Spoilers for all works set prior to the end of Avengers: Endgame are unmarked.
Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, USAF / War Machine / Iron Patriot
"Oh, I didn't say you could leave. War Machine, coming at you!"
Click here to see him as played by Terrence Howard
Birth Name: James Rupert Rhodes
Known Aliases: War Machine, Iron Patriot
Species: Human
Citizenship: American
Affiliation(s): MIT, USAF, Stark Industries, Avengers
Portrayed By: Terrence Howard (Iron Man), Don Cheadle (Iron Man 2 onwards)Foreign voice actors
Appearances: Iron Man | Iron Man 2 | Iron Man 3 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Captain America: Civil War | Spider-Man: Homecoming note | Avengers: Infinity War | Captain Marvel note | Avengers: Endgame | Spider-Man: Far From Home note | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Secret Invasion | Armor Wars
"138 combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew 'em. Because the fight needed to be fought."
Tony Stark's best friend, and military liaison to Stark Industries. A full-bird Colonel by the events of Civil War, Rhodey is a seasoned pilot and skilled marksman with dozens of missions to his name.
In combat, Rhodey uses a modified (read: covered with guns) version of Iron Man's Powered Armor as War Machine. He serves as the poster boy hero for the United States government but comes to eventually join the Avengers after a major reshuffle of the team.
During the Civil War that ensued between the Avengers, Rhodey was accidentally shot down by the synthezoid known as Vision, crippling him and leaving him paralyzed below the waist, only being able to walk due to an exoskeleton made by Tony.
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- 11th-Hour Ranger: At the end of Age of Ultron, War Machine comes to Sokovia to help the Avengers in the middle of the final battle.
- Ace Custom: On the receiving end of this trope. The War Machine Armor he uses in Iron Man 2 and 3 is Tony's Mk. II, up-gunned and up-armored. Justified, because, since the War Machine armor serves as Tony's buffer from the government and military so they stop hounding him from giving them his Iron Man tech, Tony can't afford to give them the most extreme levels of technology he knows he can't trust them with, especially in light of the events of The Winter Soldier up to Civil War. Thus, the latest War Machine armors are definitely advanced, but not too advanced.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Rhodey was introduced to the Iron Man comics in 1979, when Iron Man already was an established hero. They became close friends after Tony saved Rhodey's life and Rhodey learned his secret identity as one of the first allies. In the MCU they met and befriend way before Tony became Iron Man.
- Advertised Extra: He gets credited as part of the main cast in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier but only appears for less than 2 minutes in the first episode and never reappears afterward.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: In Avengers: Endgame, he gently strokes the cheek of his best friend Tony as he's about to die.
- Alliterative Name: James Rupert Rhodes.
- All of Them: His answer when Justin Hammer asks which weapons he wants for his armor.Rhodey: I think I'll take it.
Justin Hammer: Which one?
Rhodey: All of it. - Alternate Self: He has a variant in the timeline where Kilmonger stopped Tony Stark from being captured in Afghanistan where he would have become Iron Man. As a result, he never becomes War Machine and is killed by Erik Stevens after being sent on a mission to do business with Ulysses Klaue in 2008.
- Ambiguous Situation: Secret Invasion reveals that Rhodey has been replaced by a Skrull, but it hasn't been made clear how long the deception had been. When the real Rhodey is freed, he is wearing a hospital gown and unlike the other captives had trouble walking, implying that he had been replaced shortly after the events of Civil War.
- And I Must Scream: During the climax of Iron Man 2, Rhodey becomes trapped inside the War Machine armor with no control over it, no way out, and he is forced to try to kill his best friend. The look he gives Tony when Natasha finally reboots the armor remotely says it all.
- Apologetic Attacker:
- When his War Machine armor gets hacked by Vanko and is used to attack his friends in Iron Man 2.
- He also apologizes to Captain America before attacking him with a stun baton during the clash of the Avengers in Civil War.Rhodey: Sorry, Cap. This won't kill you, but it ain't gonna tickle either.
- Appropriated Appellation: After Tony insults his armor by calling it a "war machine" in Iron Man 2, Rhodey takes to calling his armor that himself. Tony notes in the tie-in comic to Iron Man 3 that he meant it as an insult.
- Atrocious Alias: Tony isn't impressed by the Iron Patriot name, and Rhodey ultimately admits he liked War Machine better. By way of his AIM passcode, no less...
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Does this with his best friend Iron Man during the final battle of Iron Man 2 against the army of Hammer Drones.
- Badass Boast: "It's called 'being a badass'."
- Badass in Distress:
- Rhodey is kidnapped by Killian's forces in Pakistan midway through Iron Man 3, though he eventually to break himself out and coordinate with Tony.
- Secret Invasion reveals that Rhodey had been replaced by a Skrull at some point, and was being held captive in the Skrulls' base of operations alongside Everett Ross.
- Badass Normal: Like Tony, he has no superpowers but is still considerably capable in a fight, being a trained military officer who thinks on his feet and can perform some downright impressive shooting.
- Bash Siblings: With Iron Man and highlighted at the end of Iron Man 2; best friends and fellow armor users fighting robots and terrorists. He eventually becomes this with the rest of the Avengers.
- Bedmate Reveal: Implied. At one point, Tony tells some cadets that Rhodey had a one-night stand with what he thought was a lovely lady during Spring Break 1987, only to realize when he woke up with her the following morning that "she" was actually a man named Ivan. However, considering this is Tony Stark we're talking about, it was probably a made up story to mess with Rhodey.
- Begin with a Finisher: After Tony has used his Death Blossom laser attack to get rid of all the remaining Hammer Drones, Rhodey points out that he should have used this at the beginning of the battle. When Vanko arrives a moment later, Rhodey decides to use his most powerful weapon immediately: the bunker buster missile "the Ex-Wife". It completely fails.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- In an alternative ending of Iron Man, he saves Tony by knocking Iron Monger over with a car before he could kill him.
- He also shows up during the final battle of Avengers: Age of Ultron to protect the Helicarrier from some Ultron Sentries, though he quickly gets upstaged by Vision.
- Big "NO!": Says this when Ivan Vanko takes control of his armor and sends him after Tony.Rhodey: No, NOOO!
- Big "YES!": He shows some real enthusiasm when fighting against the Ultron Sentries.Rhodey: Yes! Now this is gonna be a good story!
