War Machine in other media

Adaptations of War Machine in other media in other media
Created by	David Michelinie John Byrne Bob Layton
Original source	Comics published by Marvel Comics
First appearance	(as James Rhodes) Iron Man #118 (Jan. 1979) (as Iron Man) Iron Man #170 (May 1983) (as War Machine) Iron Man #282 (Sept. 1992)
Films and television
Film(s)	Iron Man (2008) Iron Man 2 (2010)
Television show(s)	Iron Man (1994) Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2009)
Games
Video game(s)	Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1997) Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Iron Man (2008) Iron Man 2 (2010)

This lists all appearances of the Marvel Comics character War Machine (James Rupert Rhodes) in other media. Appearing in the Iron Man comic books since 1979 as well as his own series of books, he has been featured in television, film, video games, and other media as his superhero identity or as Rhodes.

Television

Iron Man (1994)

File:Iron Man 1994.jpg

Iron Man and War Machine in a 1995 episode (entitled "The Hands of the Mandarin, Part 1") of the Iron Man animated series.

War Machine appeared in the 1994 animated series Iron Man voiced by actors James Avery in the first season, Jim Cummings for a few episodes in the first season, and Dorian Harewood for the second season. During the first season, War Machine is a member of Iron Man's superhero team Force Works while working for Stark Enterprises as his civilian identity James "Rhodey" Rhodes. When the team disbands at the end of the second season opener, "The Beast Within", Rhodes remains with Iron Man along with Julia Carpenter. In the second season episode "Fire And Rain", Rhodes relived a tragic drowning experience while being trapped underwater in the War Machine armor. Rhodes remained out of armor for four episodes, but eventually overcame his fear in the episode "Distant Boundaries".

X-Men

In the X-Men Season 2 episode "Time Fugitives Part 1", War Machine is aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier with Nick Fury and G. W. Bridge. They are seen watching a U.S. Senate committee hearing on mutants being blamed for infecting non-mutants with a "mutant plague" (genetically engineered by Apocalypse masquerading as a member of the Friends of Humanity). He is also seen in the Season 3 episode "Child of Light" in another brief cameo.

Spider-Man

For the episodes "Venom Returns" and "Carnage" from third season of the animated series Spider-Man, James Avery reprises the role of War Machine. In those episodes, Rhodes supervises the security of the interdimensional travel experiment presentation at Stark Enterprises. He dons the War Machine armor to help Spider-Man fight Venom and Carnage, who Baron Mordo sends to steal the interdimensional transporter device. As the two make their escape with the device, War Machine prevents J. Jonah Jameson from unmasking Spider-Man. Tony Stark asks Spider-Man to get War Machine, injured from the fight, to a doctor.

The Incredible Hulk

For the episode "Helping Hand, Iron Fist" from the first season of The Incredible Hulk, Dorian Harewood reprises the role of War Machine. In that episode, when Rick Jones attempts to see Tony Stark, Rhodes initially prevents him. Once Jones explains that he needed Stark's help to find Bruce Banner, Rhodes takes him to Stark. When General Ross and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Gabriel Jones arrive with a squad of Hulkbusters, he alerts Stark and as War Machine, fights along side Iron Man and Jones.

Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes

The War Machine armor makes a cameo in the Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes episode "Shell Games".

Iron Man: Armored Adventures

File:Rhodey.jpg

James "Rhodey" Rhodes in Iron Man: Armored Adventures.

A teenage James Rhodes is featured as one of the main characters in the animated series Iron Man: Armored Adventures, voiced by actor Daniel Bacon. During the series first season, Rhodes and his family act as a foster home for Tony Stark after the death of Howard Stark. He is also Stark's classmate and best friend at the Tomorrow Academy a science-intensive high school. As the series progresses, Rhodes becomes Stark's aide-de-camp, beging as a back up operator using a remote system to assume control of the Stark Exo-Suit, or "Iron Man" armor, during Stark's first outing and expanding as the voice of concern when Stark does something dangerous. Other aspects of the character that were developed of the first season inculude an aptitude for science and an interest in history. Hints were also given that he has a crush on Whitney Stane and that he perceives the romantic tensions between Stark, Stane, Pepper Potts, and Gene Khan. In the season finale, the two part "Tales of Suspense", Rhodes gets the "War Machine" armor which he uses to ferry Stark a suit of Iron Man armor and help against Fin Fang Foom and the Mandarin.

