Summary. Terrence Howard was initially intended to continue playing James Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. Howard's departure from the role was partly due to a significant decrease in pay, which created tension between him and Robert Downey Jr.
Terrence Howard (left) and Don Cheadle (right) as James Rhodes in Iron Man and Iron Man 2 (2010), respectively. Don Cheadle (What If...?) Rhodes is recruited into the Avengers, joining them during the battle against Ultron.
Terrence Howard portrayed Rhodey in the first Iron Man film, while Don Cheadle replaced Howard and portrayed Rhodey in Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Military veteran James Rhodes is ready for combat in his advanced armor, adding a formidable arsenal to Tony Stark-created designs. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes exudes loyalty and courage, whether flying a plane or piloting the War Machine armor.
Iron Man 2: Why Don Cheadle Replaced Terrence Howard As Rhodey
How long was Rhodes a Skrull?
So, the implication would be that Rhodey has been a Skrull since the events of Civil War, meaning the character we've been following on screen since 2016, nearly a decade in MCU years, has been an imposter this entire time.
Ivan Vanko (in Russian: Иван Ванко), also known as Whiplash, is the main antagonist of the 2010 Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Iron Man 2, the second installment of the Iron Man trilogy. He was a disgruntled and merciless Russian physicist and the son of Howard Stark's disgraced partner Anton Vanko.
James aided Tony in taking down Stane after he betrayed Tony in an attempt to take over Stark Industries. The next year, James took one of Tony's Iron Man suits after they got into an argument over Tony's usage of the suits, and took it to his Air Force base, where it was upgraded using Hammer Industries technology.
During what he believes could be his final birthday party, Tony gets drunk to the delight of the party's attendees, but the chagrin of his friends. (And the movie makes it clear that we're not supposed to like it either.)
Summary. Terrence Howard was initially intended to continue playing James Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. Howard's departure from the role was partly due to a significant decrease in pay, which created tension between him and Robert Downey Jr.
Tony Stark's best friend, James Rhodes, is one of the few to wear the Iron Man armor, other than Tony Stark himself. Although he initially took on the role when Stark was dealing with his demons, Rhodes has reprised the role over the years.
War Machine is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared in Iron Man #118 (1979) and became a superhero with the Iron Man armor in issue #169 (1983).
Summary. Rhodey has been replaced by a Skrull impostor since the events of Civil War, missing out on major events in the MCU such as the Battle of Wakanda and the Blip. The real Rhodey is unaware of Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame and the funeral that followed, as he has been in stasis the entire time.
"Tony Stark's story is far from over," Downey said. "Iron Man 4 will explore new dimensions of the character and his legacy through the eyes of Morgan.
Consider the fact that Rhodey—who was able to walk after Civil War with the help of braces built by Tony Stark—has a chronic, borderline paralysis-level injury to his back/spine/legs.
Whenever Rhodey was seriously exasperated by Tony's antics, the genius billionaire would smooth things over by calling his friend funny nicknames like "Honey bear," "Platypus," and "Sour Patch."
Terrence Howard reportedly left War Machine due to a salary dispute, not returning despite initial intentions for a sequel appearance. Don Cheadle took over the role in Iron Man 2 and has since established himself as the definitive War Machine actor in the MCU.
As it turns out, several of Tony's closest allies betrayed him. However, the most consequential might be Carlo Gervasi. Carlo was a capo and top earner for Tony. In the series finale "Made In America," Tony discovers that Carlo became an informant and posed the greatest threat to Tony going to prison.
In Iron Man 2, Tony thought he was dying and had become self-destructive. As a result, Rhodey had to take one of his suits, which got retrofitted to become War Machine. But even though Ivan Vanko hacked it, Black Widow gave Rhodey control, and the two worked together to stop Vanko's onslaught.
In Ironman 1, a Stark bomb blows up near Tony, and he gets shrapnel stuck in his chest. He is rescued by Yinsen putting an electromagnet in his chest to attract the shrapnel and keep it from piercing Tony's heart.
Despite his supervillain name, Whiplash was a combination of both the same villain from the comics and Iron Man's iron curtain opponent, Crimson Dynamo. He swore an oath of vengeance against Tony Stark and his company due to Howard Stark having discredited the work of Ivan's father Anton.
The Leader (Samuel Sterns) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Leader first appeared in Tales to Astonish #62 (December 1964), created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko as the archenemy of the Hulk.
