James Rhodes (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a fictional character initially portrayed by Terrence Howard, and then by Don Cheadle, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and sometimes referred to by his alter ego, War Machine.

James Rhodes
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
James Rhodes as portrayed by Terrence Howard (left) in Iron Man (2008) and Don Cheadle (right) in Iron Man 2 (2010)
First appearanceIron Man (2008)
Based on
Adapted by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Full nameJames Rupert Rhodes
Aliases
NicknameRhodey
OccupationLieutenant colonel
Affiliation
NationalityAmerican

Rhodes, the best friend of technological savant Tony Stark, becomes involved in various of Stark's heroic efforts, eventually gaining armor like that of Stark's Iron Man persona, but with much heavier weaponry.

Character creation, characterization, and appearances

The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118, in January 1979. In Iron Man #170, in May 1983, Rhodes became Iron Man for a time. Other variations of the character debuted later, with an up-armored Rhodes becoming known as War Machine in Iron Man #282, in July 1992, and as Iron Patriot in Gambit #13, in May 2013. In the mid-2000s, with a number of movies having been made from other Marvel properties licensed to other studios, Kevin Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of the Avengers, which included those from Iron Man's supporting characters. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s.[1]

Casting

Terrance Howard was contracted to play Rhodes in the 2008 film Iron Man. Howard was signed on before any of the other major actors and was the highest paid actor in the film. Favreau cast Howard because he felt he could play War Machine in a sequel.[2] Howard prepared for the role by visiting Nellis Air Force Base on March 16, 2007, where he ate with the pilots and observed HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and F-22 Raptors.[3]

Howard and his father are Iron Man fans, partly because Rhodes was one of the few black superheroes when he was a child.[4] He was a Downey fan since he saw him in Weird Science, and the two competed physically on set.[5]

Entertainment Weekly reported that Howard was offered a 50 to 80 percent pay cut for Iron Man 2, though it said that it was unclear whether Howard turned down the role or whether Marvel withdrew their offer.[6][7] Following the contract dispute between Howard and Marvel Studios, Don Cheadle was cast to portray War Machine, and Cheadle has portrayed the character for the rest of his MCU appearances.[8][9][10] Isaac Perlmutter, who had previously overseen the development of Marvel Studios, was alleged to have been removed from that position in part due to replacing Howard with Cheadle on the grounds that black people "look the same".[11] A person with knowledge of his creative approach said, however, that Perlmutter "neither discriminates nor cares about diversity, he just cares about what he thinks will make money".[12]

Cheadle only had a few hours to accept the role and did not even know what storyline Rhodes would undergo.[13] He commented that he is a comic book fan, but had not previously participated in comics-themed films due to the scarcity of black superheroes.[14] Cheadle said he thought Iron Man was a robot before the first film came out.[15]

Characterization
See also: Iron Man's armor (Marvel Cinematic Universe) § War Machine armor
Howard studying aircraft controls for his role in Iron Man.

A friend of Stark's and the liaison between Stark Industries and the United States Air Force in the department of acquisitions, specifically weapons development. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force and acts as the military's chief liaison to Stark Industries' weapons division, and is initially oblivious to Obadiah Stane's actions. While Rhodes is roguish in the comics after he met Stark, his earlier disciplinarian character forms a dynamic with Stark, and he is unsure whether or not Stark's actions are acceptable. "Rhodey is completely disgusted with the way Tony has lived his life, but at a certain point he realizes that perhaps there is a different way", Howard said. "Whose life is the right way; is it the strict military life, or the life of an independent?"[16]

On how he approached his character in Iron Man 2, Cheadle stated "I go, what's the common denominator here? And the common denominator was really his friendship with Tony, and that's what we really tried to track in this one. How is their friendship impacted once Tony comes out and owns 'I am Iron Man'?".[17] Cheadle said his suit was 23 kilograms (50 lb) of metal, and that he could not touch his face while wearing it.[18]