The Super Hero Squad Show

For the episode "Tales of Suspense" from the first season of The Super Hero Squad Show animated series, Rhodes was voiced by actor LeVar Burton. While the character appeared in armor during the episode, he was never referred to as War Machine and the armor appeared as a slight variation of the Iron Man armor that lacked external heavy armaments. In the episode, Doctor Doom plots with Melter and Crimson Dynamo to discredit Iron Man with an impostor. Investigating, Iron Man encounters an armored Rhodes and mistakes him for the impostor. Realizing the mistake, the pair team up to confront the actual impostor. They are captured due to bickering based on Rhodes' discontent over being left to what over Stark Industries while Iron Man is with the Super Hero Squad. Resolving their personal issues and with the help of other heroes, he and Iron Man are able to overcome the villains.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

For the episode "Iron Man is Born!" from the animated series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Rhodes appeared voiced by Bumper Robinson. In that episode, he is shown as a colonel in the military trying to convince Tony Stark that he does not have to fight evil by himself.

Film

The Invincible Iron Man

James Rhodes appeared in the 2007 animated film The Invincible Iron Man voiced by Rodney Saulsberry. In the film, Rhodes is an engineer and former army medic who accompanies Tony Stark to an archeological excavation of a lost city in China. At the insistence of Stark's father, he is also in charge of security for the excavation. When he and Start are captured by a group seeking to re-bury the lost city, his experience as a medic are used to save Starks life and help create the initial Iron Man armor. Through the remainder of the film, Rhodes acts as Iron Man’s assistant, even to the point of being arrested in Stark’s place. At the end of the film he is appointed head of the Special Engineering branch after all charges against Stark are dropped.

Iron Man (2008)

File:War Machine.jpg

Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes in Iron Man

Terrence Howard portrayed James Rhodes in the 2008 film Iron Man. In the film, Rhodes holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and acts as the military's chief liaison to the weapons division of Stark Industries. As in the comic books that were adapted for the film, he is Tony Stark's best friend and among Stark's most trusted allies. He is also depicted wearing a "Brass Rat", the Massachusetts Institute of Technology school ring, on one hand, indicating that he and Stark graduated from the same college, and on the other an Air Force Academy ring. Though Rhodes did not appear in an armored suit in the film, director Jon Favreau told Ain't It Cool News that War Machine would appear in the sequels and Howard was cast with this in mind.

Iron Man 2

File:Don Cheadle as James Rhodes.jpg

Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes in Iron Man 2

Don Cheadle portrayed James Rhodes in the 2010 film sequel Iron Man 2. After a contract dispute with Terrence Howard, the part of Rhodes was recast and Cheadle was selected for the role. Rhodes' armor, visually based on the War Machine armor from the comic books, was featured in the film and was first revealed in footage shown at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. For the film, the origin of the armor differed from the comic book source material with the armor having been reverse engineered from the Iron Man Mark II armor and called the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit (VTRBS). In the film, Rhodes is under pressure from the United States government to convince Tony Stark to relinquish ownership of the Iron Man armor. When a drunken Stark, in armor, endangers the lives of the guests at his birthday party, Rhodes is forced to don the Iron Man Mark II armor to intervene. After the intervention turns into a fight that wrecks Stark's home, he leaves with the Mark II armor and hands it over to the military. The armor is reverse engineered into the heavily armed VTRBS at Edwards Air Force Base by the United States Air Force with its arsenal of heavy ballistic weaponry provided by defense contractor Justin Hammer. Rhodes is then assigned to pilot it in a demonstration at the Stark Expo. However the VTRBS is secretly under the control of Ivan Vanko and Rhodes finds himself trapped in the armor as it fights Stark. When Natasha Romanoff reboots its software, he regains control of the armor and is able to team with Stark against first Hammer's unmanned drones, and later an armored Vanko. After they subdue Vanko, Stark allows Rhodes to keep the VTRBS.