- Black and Nerdy: He's fairly familiar with Science Fiction, as seen in Endgame when he quickly rattles off a long list of time travel movies (including some fairly obscure ones) to try and show he has an understanding of how time travel works. He's also an MIT graduate (note his ring), presumably in aerospace engineering considering his occupation. Later, when Nebula begins to walk through the chamber on Morag to get the Orb, Rhodey tries to stop her, thinking the place is boobytrapped a la Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- Blood-Splattered Warrior: Not actual blood, but during the final battle of Iron Man 2 he gets splattered with the oil of the Hammer Drones that he killed in a way that clearly evokes this trope.
- Blown Across the Room: Happens to him during the fight against the Iron Legion robots controlled by Ultron. When Rhodey draws a gun, one of the robots shoots at him with a repulsor blast, sending him flying for a few meters before crashing through a nearby window.
- Bond One-Liner: Played for Laughs in Age of Ultron when his "War Machine story" ends with him saying "BOOM! You looking for this!?"
- Boring, but Practical: Rather than using micro-missiles, repulsors, lasers, glowing melee weapons, or other futuristic tech like Tony, Rhodes settles with strapping a big 7.62mm minigun on his back (replaced with what appears to be a 20mm HE cannon in later films) and a pair of 5.56mm rifles on his wrists. He's no less effective for it. This is best shown in Infinity War where he alone racks up more kills than the entire Wakandan army simply by dropping a lot of big explosives on the Outriders and pouring automatic fire at a choke point.
- Bottomless Magazines: Despite his suits using projectile weapons rather than repulsors and lasers, he never runs out of ammunition at inopportune moments.
- Broken Pedestal: In Civil War, he mentions Ross' awards and is all out for the Sokovia Accords the latter explained, implying that he admired Ross at least. By Infinity War, he's grown tired of how discourteous and priggish Ross is and implies he regrets signing the Accords. He then proceeds to cut him off when Ross orders the arrest of the remaining Avengers to team up with them once more.
- Brought Down to Badass: In Iron Man 3. He's stripped of his suit, and winds up on an oil tanker armed with only a pistol against Extremis-empowered soldiers. He proceeds to go and get his suit back and rescue the President. It's worth noting that both he and Tony are without their armor in this situation with Rhodey doing most of the heavy lifting in their fight with AIM until the House Party arrives.
- Brutal Honesty: When he sees the fugitive former Avengers again in Infinity War, he doesn't hesitate to let them know that he thinks they look terrible.Rhodey: Well. You guys really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years.
- Butt-Monkey: A minor one, but still there. He spends most of Iron Man being taunted by Tony, and then is later forced to make up a BS excuse to cover up a Tony-related incident. In Iron Man 2, he's forced to utilize Hammertech in the War Machine armor, meaning Vanko takes over his armor, and his touted "Ex-Wife" super-bunker-buster weapon fails epically at the worst moment. He's not present for Avengers, and by Iron Man 3 is forced to take on a new identity which everyone mocks, before his armor is hijacked by the villains. In Age of Ultron, he's gently mocked by Tony and Thor at the party, and his attempt to play The Cavalry at the final battle is upstaged by the much more powerful Vision. It reaches its apex when he's crippled from a glancing blow from the Vision in Civil War. It's finally gone by Infinity War, where he is clearly the heaviest hitter Team Wakanda has (now that he's finally able to use his full arsenal) until Thor shows up.
- The Cameo:
- He can be briefly seen in Peter Parker's video recording of the airport battle at the beginning of Spider-Man: Homecoming, notably during the moment he gets grabbed by Giant-Man and tossed away.
- Rhodey also makes a small appearance alongside several other Avengers in the post-credit scene of Captain Marvel.
- He appears briefly in the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where he attends the Smithsonian ceremony, and inquires why Sam decided to give up Captain America's shield.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Sucks at avoiding temptation and gets drunk much faster than Tony.
- Captain Patriotic: His new "Iron Patriot" paintjob in Iron Man 3. Despite being based on a villain's look in the comics, here it just plays up his Military Superhero status. He drops the paint scheme as of Avengers: Age of Ultron but, for reasons currently yet unknown, returns in Avengers: Endgame with the Mark 7. Although it's not called Iron Patriot, at least not explicitly, this time.
- Career-Ending Injury: Subverted. In Civil War, he suffers a spinal injury after a crash landing. While this seems like it would end his career as an airman, he's undergoing rehab with the help of a powered exoskeleton made by Tony. By Infinity War he's flying into battle with everyone else, in no small part thanks to this rehab and his armor's innate mobility.
- The Cavalry: Shows up in the climatic fight of Avengers: Age of Ultron, acting as point defense for the Helicarrier.
- Celebrity Paradox: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is mentioned in Captain Marvel. Don Cheadle appeared in one episode of the show and Rhodes made a cameo in The Stinger of Captain Marvel.
- Character Catchphrase: He tends to uses the expressions "Watch your six" or "On my six" or some variations of it in almost every movie in which he appears:
- He says a variant to Tony during the chase scene in Iron Man 2:Rhodey: Tony, on your six!
- He also tells him another one right before the final battle of Iron Man 3:Rhodey: Stay on my six.
- In a deleted scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron, he says this to Natasha:Rhodey: Watch your six.
- He says something similar to Vision during the airport battle in Civil War:Rhodey: Vision, I got a bandit on my six.
- Finally, he says this to both Clint and Natasha in Avengers: Endgame before they left to go to Vormir:Rhodey: You guys watch each others' six!
- He says a variant to Tony during the chase scene in Iron Man 2:
- The Chew Toy: During the airport battle in Civil War, he's on the receiving end of a considerable amount of humorous damage. Takes a dark turn when friendly fire by Vision results in him getting crippled.
- Classified Information: When Tony starts asking him questions about the case of the Mandarin, Rhodey says it's classified. However, he eventually tells him everything anyway.Tony: So what's really going on? With the Mandarin? Seriously, can we talk about this guy?
Rhodey: It's classified information, Tony... Okay, there have been nine bombings. - Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: "That's why I have to be your babysitter. You need your diaper changed, I'll get you a bottle." As much as he complains, he truly cares about Tony.
- Colonel Badass: Promoted to full bird Colonel by the end of Iron Man 3.
- Combat Pragmatist: His fighting style is quite "boring" compared to flashier heroes, but unquestionably effective.