In Iron Man 3, Rhodes operates the redesigned/upgraded War Machine armor, taking on an American flag-inspired color scheme similar to the Iron Patriot armor from the comics.[19] Feige said of Rhodes and the armor, "The notion in the movie is that a red, white and blue suit is a bold statement, and it's meant to be. With Rhodey, he's very much the foil to Tony's eccentricities, and in this one you get to see this and be reminded of the trust and friendship between them in that great Shane Black buddy-cop fashion."[20] In the film, the president asks Rhodey to take up the moniker "Iron Patriot," and don the red, white, and blue suit, in order to be the government's "American hero" in response to the events in The Avengers.[21]

Cheadle called Rhodes' appearance in Captain America: Civil War a "bit more intense and pivotal" compared to his previous appearances.[22] Following his paralysis during the events of Civil War, Rhodes is given an apparatus by Stark to walk again, although according to Cheadle, in Avengers: Infinity War, Rhodes is reluctant to don his War Machine armor and rejoin the Avengers due to his injury. Cheadle believed that Rhodes is "negotiating this reunion and his rejoining this team". He also explained that Rhodes's relationship with Stark "deepened" from his accident, saying, "I think Tony feels somewhat responsible and culpable in a way. But again, he's always had my back in a way that only he could really have".[23]

In Avengers: Endgame, Cheadle described Rhodes's newfound belonging as an Avenger as "not so much straddling one foot in the military. He's much more on the side of The Avengers than he was prior."[24] This is reflected on Rhodes's more instinctive and realist worldview in the midst of encountering the fantastic, with Cheadle explaining, "He's definitely got some 'what-the-eff-is-happening' [attitude,] more than maybe the rest of them do, given his background. But it's a trial by fire, and he's quickly adapted to what [the threat] is, rather than what he wishes it were."[24]

Appearances
Further information: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Character poster for Iron Man 2 featuring War Machine.

Early screenplay drafts written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and David Hayter for New Line Cinema, pitted Iron Man against his father Howard Stark, who becomes War Machine instead of Rhodes.[25] Artist Phil Saunders had created concept art for an unused "hall of armor" scene in the film which included the War Machine armor.[26][27]

  • James Rhodes is portrayed by Terrence Howard in Iron Man, the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[28]
  • In Iron Man 2, Rhodes is under pressure from the United States government to convince Tony Stark to relinquish ownership of the Iron Man armor. When Tony drunkenly endangers civilian lives, Rhodes is forced to don an Iron Man suit to intervene during the confrontation to which Tony says: "You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot."[29] Rhodes's borrowed armor is subsequently retrofitted by Justin Hammer with various weapon enhancements at an Air Force base, but the 'ex-wife' missile proves to be woefully below standards, and the War Machine armor itself is briefly taken over by remote control and used to attack Iron Man before Pepper Potts and Black Widow break the connection controlling him. Once freed, Rhodes fights alongside Iron Man to defeat Ivan Vanko. Director Jon Favreau also used the name "War Machine" when referring to the character in various interviews.[30][31]
  • In Iron Man 3, Rhodes is promoted to full colonel and his armor is painted red, white, and blue.[32] According to director Shane Black, the patriotic color scheme and name was chosen by the U.S. government in response to the events of The Avengers.[33] Rhodes states that the U.S. government deemed "War Machine" to be too militaristic and that "Iron Patriot" tested well with focus groups. The armor is briefly stolen and used by Eric Savin to abduct President Ellis, but Rhodes is able to recover the armor at the film's conclusion and save the President.
  • In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Rhodes once again operates the black and silver War Machine armor and is directly referred to as "War Machine" for the first time. He aids the Avengers in the final battle against Ultron and joins the team along with Vision, Falcon and Scarlet Witch.[34]
  • In Captain America: Civil War,[35] when the Avengers are presented with the Sokovia Accords for the government to regulate their actions, Rhodes sides with Stark and is one of the heroes that sign the accords.[36]
  • In Avengers: Infinity War,[37] Rhodes now stands against Ross and the Sokovia Accords and allies with Captain America once more to help the Avengers defend Vision at Wakanda. He is one of the few heroes left alive after Thanos wipes out half of the universe.
  • Rhodes appears in the mid-credits scene in Captain Marvel.[38]
  • In Avengers: Endgame,[39] Rhodes reunites with Stark and later travels back in time with the rest of the Avengers to retrieve past versions of the Infinity Stones. He goes with Nebula to Morag to get the Power Stone. After Hulk undoes the snap, and a past version of Thanos arrives and attacks the Avengers compound, Rhodes helps Rocket, who is trapped, and then joins the final fight against Thanos. Afterwards, Rhodes attends Stark's funeral.
  • Rhodes will appear in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and headline the series Armor Wars.[40][41]

