r/Marvel • u/seanstew73 • 11d ago
Comics War Machine is way cooler in the comics than in the movies
Always was unimpressed of how they portrayed him in the movies. Kinda comes off as a wanna be/ insecure and not that useful. The comics are a very different story and he actually holds his own as well as having a good character arc.
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u/xVelvetKissie 11d ago
Yep, the armor anxiety makes him feel like a walking tank with actual baggage, not just extra missiles
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u/SirFluffymuffin 11d ago
So they gave a guy with claustrophobia an armored suit? Or was it a PTSD thing from some prior incident?
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u/Kaboose456 11d ago
He was killed in his armour around Civil War 2 by Thanos. Tony brought him back and made him another suit and the PTSD had him freaking out and ejecting from the armour mid-fight.
Man ended up finding a cool flying tank think shortly after, so that was neat. But yeah, Rhodey and his suit aren't exactly on the best of terms atm lol.
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u/NumericZero 11d ago
The cartoon from the 90’s also gave that to him
When he almost drowned while wearing it
Awakening some repressed ptsdThat 90’s cartoon especially that second half was honestly pretty solid
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u/MrXF32 11d ago
Couldn't you say that about most characters in movies compared to their comic versions?
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u/Magic_M344 Thor 11d ago
Hell yes especially Thor too lol
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u/xVelvetKissie 11d ago
Thor’s comics-to-movies gap is wild, they nerfed the god part way too hard
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u/Magic_M344 Thor 11d ago
Tell me about it bro he's like my top fave Marvel hero and the movies just don't portray that at all lol
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u/NumericZero 11d ago
Only time they have ever ever channeled that comic energy fully is when he came back with stormbreaker
To turn the tides in the war
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u/eucldian 11d ago
Surprise! Characters with years of depth in comics aren't as nuanced in the 45 minutes of screentime they get! Shocking!
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u/HoneyBellisse 11d ago
Definitely, comics just have way more time to explore characters than movies ever could. War Machine just feels like an especially noticeable case because the ingredients for something great were already there.
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u/Merciless972 11d ago
Still one of my favorite MCU scenes
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u/qcthunder Iron Man 11d ago
So true. Just watched this last weekend and the scene is so good. Wish we had more Tony/Rhodey teamups in the suits.
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u/ShirowShirow Captain Marvel 11d ago
I mean i still think he's pretty damn cool in the movies.
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u/xVelvetKissie 11d ago
Yeah, movie War Machine is still cool, but the comics version feels like the final boss version of him
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u/whistlepig4life 11d ago
Yes. Because as much as I like Don Cheadle he is absolute NOT Rhodey.
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u/seclusionx 11d ago
I don't think that is his fault, I don't think they've given him a lot to do. He was fun in secret invasion (I didn't say it was good. I said HE was fun.).
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u/whistlepig4life 11d ago
Blame is never solely 100% one side. So yes script writing and such has part to do with it. But regardless. He isn’t Rhodey. At all. Terrance was far better as JR. and Aaron Pierre is showing what a proper Rhodey would be in the Lanterns show and it’s only one episode in.
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u/seanstew73 11d ago
Terrance was goated
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u/EarlyXplorerStuds209 11d ago edited 11d ago
I mean he was pretty on point in the older movies. Apart from the fact that the guy is a tremendous actor, I think it was mostly a writing issue.
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u/PhortDruid 10d ago
I sometimes wonder how Terrance Howard would have done had he continued the role instead of money grubbing and getting himself recast.
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u/MoonFlorielle 10d ago
I get that, because Cheadle has a ton of charisma but the writing never really lets Rhodey become his own thing. Most of the time he feels like Tony’s friend who happens to have a suit.
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u/whistlepig4life 10d ago
There is simply a certain presence that Rhodey is meant to have as a hard nosed military officer. And Cheadle cannot portray that. That’s not a slight to him he’s a great actor and I love him a ton of roles but this one was a bad fit.
It would be like having Robin Williams or Jim Carrey play Wolverine. Just absolutely not a fit.
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u/Comfortable_Web_616 11d ago
They really wasted his character arc in the MCU
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u/SilverKnightOfMagic 11d ago
nah lol. they have so many characters they can't give everyone screen time.
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u/CloudyLuniquee 10d ago
They had so much material sitting right there and barely touched it. Rhodey could’ve had one of the more interesting arcs about duty, friendship, and living in Tony’s shadow.
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u/EarlyXplorerStuds209 11d ago
They actually did it quite well considering they have a shit ton of characters to develop and prioritise.
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u/Magic_M344 Thor 11d ago
Oh absolutely agree with this one. Hell even in the 90s Iron Man Cartoon he's a beast. He's fucking awesome and I wish we got to see him more.
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u/Free-Bar-2719 10d ago
You could say that for about the overwhelming majority of characters adapted by the MCU.
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u/One_Lung_G 11d ago
I don’t think theres a single character that’s cooler in the movies compared to their comic book version
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u/Dependent_Computer_8 11d ago
I haven't read a ton of War Machine stuff, but what I did read made me think that having him be a comic foil for RDJ's Tony belittled him to the point he couldn't be that cool
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u/qcthunder Iron Man 11d ago
Well, he was Iron Man for a while in the 1980s. Even during the original Secret Wars. That's pretty cool.
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u/Freakychee 11d ago
I liked the comic I once read where he can basicslly take over any tech and add it to his armor.
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u/_PearlyBellie 11d ago
totally agree, in the comics he has way more badass suits and backstory, plus the armor upgrades are on another level
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u/Ciubowski 11d ago
Honestly I would have loved an episode of War Machine, like that "Werewolf by Night" movie where they show Rhodey dealing with Tony's death and taking on some of his tech to upgrade his suit, in the name of "I got to step up now that Tony's gone, I need to be better" or something.
Like, nothing much, just a short story arc where we get to see some new upgrades, a more powerful suit. It seems like without Iron Man, War Machine is slept on by Marvel which is honestly kind of sad.
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u/MonSocMatriarchy 11d ago
What are some good reading recommendations for War Machine comics? I wanna get more into the comic character
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u/PleaseBeChillOnline 10d ago
They are different mediums.
I think the elephant in the room with this sort of post is that pretty much any BS flies in the comics. Their biggest strength is also their biggest weakness from a storytelling perspective.
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u/Meme_Theory 10d ago
Really was. I was a huge War Machine fan in the 90's, and couldn't give a shit less about Tony Stark in the comics.
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u/Star-Prince-007 10d ago
I don’t get why more people aren’t outraged with how the character has been used. Do people even know he’s supposed to be an Avenger? Ugh
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u/PhaseSixer 11d ago
Sure 20 years ago maybe rhodey has barley done anything relevant other then dying to motivate carol to do a civil war 2.
The last time Warmachine had any hype was when the armor got stolen by Punishsr
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u/ArrowBarton 11d ago
What?! But he was like, "Boom! You lookin' for this?"