- Very noticeable in Infinity War. While the Wakandans and other heroes use gimmicky, magic, and/or ritualistic gear like vibranium melee weapons and plasma blasters, Rhodes (along with Falcon and Bucky) uses conventional guns and bombs. Until Thor arrives, he has by far the biggest kill count of the group.
- He's the only one who supports using time travel to kill Thanos as a baby, until being told it's not possible.
- He's not above attacking his opponents from behind, as seen in Iron Man 2 when he grabs a kitchen counter and hits Tony with it while Tony's busy screaming at his party guests.
- Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: The words "War Machine" are only used in Iron Man 2 as an offhanded insult from Tony to Rhodey. Averted in Iron Man 3, where "War Machine" is his official codename and Tony is incredulous that Rhodey actually adopted it just from that remark. Or rather, his official codename in Iron Man 3 is "Iron Patriot", which Rhodey claims "tested better with focus groups"; but a number of people state they liked "War Machine" better. By Avengers: Age of Ultron, he's just "War Machine" again and uses the name in a Badass Boast.
- Composite Character: In Iron Man 3, he wears the Iron Patriot, originally worn by Norman Osborn in the comics. Though Rhodes as the Iron Patriot has more in common with Ultimate Iron Man when he took on the mantle of Iron Patriot. In Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates, after President America and the Ultimates win the Second American Civil War by defeating the forces of Hydra, Tony Stark becomes Iron Patriot during the post-war Reconstruction period.
- Crash in Through the Ceiling:
- Rhodey and Tony's fight during the latter's birthday party in Iron Man 2 leads to them crashing through the ceiling of the kitchen.
- During the ambush on Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, Rhodey enters Thanos's farm by crashing through the roof, even though the door was wide open.
- Crippling Overspecialization: His War Machine armor certainly makes him a very powerful fighter, but in Captain America: Civil War, the fact that most of his weaponry is composed of guns makes it more difficult for him to fight non-lethally, forcing him to use stun batons and sonic blasts to avoid seriously injuring anyone. Best demonstrated when Giant Man takes a swing at him with a gangway, and using that weaponry, he manages to completely obliterate the gangway before the swing even reaches him.
- Deadly Disc: While fighting a drunk Tony in his mansion while they're wearing armors, he hurls a couple of weight plates at him.
- Deadpan Snarker: The only way to interact with Tony. "How was the Fun-Vee?"
- Demoted to Extra: Outside of the Iron Man films, Rhodey tends to be delegated to minor roles.
- Dented Iron: In Civil War, he receives a permanent injury to the spine as a result of his long fall. While Tony installs him a mobility harness to help him move around, he still hasn't recovered from the injury itself by Infinity War, to the point he considers it a harsh price to pay for signing the Sokovia Accords.
- Disabled Snarker: Invoked. While he's always been able to match snark with Tony, after the events of Civil War (where he was crippled but eventually got back on his feet, thanks to Stark-tech), he's been upping his snark game until it's up a notch by Endgame, likely as a coping mechanism.
- Distressed Dude: Both Iron Man sequels involve the War Machine/Iron Patriot armor being captured or hijacked by the main villains.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: Says this to his Bucky and Falcon in Infinity War when they start to rejoice that one of Thanos's warships has crashed on the Wakandan force field.Rhodey: Don't start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Downplayed, but at first he tells Tony not to help him when he fell while testing some leg braces at the end of Civil War. However, after sitting for a moment, he finally accepts Tony's help to get up.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: He is pretty annoyed when he tells the Avengers about his own heroic adventures during the party in Age of Ultron and they are not particularly impressed.
- Embarrassing Password: After spending most of Iron Man 3 trying to defend his armor's rebranding from "War Machine" to "Iron Patriot", when Tony presses him for his password to do some hacking, Rhodey admits it's "WARMACHINEROX". Even the terrorists Rhodey is holding up at the time laugh at him, at least until he points a bigger gun at them. Heck, it's even the page's quote.Tony: Give me your login.
Rhodey: [sigh] WARMACHINEROX with an x, all caps.
Tony: [laughing] That is so much better than "Iron Patriot"! - Everyone Has Standards: While Rhodey may have more faith in Thunderbolt Ross and the United Nations than any of the other Avengers, even he's not blindly loyal enough to try to arrest the Avengers during Thanos's second invasion of Earth, as he knows that they're the only chance of stopping him and his forces.
- Face Death with Dignity: When it looks like Rhodey, Rocket, and Professor Hulk are going to drown after Thanos's bombardment of the Avengers Facility, Rhodey tells Rocket he'll see him on the other side.
- Flying Firepower: Even more so than Iron Man, as War Machine is the same armor but equipped with more conventional weaponry such as a machine guns, missiles, or bombs.
- Foil: To Sam Wilson/The Falcon. Both of them are African-American superheroes and former airmen who serve as the main partners to Tony and Cap respectively, and unquestioningly back their friend in dire situations. However, they do also have a few significant differences.
- Rhodey is more willing to criticize Tony and even fights against him when they have differing viewpoints in Iron Man 2, whereas Sam is unflinchingly loyal to Steve no matter the circumstance. Sam also doesn't agree with government oversight over the Avengers because it limits what they can do, and sides with Steve because he agrees with his perspective on it, whereas Rhodey believes that it's important to prevent future collateral damage.
- Both of them have also been Captain Patriotic superheroes. Rhodey was made the Iron Patriot by the government, a title he didn't like much and eventually went back to his old War-Machine title. Meanwhile, Sam refused to be Captain America and the government instead chose someone else to hold the title, which results in Sam eventually stepping up to the role after Steve's successor has an international incident.
- The Gadfly:
- In Infinity War, he advises Banner to bow before Black Panther, only to ask "What are you doing?" once Banner complies, followed by the most shit-eating smirk imaginable.
- He spends a good amount of Endgame trolling Thor with some side jabs thrown at Scott and 2014 Quill for good measure.
- Genocide Survivor: At the end of Infinity War, he's one of the characters to survive the Snap, which eradicated half of all life in the universe.
- Geo Effects: At the end of Iron Man 2, Rhodey suggests taking the high ground in order to have the advantage during the battle against the Hammer Drones. Unfortunately, he and Tony spend so much time arguing about who is the bigger gun that the drones arrive and surround them before they could get in position.Rhodey: Well, we want to take the high ground, okay? So let's put the biggest gun up on that ridge.