Fictional character biography

James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes served as an officer in the United States Air Force, for whom he flew 138 combat missions before becoming a liaison between the military's Department of Acquisitions and Stark Industries, where he became close friends with Tony Stark. When Stark was kidnapped by the Ten Rings, Rhodes personally led the mission to rescue Stark. When the unidentified Iron Man armor encountered U.S. military aircraft, Rhodes deduced that it was Stark, and described the resulting damage to the press as the result of a training exercise. After Stark revealed his identity as Iron Man, Rhodes faced pressure from the United States Congress and the military to take possession of the armor for himself. However, as Stark descended into reckless behavior, Rhodes felt he had no choice but to take the Mark II, handing it over to the military, for whom Justin Hammer upgraded it with new weapons to rebrand Rhodes as War Machine. Rhodes then helped Stark fend off an attack from Ivan Vanko and an army of Hammer Drones.

In December 2012, Rhodes was rebranded as the Iron Patriot, working directly for the President of the United States, and tasked with tracking down an enemy called the Mandarin. Rhodes discovered that the Mandarin was a ruse created by Aldrich Killian by hiring actor Trevor Slattery to portray the role. Killian captured Rhodes and stole the Iron Patriot Armor, using it to kidnap the president. Rhodes escaped, aiding Stark in fighting Killian's army of Extremis Soldiers and rescuing the president. Rhodes continued undertaking missions, helping the Avengers defeat Ultron's final attack on Sokovia in 2015. He sided with Stark against Steve Rogers in the 2016 dispute over the Sokovia Accords, and when Rogers and his faction attempt to leave for Siberia to pursue Helmut Zemo, War Machine is among Iron Man's team that confront and fight them. Captain America and Winter Soldier escape on a Quinjet, followed by Rhodes, Stark, and Sam Wilson, who tries to protect Rogers from the former two. Wilson evades a blast by Vision, which hits War Machine instead and incapacitates his suit, causing him to fall mid-flight. Stark and Wilson are unable to catch him and he lands hard on the ground, fracturing his spinal column and leaving Rhodes paralyzed. Stark designed bionic supports for his legs as he underwent physical therapy, but he assured Stark that he did not regret his decision on siding with him.

In 2018, forces of Thanos attack the Earth, and Steve Rogers returns to Avengers Headquarters to plan a response. Rhodes disobeys orders from Thaddeus Ross to arrest Rogers, and travels with Rogers to Wakanda to protect the Mind Stone from Thanos. In Wakanda, Rhodes fought as War Machine against the Outriders, but was easily incapacitated by Thanos, unable to prevent the snap erasing half of all life. Some days thereafter, at the Avengers compound, Rhodes reported to Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff that a pager left by the vanished Nick Fury had stopped, shortly before Carol Danvers appeared at the compound. Weeks later, Rhodes joined the Avengers in attacking Thanos on his garden planet, only to learn that Thanos had destroyed the Infinity Stones. In 2023, Rhodes joined Nebula on a mission to take the Power Stone from Morag in 2014, observing there that a past version of Peter Quill is "an idiot". Immediately after the Avengers reverse the Snap, they are attacked by a past version of Thanos and his armies of the Chitauri and Outriders. Rhodes joined his fellow heroes in battling Thanos until Tony Stark sacrificed his life to finally eliminate Thanos. Rhodes remained at Stark's side during his final moments, and attended his funeral.

Reception

Jacob Stalworthy of The Independent was negative of the character opining that the character was "Iron Man without backstory or humour".[42] However, Jeremy Schneider of NJ.com was more positive of the character and Cheadle's portrayal while highlighting the character as being paralyzed in Captain America: Civil War as "one of the most poignant moments in the entire MCU".[43]

For his 2008 performance, Howard was nominated for the Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor.[44]

See also

References
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  44. 2008 Black Reel Awards
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