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The death of Tony Stark aka Iron Man inAvengers: Endgamewas a heart-wrenching moment not just for the Avengers, but also for every Marvel fan across the globe. With his demise, the talisman of the Avengers ensemble played by the charismatic Robert Downey Jr., left a lot of his colleagues grappling with the realities of their future.
While most of the superheroes furthered their narratives through the reprisal of their roles in Phase 4 of the MCU, a few key characters closely connected to Iron Man faded into the background. James Rhodes popularly known as Rhodey played by Don Cheadle, appeared briefly inThe Falcon and the Winter SoldierandSecret Invasion, but was not seen in his famous armor in both the shows. An interesting theory regarding the War Machine not suiting up, could shed more light on the reason.
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Why Is Marvel’s War Machine Reluctant To Suit Up After Iron Man’s Death?
Iron Man’s death changed a lot of things permanently within the MCU and among the Avengers. One character closely connected to Tony Stark was Marvel’s James Rhodes, a skilled pilot and Stark’s trusted confidante and ally who gets his own Iron Man armor and takes on the alias of War Machine. Rhodey as he is popularly known, has been an integral part of the Avengers’ quest to destroy Thanos.
With Iron Man’s death inAvengers: Endgamesignaling a brand new Phase in the MCU’s vast narrative thread, many Marvel characters evolved with their individual stories taking centerstage. Rhodey though, who made his presence felt briefly inThe Falcon and the Winter SoliderandSecret Invasion,was not seen suiting up as War Machine in either of the shows.
An interesting theory byScreen Rantdiscusses the reasons behind the War Machine’s reluctance to suit up afterAvengers: Endgame. Marvel buffs will know through earlier references inIron Manfilms, that these suits needed to be constantly updated over consistent periods. This can be controlled only by the technical expertise of Tony Stark and Stark Enterprises.
In case of any damage, James Rhodes will be well aware that he is ill-equipped to fix the War Machine armor in the absence of Iron Man. Therefore as per the theory, the Marvel superhero could possibly want to use the armor when it is absolutely necessary or in a situation of emergency.
Also Read:Ryan Reynolds’ Diet and Workout Routine: Marvel Star Went Through “Truly Painful and Awful” Process to Look Like Deadpool
Secret InvasionDirector’s Rhodey-Skrull Theory Is Through The Roof
With or without his armor, the character of James Rhodes aka Rhodey played byDon Cheadleis creating quite a stir after his appearance inSecret Invasion. The first big reveal involving the Marvel hero came in Episode 4 when audiences realized that he was actually a shape-shifting Skrull. Following this shocking twist, fans began to analyze the various MCU timelines to figure out when exactly the War Machine turned rogue.
Secret Invasiondirector Ali Selim created a huge stir by revealing sensational details regarding the exact moment when Rhodey was taken over by the Skrull. While the director did not openly confirm theories that went as far back asCaptain America: Civil War, he teased viewers with Rhodey’s hospital scene in the film in an interview with theInsider, and said,
“I think that it’s gonna be a lot of fun for fans to unpack as they revisit all the Rhodey moments since the “Captain America” moment when he was in the hospital, and to see how they feel about it. I don’t know if I wanna say it’s definitive or not definitive, but I think Rhodey has been a Skrull a lot longer than we suspected.”
If James Rhodes had indeed been taken over by a Skrull as far back as Selim indicates, it would then mean that the Marvel superhero would have been a shape-shifting alien for majority of the decade-long MCU events. This is a mind-blowing fact to take in, considering his loyalty to the Avengers and Tony Stark which now takes on a completely different turn. With Marvel’sArmor Warsin the works, fans could finally get a definite answer regarding the fate of War Machine.
Secret Invasionis streaming on Disney+.
Sharanya Sankar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :1230
Sharanya Sankar, Writer for FandomwireHaving completed her Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Sharanya has a solid foundation in writing which is also one of her passions. She has worked previously with Book My show for a couple of years where she gained experience reviewing films and writing feature articles. Sharanya’s articles on film and pop culture have also been published on Film Companion, a popular film-based website. Apart from movies and pop culture, her interests include music and sports. She has contributed over 650 articles to Fandomwire so far.