- Get a Room!: Rhodey says a variant at the end of Iron Man 2. When Tony and Pepper come to the same roof as him, confess their feelings to each other and start kissing, he tells them to "Get a roof!".
- Get Out!: In a memorable scene of Iron Man 2, Rhodey is so angry to see Tony recklessly using one of his armors to fool around during his birthday party that he decides to steal his Mark 2 and wears it to intimidate the guests into leaving the house.Rhodey: I'm only gonna say this once. Get out!
- Gilligan Cut: Rhodey has two pretty funny ones in the first Iron Man:
- During the flight to Afghanistan, Tony proposes to drink some alcohol, but Rhodey rejects the offer as they should focus on their work... only for the next scene to show both of them completely plastered.
- After Tony accidentally caused the destruction of a F-22 Raptor, he suggests to Rhodey to blame it on a "training exercise". Rhodey tells him it isn't that simple. Cut to him delivering a statement to the press about an "unfortunate training exercise".
H-O
- Handicapped Badass: His spinal injury during Civil War crippled him and forced him to use cybernetics to walk, but Infinity War shows that a mere spinal injury won't stop him from being War Machine.
- Handshake Refusal: When Trevor Slattery introduces himself and offers him a handshake, Rhodey slaps his hand. Justified, since Rhodey considers him an enemy, and the last time he shook hands with someone it was a trap that got him captured.
- Hangover Sensitivity: A deleted scene of Iron Man has Rhodey suffering from a serious hangover after drinking alcohol during the flight to Afghanistan. His head seems to hurt a lot when he hears the sounds of Tony eating his breakfast and the footsteps of the stewardesses.
- Hero Antagonist: Towards Captain America and his Anti-Registration team in Captain America: Civil War. He's the same guy as before, with the same goals; he just happens to be working against his fellow heroes this time.
- Hero of Another Story: Before officially joining the New Avengers at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Rhodey was performing numerous missions for the US military and apparently had great adventures of his own. He tries to brag to Tony and Thor about one of his recent exploits during the party in Age of Ultron, but they are hardly impressed.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Rhodey is one of the very few people Tony truly trusts, and he's always trying his hardest to keep Tony from hurting himself.
- Hidden Depths: He's apparently quite the movie buff, listing a bunch of sci-fi movies in an attempt to explain his (incorrect) ideas about the nature of time travel in Endgame.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: A non-villainous example. In Civil War, Rhodey ends up paralyzed due to a shot he himself ordered (with the intention of non-fatally taking Falcon out of the fight).
- Holding Your Shoulder Means Injury: After being shot by one of the Iron Legion robots and thrown out of a window during Ultron's attack on Stark Tower, he's seen holding his right arm in the following scene to indicate he's been severely injured.
- Hollywood Tactics: Notably Averted in Infinity War. While the rest of the Wakandan Army breaks formation and charges pell-mell at the Outrider horde, Rhodes tactically takes advantage of the chokepoint and blasts dozens of outriders into oblivion himself.
- Humans Are Warriors:
- He likes talking about the military community: "They've got my back... and I've got theirs."
- The last thing he tells Hawkeye and Black Widow before they depart for Vormir is to "watch each others' six."
- I DO NOT Want to Know: The first time Rhodey finds out about the Iron Man armors and Tony offers to tell him everything about it, Rhodey declines, saying "the less I know, the better".
- Improbable Aiming Skills: In Iron Man 3, he nails several difficult shots with a pistol, including a distant light bulb and some cables.
- Improvised Weapon: During his brawl with Tony in Iron Man 2, he uses some weights and a broken ring post against his opponent, and later hits him with a kitchen counter, sending him into the fireplace.
- Improvised Zipline: Does this during the final battle of Iron Man 3. When two Extremis Soldiers go after him, Rhodey uses a vest to slide down a cable to a hanging container below.
- Incoming!: In Infinity War, he warns the other Avengers that there are some alien warships landing in Wakanda.Rhodey: We got more incoming outside the dome!
- Inspector Javert: He becomes this in Civil War when several of his teammates refuse to play ball with the government. He sheds this attitude in Infinity War once he realizes how shortsighted and agenda-focused Secretary Ross really is.
- Instant Expert: Remember how much time Tony had to spend on training to master his armors in the first movie? Well, Rhodey manages to have a pretty good grasp on his first try, and can even fight toe-to-toe with Tony (granted, he was drunk at the time). Though to be fair, Rhodey is clearly wobbly and has trouble flying properly at first.
- Irony: In Endgame, he passive-aggressively refers to Scott as "Regular-Sized Man", evidently still sore over Ant-Man becoming giant and throwing him like a toy in Civil War. When 2014 Thanos blows up the Avengers Compound, and Rhodey, Hulk, and Rocket are trapped under rubble, it's Scott shrinking and becoming giant that saves the three of them from either drowning or being crushed to death.
- Jerkass Ball: Downplayed in Captain America: Civil War. While still a hero fighting for good, he basically becomes Inspector Javert towards the heroes who refuse to go along with the Sokovia Accords. He calls Cap a "criminal" and arrests him after the latter interferes with the government troops trying to kill Bucky and orders Vision to fire an energy ray at Falcon's flight pack thruster that could severely injure or possibly kill Sam if it's off target. Vision misses Sam and hits Rhodey instead, which winds up crippling his armor, resulting in his fall and paralysis. He ditches the ball in Infinity War after working with Ross for two years woke him up to have a Jerkass Realization, welcoming the "Secret Avengers" home before getting down to business.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While he is needlessly tactless when chewing out Fury and firing him in the wake of Gravik's bombing of Russia, he isn't wrong that Fury's blunders have landed the US in hot water that could snowball into a far worse worldwide situation that can't be solved with a single suit of armor.
- Just Following Orders: Uses this excuse when he displays the War Machine armor during Justin Hammer's presentation at Stark Expo and Tony shows up to recover his stolen suit from him.Rhodey: Tony, there are civilians present. I'm here on orders, let's not do this right now.
