One of the biggest plot twist fromSecret Invasionwas related to the real identity ofDon Cheadle’s Rhodey, and the actor tried to warn the fans about this way before the release of the series.
Created by David Michelinie and John Byrne in 1979 forIron Man #118, the character first debuted in theMCUin the firstIron Manmovie, played by Terrence Howard, with Cheadle taking his after that, appearing inIron Man 2,Iron Man 3,Avengers: Age of Ultron,Captain America: Civil War,Avengers: Infinity War,Captain Marvel,Avengers: EndgameandThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, being one of the closest people to Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark.
Although War Machine, his superhero name, is not one of the main characters from theMCU, he has always been relevant to the plot and mostly when it comes to Iron Man. The character will soon return in a series mostly focused on him,Armor Wars, which will definitely be connected toSecret Invasionand will show the aftermaths of discovering that he was replaced by a skrull for a long time.
In fact, the actor already tried to warned Marvel fans about the big twist around the character even before the show, but of course no one understood what he was referring to until now. Last year at the latest celebration of Disney’s D23 Expo,Cheadle spoke to ComicBook.comabout the future of his character, giving away some clues of what would ultimately happen inSecret Invasion. When being asked about how would fans would find Rhodey inArmor Wars, he said:
“At a very different place, and in a way that is something that I can’t really talk about, but it’s going to be very surprising to a lot of people.”
WhenSecret Invasionpremiered, many fans already had the theory that Rhodey was going to be one of the people replaced by skrulls, but it was still unexpected for most of the viewers, such as the revelation that Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) was also replaced.
Related:The Marvels Will Showcase a ‘Stronger and Greater’ Nick Fury After Secret Invasion
How Secret Invasion Connects to Armor Wars
At the end ofSecret Invasion, the skrull that took Rhodey’s identity died along with the leader of the shape-shifters, but that doesn’t mean the planet is safe from them. But it does mean Rhodey will return as himself, finding a very different world in comparison to the one he remembers.
Armor Warswill probably deal with the aftermaths of Rhodey being kidnapped and him coming back, finding out everything that has happened, like the death of Tony Stark. However, the events ofSecret Invasioncould also impact in some otherMCUprojects such asThe Marvels, since the skrulls were first introduced in the first part of Carol Danvers' adventures.
Armor Warsdoesn’t have a release date confirmed yet, whileThe Marvelsis the next MCU project slated to debut, coming to theaters on November 10, after being delayed from its original release date on July 28.
