions about the way that he’s used. While Cheadle is an acclaimed actor with an impressive resume of leading roles behind him, he’s viewed as an understudy in the MCU.

Now with his own series, the character will be able to shine, and, in turn, Cheadle can finally get a role worthy of his past. User u/ex_oh_ex_oh explained this. 

“I totally just said the same thing haha! He’s kind of just hung on in the MCU for so long as Tony’s sidekick and, it’s Don Cheadle! He’s an amazing actor so I’m happy for the guy getting his own series.”

Now, fans will have to wait and see what new surprises can unfold during the Armor Wars, which is currently in pre-production without a launch date in sight.