- Kill Tally: In Captain America: Civil War, his suit has been engraved
with twenty-four heads of Ultron, referencing the drones he destroyed in 
Avengers: Age of Ultron. This resembles the practice of marking downed enemy fighters on his jet. - Know When to Fold 'Em: After being captured by A.I.M. and ejected from his suit, Rhodey attempts to put up a fight and proceeds to drop-kick Savin. Then Killian shoots a stream of fire at him from his mouth, making him immediately realize that he can't win that fight.
- The Lancer: Serves as a foil to Tony. He's a career military man who appreciates a clear chain of command, whereas Tony isn't big on taking orders.
- Last-Second Word Swap: He was about to use the word "dick" in a conversation with Tony at the restaurant, but some kids approach their table, so he stops himself and says "dictator" instead.
- Lawman Baton: In Civil War, War Machine deploys a stun baton to non-lethally apprehend Cap, although he warns Cap that "it ain't gonna tickle, either." Steve wrecks the thing rather than find out the hard way.
- Let's Get Out of Here: Says something like this to Tony at the end of Iron Man 2 when he realizes the Hammer Drones are about to self-destruct.Rhodey: All these drones are rigged to blow! We gotta get out of here, man!
- Let's You and Him Fight:
- He causes the first fight between superheroes in the MCU when he confronts Tony during his birthday party in Iron Man 2 while they are both wearing armors.
- He also fights several other superheroes during the airport battle in Civil War, notably Captain America, Falcon and Giant-Man.
- Lured into a Trap: In Iron Man 3, Rhodey is sent to what could be the Mandarin's hideout, but is in fact only a sweatshop where some women are being held prisoner. However, it then turns out that it was all a trap set by A.I.M., and one of the women is actually an Extremis Soldier who captures him so Killian can steal his suit.
- Manly Tears: He doesn't hold back his tears as he watches his best friend Tony Stark die after using the Infinity Gauntlet, or when listening to Tony's prerecorded message after his death in Avengers: Endgame.
- Meaningful Rename: His superhero moniker is changed from "War Machine" to "Iron Patriot" in the face of the Mandarin terror threat. He switches back to War Machine at the first opportunity.
- Military Salute: Right after his first appearance as War Machine during Hammer's presentation at Stark Expo, Rhodey does a notable salute. All the Hammer Drones follow his lead.
- Military Superhero: Colonel in the United States Air Force and War Machine.
- Missed Him by That Much: He just barely misses seeing Sam disintegrate due to the power of the Infinity Gauntlet in Infinity War, and was actively looking for him at the time.
- Moment Killer: To Tony and Pepper at the end of Iron Man 2. To be fair, he was sitting right there and they didn't bother to check.Rhodey: Get a roof!
- My Master, Right or Wrong:
- Downplayed for a funny moment in Iron Man 3. He thinks "Iron Patriot" is stupid like everyone else, but his superiors approved it so he goes along with it.
- Played much more seriously in Captain America: Civil War. While it's clear he doesn't entirely agree with the Sokovia Accords, Rhodey still signs them due to the government requesting the Avengers do so, and is dedicated to hunting down his former teammates when they refuse and start causing a ruckus.
- Defied in Avengers: Infinity War. After working with Thunderbolt Ross for two years, Rhodey realizes that the man has little interest in deploying the Avengers for anything that isn't a political agenda, and so refuses to comply with his orders to arrest the fugitive Avengers.
- Never Heard That One Before: By the time of Age of Ultron, he seems to have grown tired of hearing the story of Iron Man saving New York from the Chitauri.Tony: Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole? Saved New York?
Rhodey: No, it's never come up. I never heard that. - The Nicknamer: Not as much as Tony, but he has his moments:
- He calls Ant-Man "Tiny Dude" in Civil War, and "Regular-sized Man" when they meet again in Avengers: Endgame.
- When a mailman mispronounces Tony's name as "Tony Stank" at the end of Civil War, Rhodey starts calling his friend that way to mess with him.
- He also calls Captain Marvel "New Girl" after meeting her in Avengers: Endgame. Although this case is justified, due to him not knowing who Carol is.
- No Hero to His Valet: Most people who care about Tony spend a decent amount of time deflating his ego, and Rhodey is no exception.
- Not a Game: He says this to Tony when he admits to being responsible for the incident in the Middle East.Rhodey: This isn't a game. You do not send civilian equipment into my active war zone. Do you understand me?
- Not in Front of the Kid: During an argument with Tony in a restaurant, he almost uses a swear word but he interrupts himself when he sees some children coming up to their table.Rhodey: No, look, I'm not trying to be a dic... [sees the children] ...tator.
- Not So Above It All:
- He tries very hard to be the responsible adult around Tony. It's not as easy as one might think. In Iron Man for instance, he ends up relenting and having a few too many drinks on the flight to Afghanistan, giving him a hangover the next morning.
- In Infinity War, the first thing he does in Wakanda is trick Bruce into bowing to T'Challa, then act like he has no idea where Bruce got the idea.
- In Age of Ultron, Rhodey is shown feeling inadequate amongst his fellow Avengers, due to their stories being significantly more action-packed than his. He also seems interested in Mjölnir's worthiness enchantment, as he helps Tony when he tries to lift the hammer during the party.Rhodey: Are you even pulling?
Tony: Are you on my team?
Rhodey: Just represent, pull!
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Nebula shows him her robotic arm and tells him she wasn't always like that, Rhodey sympathizes with her and reveals his similar situation of being paralyzed.Nebula: I wasn't always like this.
Rhodey: Me either. But we work with what we got, right? - Not So Stoic:
- Tony tends to bring this out in him. During the Senate hearing in Iron Man 2, there's a moment where Tony just looks at him and you can see Rhodey hiding a smile, trying not to crack up in public.
- On a bleaker note, he is clearly furious when Tony drunk-pilots a suit in a room full of civilians. He promptly suits up himself, orders everyone out, and tells Tony to take off his suit or get his ass kicked.
- Odd Friendship: By Endgame, he's formed a friendship with, of all people, Nebula. They get partnered up in the Time Heist, she calls him by his nickname while warning "there's an idiot in the landing zone", and he sympathizes with her condition and compares it to his own.
- Offhand Backhand: He can use his Shoulder Cannon to shoot enemies from any side without having to look.
- When some people in Pakistan start mocking him while he is busy communicating with Tony in Iron Man 3, Rhodey points his Shoulder Cannon at them while continuing his conversation.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Has a big one in Iron Man 3 when he realizes that Killian is able to breathe fire.Rhodey: You... You breathe fire? Okay...
