Don Cheadle teases a new look at James "Rhodey" Rhodes in Secret Invasion. Rhodey was first introduced as Tony Stark's close friend and military in Iron Man. However, throughout his time in the MCU, he has evolved, becoming War Machine and fighting with the Avengers.
During the Secret Invasion press conference, Cheadle alluded to a very different James "Rhodey" Rhodes. He described him as a "political animal" and discusses his new position working for the President. Cheadle expressed his excitement about exploring Rhodey and his relationship with Nick Fury further in Secret Invasion. Check out Cheadle's full quote below:
Don Cheadle: we're just kind of finding out what's happening with Rhodey as this series goes on. He's in a different role. We see him as more a political animal than we have in the past. He's been more of a military man, but now he's sort of in some ways, a right hand of the president and this special envoy, in that regard. But I think what I'm looking forward to is just seeing more, you know, getting under the hood of who he is and seeing how this relationship, not only with Nick Fury, but the other cast evolves.
Secret Invasion Introduces a New Side of Rhodey
Although Rhodey is one of the few remaining original MCU heroes, he hasn't been fleshed out as much as the other characters. Secret Invasion will show a new side of him as he has changed since the Blip and the loss of Tony Stark. This is not the same Rhodey that was introduced in the early phases of the MCU, having evolved into a powerful political player working directly with the President and not just in his capacity as War Machine.
Rhodey has seen what the heroes and villains of this world are capable of, but he has also seen the damage that the heroes can cause in their quest to do good. While the relationship between Nick Fury and Rhodey has yet to be explored, they are each entering it at a very different place in their lives. Nick Fury is no longer the all-powerful, all-knowing leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.; instead, Rhodey is likely going to be a more powerful player with the ear of the President. This could create tension between the two, especially because Nick Fury might be the only human who truly understands the threat of the Skrull.
Secret Invasion is also setting up Rhodey to be at the center of his own story in the Armor Wars movie. Setting up Rhodey as a powerful figure in politics could make his story more intriguing, especially if his own actions are tied to Tony Stark's technology falling into the wrong hands. Secret Invasion is a more grounded story that will peel back the layers of Nick Fury, but it seems other characters that haven't been fully explored, like Rhodey, will also have an opportunity to show new sides of themselves to the audience in the series as well.
