Don Cheadle is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s longest-tenured supporting players, having made seven appearances in the franchise since replacing Terrence Howard a decade ago. Over the years, there’s been much speculation that Rhodey could have ended up getting his own solo movie, but that’s never materialized, and following the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, there were questions about whether or not the MCU really needed him anymore now that Tony Stark is no longer around.
However, at this week’s Disney Investor Day, it was announced that Cheadle will be returning to headline Disney Plus series Armor Wars, which will be loosely based on the seven-issue comic book arc of the same name that ran from December 1987 to June 1988, with War Machine replacing Iron Man as the driving force behind the story.
Plot details are scarce, but the project will see Rhodey trying to reclaim valuable Stark Industries tech that falls into the wrong hands. With Ironheart also announced, it looks several things we’ve been hearing over the last year have been right on the money. Not only did we learn that the aforementioned series was in the works, but we also heard that War Machine was getting his own show and Riri Williams was being lined up for a supporting role in it.
Of course, Armor Wars has opened the door for Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer to return to the MCU as well, with the actor having last been seen in One-Shot All Hail the King. As a former acquaintance and enemy of Tony Stark, you can guarantee that he’ll be one of the first names on Rhodey’s list when the tech goes missing. His involvement hasn’t been confirmed just yet obviously, but Rockwell is a welcome presence in any project, and with Tim Roth locked in for She-Hulk, bringing back villains over a decade later looks to be par for the course as the shared universe expands on Disney Plus.