- He also reacts this way when he sees Ant-Man turning into Giant-Man in Civil War.Rhodey: Okay, tiny dude is big now! He's big now!
- Has a big one in Iron Man 3 when he realizes that Killian is able to breathe fire.
- One-Man Army: Most prominently in Infinity War where he rains down an insane amount of aerial firepower on Thanos's forces killing hundreds of Outriders by himself, only outdone by Thor and Scarlet Witch.
- Only Sane Man: One of two in Tony's life. The other one is Pepper. When Tony starts doing too many eccentric things, it's Rhodey who often shows up to rein his best friend in.
- On Three: During the Time Heist in Endgame, Rhodey counts from three to one so that he and Nebula can synchronize their Time Suit when they return to the present.Rhodey: Sync up. Three.. two.. one...
- "Open!" Says Me: When Iron Patriot is sent to Pakistan to find the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, he enters a house suspected of being a Ten Rings hideout by breaking down the doors. Later, he also goes to a sweatshop and shoots at the door with his repulsors to open it.
- Orphaned Punchline: During the party scene in Age of Ultron, Rhodey tells the Avengers a story of a mission ending in him dropping a tank in front of a general and saying, "Boom! You looking for this?" The Avengers stare blankly at him, and he gets the hint to try telling the story to someone else. A short time later, we see him repeating the same punchline to a group of party guests, and they laugh hysterically.
- Out of Focus: Despite being supposedly a major character in the MCU, Rhodey tends to be reduced to unimportant roles outside of the Iron Man movies:
- He's a pretty minor character in Avengers: Age of Ultron, only appearing in three scenes and having little involvement in the story outside of being part of The Cavalry in the Battle of Sokovia.
- While he fares better in Captain America: Civil War, he still doesn't get as much focus as the rest of the Avengers, and unlike them he doesn't even have a proper fight scene outside of the airport battle.
- In Avengers: Infinity War, he's one of the members of the Avengers with the least amount of screen-time and development.
- Even though he has been advertised as one of the leads of Avengers: Endgame, he has much less of a character arc than the others and barely partakes in any action scenes.
- With Armor Wars, he's also the last superhero introduced in Phase One to headline his own live-action adaptation, as even Hawkeye's own show was released much earlier.
- Overshadowed by Awesome:
- When hanging out with the Avengers. In Age of Ultron, he tells a story to Thor and Tony (complete with witty one-liners) about how he lifted a tank and threw it at a warlord's feet, and gets patronizing approval out of the two as he remarks that that story usually kills. He's later seen telling the story again to a group of civilians just to make himself feel better.
- The fact that he is basically bragging about how strong his suit is to the man who made said suit and the strongest being on the planet doesn't helps his case.
- In the climax of the very same movie, he has a small Big Damn Heroes moment, taking out the stray Ultron drones... only to be upstaged by Vision in grandiose fashion.Rhodey: Okay, what?!
P-Y
- People Puppets: Happens to him at the end of Iron Man 2 when he has his armor remotely hijacked by Vanko.
- Person of Mass Destruction: With all the various weapons he has in his arsenal, War Machine is more than capable of causing a great deal of ravages. Best demonstrated during the airport fight in Civil War, in which he utterly destroys an entire gangway in an instant.
- Physical Therapy Plot: After suffering a spinal injury during the airport battle that left him paraplegic, Rhodey has to relearn walking, as shown at the end of Captain America: Civil War. By the time of Avengers: Infinity War, Rhodey can walk normally again thanks to some high-tech leg braces.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He's 5'8" and even without the War Machine armor, he's a USAF Colonel.
- Pop-Cultured Badass: In Avengers: Endgame, he reveals himself to be a pop-culture geek, frequently name-dropping movies like Back to the Future and Indiana Jones while going over plans. Specifically in this exchange during a time travel experiment:Professor Hulk: Who told you that?
Rhodey: Star Trek, Terminator, Timecop, Time After Time...
Scott Lang: Quantum Leap.
Rhodey: A Wrinkle in Time, Somewhere in Time...
Scott Lang: Hot Tub Time Machine.
Rhodey: Hot Tub Time Machine, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Basically any movie that deals with time travel. - Powered Armor: His piece was originally the Mark 2, the first flight-capable suit Tony made after returning from captivity. Rhodes confiscates it from Tony and gets it upgraded by Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2.
- Precrime Arrest: In Endgame, Rhodey suggests semi-jokingly to use the Quantum Tunnel to go back in time and kill Thanos while he was only a baby, in order to make sure he could never commit any of his future crimes.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
- Says one to a pair of Extremis Soldiers right before shooting the wire supporting the container they were on, making them fall to their deaths.Rhodey: Bye-bye!
- Another one to some fleeing Ultron Sentries before machine gunning them out of the sky.Rhodey: Oh, no. I didn't say you could leave!
- Says one to a pair of Extremis Soldiers right before shooting the wire supporting the container they were on, making them fall to their deaths.
- Punctuated Pounding: When he strikes Tony multiple times with a ring post during their fight in Iron Man 2.Tony: Sorry pal, but Iron Man doesn't have a sidekick.
Rhodey: Side! Kick! This! - Rapid-Fire "No!": His reaction the first time Tony invites him to come and see the Iron Man armor he was working on.Tony: Now are you going to come by and see what I'm working on?
Rhodey: No, no, no, no, no, no. The less I know, the better. - The Remnant: Downplayed in Endgame — while Rhodey isn't the only Avenger left alive, he's the only non-founding member who survived the Infinity War. The rest are all dead now until 5 years later.
- Ret-Canon: Again, this version of Iron Patriot. It's migrated into mainstream Marvel Universe after Iron Man 3.
- Running Gag: His being caught off-guard by superpowers happens in several movies.
- Scary Black Man: Not usually, but he can become truly intimidating when pushed too far, especially when he's wearing one of his armors. A good example is when he puts on an armor for the first time and scares all of Tony's party guests into getting out of the house.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: During Infinity War, when Ross orders him to arrest Steve, Sam, and Natasha when they return in Infinity War, Rhodey realises they've all got bigger problems (namely Thanos and his minions invading Earth) and basically tells Ross where he can go, accepting a court martial from Ross to help the Avengers.
- Second Super-Identity: After becoming the superhero War Machine in Iron Man 2, he changes to Iron Patriot in the sequel, complete with a new color for his armor. He goes back to being War Machine in the following movies.
