War Facts

Are you a fan of James Rhodes? Well, here are One Dozen Rhodey Facts!

1. Before he ever donned the identities of War Machine or The Iron Patriot, James Rhodes was the second man to become Iron Man. During a time when Stark Industries was under new management and Tony Stark became an alcoholic, Tony asked his best friend Rhodey to protect The Iron Man mantle. As a result, Rhodey sunk every other Iron Man armor into the ocean to keep them away from Start Industries' new CEO and used the remaining armor to be The New Iron Man.

2. As Iron Man, Rhodey acted as if he was the old Iron Man. The suit's voice modifier helped with this. In the original "Secret Wars", Rhodey pretended to be Stark while in the suit to mislead The Avengers, as he believed their first response to seeing "a black man in an Iron Man armor" would be assuming he stole it.

3. Rhodes' military career includes service on the US Marine Corps, the Office of National Emergency, and The United States Department of Defense. He has also been a member of The Avengers, The West Coast Avengers, The Secret Avengers, The Secret Defenders, and Force Works, to name a few.

4. Like Tony Stark, Rhodey's origin had been updated to keep the character young. Instead of fighting in the Vietnam War, he was retconned to have fought in Afghanistan.

5. Rhodey's most recent relationship was with Carol Danvers-former Ms. Marvel and current Captain Marvel. The two related on a soldier/superhero level and were dating for about a year. Thanos had killed Rhodey shortly before "Civil War II". In that event, Carol Danvers and Tony Stark disagreed on the use of a clairvoyant character who could see injustice before it would happen. Using Rhodey's death as an example of what could have been avoided, Carol began her war with Iron Man.

6. In "Iron Man 3", Rhodey is asked by the US government to retool himself into the more politically correct "Iron Patriot". Shortly after the film, a new "Iron Patriot" book was launched with Rhodey taking up the mantle in the comics. Before all this, The Iron Patriot was the identity used by Norman Osborn (the former Green Goblin). Osborn was made director of SHIELD and had access to many of Tony's Iron Man armors, so he decorated one after the American flag and used the "Iron Patriot" persona to convince the American people he had truly changed his ways.

7. In 1995, Rhodey acquired the Eidolon Warwear armor. This armor was of alien origin and could conceal itself as a tattoo on Rhodey's chest. This armor was techno-organic and could respond to whatever Rhodey thought and create whatever Rhodey needed in battle. It could travel through space, creates drones, regenerate, create blasters and blades, and "sing" alien war songs during battle.

8. Rhodey's limbs are all cybernetic-prosthetic replacements. During a time when he retired from being War Machine, Rhodey was caught in a terrorist attack severely injured him. Tony Stark built these cybernetic limbs and gave them access to a new War Machine armor for Rhodey.

9. During "Secret Invasion", Rhodey-using his internal cybernetics-fused with a Stark Industries satellite in space. With a fleet of aliens called The Skrulls speeding towards Earth, Rhodey transformed the satellite into a giant War Machine armor and used it to destroy the alien fleet.

10. In 2007, Rhodey wore an armor created by Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger that was immune to all StarkTech attack systems, was made of titanium and Vibranium, capable of space and sea travel, self-repair systems, and the ability to integrate and equip itself to machines like fighter jets and tanks.

11. In 2015's "Secret Wars", Doctor Doom reshapes Earth into a planet housing multiple versions of the Marvel Universe. Each continent features a different reality, but all realities praise Doom as their God. To keep things in check, each world has a Baron who governs it and "a Thor" to keep the Baron under Doom's control. In "Technopolis"-a world where everyone wears Iron Man armors to survive a techno virus-Tony Stark is a Baron and James Rhodes is a Thor.

12. James Rhodes has a niece named Lila who is a bit of technical genius, managing to hack advanced computer systems and repair Rhodey's armor. Lila and Rhodey's father were actually able to clear Rhodey's name when he was blackmailed by an armored terrorist. It was heavily implied in this story that Lila might one day take the mantle of War Machine, Iron Patriot, or even Iron Man. However, in 2016 another young African-American woman named Riri Williams was created for Brain Michael Bendis' "Iron Man" run. After "Civil War II", Tony Stark entered a coma and Riri took over as Ironheart, while Rhodey was still dead and Lila was forgotten and ignored in favor for Bendis' original character. Despite the fact that Lila was everything Riri is AND already attached to the Iron Man Family.

Thanks for reading!