Don Cheadle Reveals Troubling ‘Armor Wars’ Update — Crucial to Redeeming ‘Secret Invasion’s’ Controversial Twist

Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes last appeared in the MCU in Secret Invasion, widely regarded as one of the weakest MCU shows. While the series is loosely based on the comic storyline of the same name, it lacks much of the appeal and intrigue that made the comics popular.

One of the major revelations in Secret Invasion is that the Rhodey we’ve seen in recent MCU projects wasn’t actually human. The Skrulls developed advanced technology that allows them to keep humans in a coma-like state while impersonating them, even stealing their memories in the process.

Rhodes was likely targeted by the Skrulls due to his close connections with the White House and key superheroes. When Talos’ daughter, Gi’ah, rescued him, it was revealed that Rhodey had been replaced by a Skrull, possibly dating back to the events of Captain America: Civil War.

This plot twist was widely disliked by fans and received mixed reviews. Now, Don Cheadle has spoken out about both the twist and the project intending to delve deeper into it.

Armor Wars, originally envisioned as a film based on the comic storyline of the same name, was supposed to follow Secret Invasion (released last year) and Ironheart (set for a 2025 release). Back in 2011, Cheadle confirmed that a War Machine film was in development, and Joe Robert Cole was set to write it.

Nine years later, during Disney’s 2020 Investor Day, it was revealed that Armor Wars would be developed as a Disney+ series, with Don Cheadle reprising his role as James Rhodes. In 2021, Cheadle also mentioned that production was set to begin in the coming months.

However, the project was later reimagined as a movie, though its production and release date remain uncertain. Recently, reports surfaced suggesting that the fate of Armor Wars and Blade will be decided in the coming months. If these rumors are accurate, both films might face cancellation.

Cheadle recently spoke to TV Line, where the first question he addressed was the current status of Armor Wars.

You can find out and let me know.

Cheadle also addressed the project’s shift from a series back to a movie:

Yeah. I think the word that’s the most salient in that sentence is “switched.” [Laughs] I don’t know, I’m not sure where anything is right now. I think things are going through a lot of changes, and we’ll see what happens, we’ll see what it is

The actor also spoke about the divisive twist that revealed his character had been a Skrull all along:

Uh… you know, there was no… it wasn’t a demand. It was a request. “What do you think about playing this?” And it was to set up stuff in the following thing. So, if the following thing happens, and all those things were set up, then that’s one thing. If, as you said, it doesn’t, then we can talk about how I feel about it after!

Source: TVLine

It’s clear that the only way to potentially redeem that controversial Secret Invasion twist is through Armor Wars. What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments below!