- See You in Hell: Rhodey says a more PG variation when he and Rocket are about to drown in the wreckage of the Avengers Facility at the end of Avengers: Endgame.Rhodey: See you on the other side, man.
- Shipper on Deck: The Iron Man 3 prequel comic mentions how thrilled he is that Pepper is moving in with Tony.
- Shooting Superman: Considering he's a superhero who primarily uses firearms, he tends to fruitlessly shoot at opponents that are Immune to Bullets quite often, like Whiplash, Giant-Man, or Thanos. To be fair, he's probably more trying to slow them down than to actually kill them.
- A particularly baffling example happens during the final battle of Iron Man 3. After shooting at two Extremis Soldiers, he sees that they can use their powers to instantly regenerate. So naturally, he tries to shoot them again, to no more effect.
- Sitting on the Roof: At the end of Iron Man 2, Tony saves Pepper from an explosion and takes her to the roof of a nearby building where they have their First Kiss... only to realize that Rhodey was sitting there the whole time.
- Sixth Ranger: Since all the New Avengers but him were dusted, he gets to be this to the original Avengers during the events of Endgame.
- Soft Glass:
- During the escape from Killian's mansion in Iron Man 3, Rhodey dives through a glass doorway and shoots two guards, without suffering any apparent injuries.
- In an early scene of Age of Ultron, Rhodey is thrown out of a window by one of the Iron Legion robots controlled by Ultron. He doesn't seem to be in such a bad shape afterwards.
- Sole Survivor: Rhodey is the sole survivor of the New Avengers and their allies that were featured in Infinity War, the rest having either been killed by Thanos personally or disintegrated by the power of the Gauntlet. Only the original roster remains of the Avengers Initiative aside from him until Hulk snaps the dusted back into existence 5 years later.
- Stating the Simple Solution:
- After Iron Man has used his Death Blossom laser to win the battle against the Hammer Drones, Rhodey points out he could have used it right at the beginning.
- Upon learning that Tony has perfected Time Travel and the Avengers intend to use it to steal the Infinity Stones from different time periods, Rhodey suggests a much simpler alternate plan.Rhodey: If we can do this... you know, go back in time... why don't we just find baby Thanos and... [mimes garroting someone]
Banner: First off, that's horrible—
Rhodey: It's Thanos.
Banner: —and second, time doesn't work that way! Changing the past doesn't change the future! - In a
Deleted Scene from Avengers: Endgame while planning the Time Heist, he wonders why Steve couldn't have jumped out of the Valkyrie before crashing it into the Arctic.
- The Stoic: When he's with his co-workers, he's calm and focused.
- The Strategist:
- Rhodey tries to be this for the battle against the Hammer Drones in Iron Man 2, devising a strategy to better fight the drones by taking advantage of the terrain, but he and Tony squabble so much that the drones show up before Rhodey's strategy can be properly executed.
- He also gives instructions to Tony before the final battle of Iron Man 3, though it's rendered moot when the Iron Legion arrives.Tony: What do I do?
Rhodey: Stay on my six, cover high, and don't shoot me in the back.
- Strong and Skilled: Rhodey is both incredibly strong because of the War Machine suit and is a skilled combatant. He's an even more skilled fighter than Tony because while his suit isn't as versatile or as powerful, he's a trained Air Force Colonel, while Tony's fighting skills are more above average.
- Superhero Packing Heat: It's his primary trait as War Machine. Bristling with guns, guns, and more guns, with some missiles on the side, and that's not even getting into his trademark shoulder turret.
- Take Up My Sword: In Iron Man 2, the Secretly Dying Tony gives Rhodey some training to become the next Iron Man, even giving him clearance to use the Mark II armor. This is fortunately subverted since Tony is able to save his own life, but Rhodey keeps the suit for his new War Machine persona.
- Tap on the Head:
- He is the victim of this in Iron Man 3. After A.I.M. has captured him and forced him out of his armor, Eric Savin pushes him against a wall headfirst, knocking him unconscious.
- Rhodey does this himself in Avengers: Endgame, knocking out Peter Quill with one blow of his armored fist, so that he doesn't bother them while they steal the Power Stone, and Nebula can take his thieving tool.
- That Liar Lies: He accuses Thanos of being a liar when he claims to have destroyed the Infinity Stones. However, Nebula doesn't share the same opinion.Rhodey: We have to tear this place apart, he... he has to be lying!
Nebula: My father is many things. A liar is not one of them. - That Makes Me Feel Angry: He expresses his irritation out loud after being hit by an exploding truck during the airport battle in Civil War.Rhodey: Alright, now I'm pissed!
- That Wasn't a Request: At the end of Iron Man 2, he tells Tony that he's keeping the War Machine armor, no matter what he has to say about it.Rhodey: Listen, my car got taken out in the explosion so I'm going to have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?
Tony: Not okay. Not okay with that.
Rhodey: Wasn't a question. [blasts off] - Think Nothing of It: Played for Laughs in Iron Man 3. After Rhodey has liberated a bunch of women held in a sweatshop by pure accident and some of them come to shake his hand, he awkwardly tries to act modest and tells them there is no need to thank him.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Has this reaction during the final battle of Iron Man 2 when Whiplash shows up with his new upgraded armor.Rhodey: This ain't gonna be good...
- This Is the Part Where...: Tells Nebula this when they are about to enter the Temple of the Power Stone in Avengers: Endgame, much to her confusion.Rhodey: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... This is the part where spikes come out with skeletons on the end and everything...
- Three-Point Landing: Not as often as Iron Man, but War Machine still does this occasionally, notably when he arrives at the Avengers Facility in Endgame.
- Throwing Off the Disability: The aftermath of the airplane fight in Civil War permanently cripples his legs, but Tony quickly builds a mechanism to allow him to use his legs both recreationally and in combat.
- To Be Lawful or Good: Civil War has him support the Sokovia Accords and go after all the heroes who refuse to comply. Infinity War has him realize that the Accords were a bad idea when Ross fixates more on arresting the fugitive Avengers rather than Earth being invaded by aliens and he chooses to ignore Ross's orders to arrest his former teammates.
- Took a Level in Badass: During his first movie, Rhodey was just a normal human, albeit one with military training. In his subsequent appearances, he becomes War Machine, one of the most powerful superheroes in the world.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Is noticeably a lot ruder and snarkier in Avengers: Endgame than in previous entries, thanks to the collective trauma of surviving the Snap and then enduring the five years of the Blip; for example mocking Thor's weight gain and snarking at Carol for talking such a big game despite not having been there for Earth (though he does relent on the latter when Carol points out she has to be a one-woman Avengers team for all the other planets of the universe). He's back to being a lot more polite in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
- Turn the Other Cheek: Two years after Civil War, Rhodey doesn't seem to hold any lasting ill-will towards Vision, despite his lack of restraint being the reason Rhodey needs Stark-issued bionics to walk.
- Twofer Token Minority: He's a black man and a cripple.
- Undying Loyalty: To Tony. Despite their bickering and disagreements, Rhodey always comes to Tony's side when he needs him.
- Use Your Head: In the comic Iron Man: The Coming of the Melter, War Machine gives a powerful headbutt to the titular villain.
- [Verb] This!: When Tony tells him that he doesn't need a sidekick during their fight in Iron Man 2. Rhodey beats him with a broken ring post while saying "Sidekick this!".
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Both he and Tony can really get on each other's nerves at times, but their friendship will always endure and repair itself at the end.
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head: The Iron Patriot armor, which is painted with the U.S. flag colors.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- His reaction to Tony drunk-piloting a suit and firing energy blasts in a room full of people, after Rhodey had defended him in public. He tells Tony he doesn't deserve the armor and proceeds to get in a brawl with him.
- He briefly calls Tony out for bringing the teenaged Spider-Man to the airport battle ("Jesus, Tony, how old is this guy?") That being said, he seems to get over it pretty quickly once it turns out that he can handle himself.
- When Captain Marvel finally returns to Earth for the first time since 1995, Rhodey is quick to criticize her for not being around during previous events. Unlike the above examples, Carol actually has a justifiable retort against him, noting that not every planet in the universe has people like the Avengers protecting them.
- Wild Card Excuse: According to Tony, the military and Rhodey in particular always use "training exercise" as a false excuse for anything they can't or don't want to explain. Rhodey protests that it's not true... only for him to announce just that during the press conference about Iron Man's raid in Gulmira. He also uses this excuse again to cover Iron Man from the military when he goes out to fight Iron Monger at the end of the first film.
- Would Hit a Girl:
- He has no more qualms about shooting at the female Extremis Soldiers than he does about shooting at the men.
- He also uses his Sonic Cannon on Wanda during the airport battle in Civil War.
- Would Hurt a Child: Played for Laughs. Generally this is not the case, but Rhodes proposes to the surviving Avengers that they should just use the time machine to go back to when Thanos was a baby and then strangle him with a tightrope, complete with pantomiming and choking noises. Professor Hulk is rightfully horrified by this idea — although Scott and Clint seem to be open to it. Rhodes defends his idea on the grounds it's Thanos.
- Written-In Absence: War Machine is the only established superhero of Phase 1 not to appear in The Avengers (2012). While his absence is never explained during the film (he's not even mentioned), the Iron Man 3 tie-in comic reveals that he was in Hong Kong during the final battle dealing with a bio-terrorist attack perpetrated by the Ten Rings. It is then revealed at the end of the comic that Rhodey arrived in New York after the battle and met up with the rest of the Avengers eating shawarma and was invited to eat with them.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: In Endgame, he expects the Temple of the Power Stone to be full of spiky death traps like something out of Indiana Jones. The actual security system consists of a single flesh-melting force field that Nebula easily circumnavigates with her metal prosthetics.
- Wrong Time-Travel Savvy: In Endgame, Rhodey's knowledge of time traveling, like Scott Lang, comes from movies and he believes that they should just go back in time to kill Thanos when he was a baby.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!:
- Says this during Tony's birthday party in Iron Man 2 when he sees Tony using his armor while drunk.Rhodey: You gotta be kidding me.
- Also, he has a particularly funny one during Civil War shortly before a truck appears out of nowhere and slams into him:Rhodey: OH COME ON!
- Says this during Tony's birthday party in Iron Man 2 when he sees Tony using his armor while drunk.
- You're Just Jealous: He accuses Tony of being jealous of his BFG in Iron Man 2.Tony: You have a big gun. You are not the big gun.
Rhodey: Tony, don't be jealous.
Variants
King Killmonger's James Rhodes
Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes
"Can't clean up the world without getting your hands dirty."
Species: Human
Citizenship: American
Affiliation(s): MIT, USAF, Stark Industries
Voiced By: Don Cheadle
Appearances: What If...?
On Earth-32938, James Rhodes never became War Machine due to Killmonger saving Tony Stark.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Rhodey has never encountered Erik Killmonger and Ulysses Klaue in the Sacred Timeline.
- Adaptational Wimp: Since he doesn't become War Machine in this timeline, he's a regular soldier.
- Category Traitor: Killmonger considers him one for being loyal to the military despite them being his "oppressors". Rhodey retorts that he has to be a part of the system in order to change it, but Killmonger shuts him down and declares that he'll burn the system down before killing Rhodey.
- Dead Alternate Counterpart: While his Sacred Timeline self is still alive and well, this Rhodey gets murdered by Killmonger as part of a Frame-Up that will instigate a war between Wakanda and America.
- Death by Adaptation: Rhodey's death is at the hands of Killmonger, while he's still alive in the Sacred Timeline (as of the episode's airing).
- Foil: To Killmonger himself. Both are black men who served in the US military and had to deal with racism on their way to the top. However, while Rhodey joined out of love for his country and believed that he could help reform the corrupt system from within, Killmonger joined only to get a high position as a means to an end and believes that the system should be destroyed. Moreover, Rhodey is sincere in wanting to help other African-Americans while Killmonger only claims that he wants to help them but has no problem killing other black people like his cousin to further his true goals.
- Internal Reformist: When called out by Killmonger for fighting for a country that oppresses black people, Rhodey responds that one cannot fix the system without being a part of it.
- Unwitting Pawn: To Killmonger, he's just another means to an end. In his case, he's used as bait to lure the Black Panther out so that Erik can kill both of them and make it look like a Mutual Kill to create tensions between Wakanda and America.
"I'm like, 'Boom. You looking for this?' (Beat) 'Boom. Are you looking for...?' Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else that story kills."