File:Warmy.jpg

Poster for Iron Man 2 featuring the War Machine armor

The markings on the VTRBS include its serial and production number of "AF47 001", the "ED 445 FLTS" tail code designation of the 445th Flight Test Squadron, and the modern and heritage United States Air Force logos. The armor is equipped with heavier external armor plating, non-weapons grade repulsors, enhanced jet boots and backpack jet thrusters that could theoretically reach speeds up to Mach 8, an arc reactor in the chest capable of generating at least eight gigajoules of energy, and multiple external weapons such as dual arm-mounted FN F2000 Assault Rifles, a M134 7.62 mm minigun on the right shoulder, and the left shoulder deployed bunker buster missile launchers.

Video games

• War Machine is a playable character in in two of the video games in Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom series. In both games, the character's voice was provided by Wayne Ward.
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998) - The in-game design was a palette swap of Iron Man from Marvel Super Heroes (1995) with the addition of new animations such as a shoulder cannon instead of a chest unibeam, spiked smart bombs, and an additional super move, the "War Destroyer", which retracts from his back and launches missiles & rockets. There is also a hidden character known as "Mega Armor War Machine"; a gold armored version of War Machine that could not block or fly, but was never stunned by any hits. The "Mega Armor War Machine" switched the shoulder cannon and "Proton Cannon" super move's projectiles to missiles instead of a beam and changed his crouching punch missile cannon into a beam cannon.
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000) - The chracter design was modified further to differentiate him from Iron Man.
• X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2005) by Activision - War Machine appeared as an alternate "costume" for Iron Man. It also allowed a special bonus when all four charcters in the party were in the same theme costumes.
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006) by Activision - War Machine's use as an alternate "costume" and in game bonus were similar as those in X-Men Legends II
• Iron Man (2008) by Sega - Rhodes appeared as a non-playable character voiced by Terrence Howard.
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009) by Activision - War Machine, voiced by Nolan North, appeared in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game as a "boss" type character in the "Anti-Registration" campaign.
• Marvel Super Hero Squad (2009) by THQ - Appears as a non-playable character voiced by Nolan North.
• Iron Man 2 (2010) by Sega - War Machine is a playable character voiced by Don Cheadle, with additional dialogue provided by Phil LaMarr.

Toys

• Iron Man animated series line by Toy Biz - The line included two War Machine action figures with removable armor.
• Marvel - Hall Of Fame line (1997) by Toy Biz - An "unmasked" War Machine action figure with removable helmet.
• Marvel Vs. Capcom line (1999) by Toy Biz - A War Machine action figure packaged with Mega Man.
• Marvel Legends lines by Toy Biz
  • Series 9 (2005) - A War Machine action figure was based on his appearance in the comic U.S. War Machine.
  • Face-Off Series 2 (2006) - Released as a chase variant of the Modular Armor Iron Man action figure from the same series.
• Marvel Legends lines by Hasbro
  • Ares Series (2008) - An Ultimate War Machine action figure based on his appearance in Ultimate Iron Man.
• Iron Man movie tie-in line by Hasbro - A War Machine action figure was produced as a Wal-Mart exclusive for the line. Though the figure is referred to as the "Stealth Operations Suit" armor, the figure has War Machine's black & silver paint job, War Machine's weapons, and the toy description lists Jim Rhodes as the pilot of the armor. Hasbro later released the War Machine mold repainted in Iron Man colors as the "Hot Zone" armor.
• Marvel Universe line by Hasbro - A 3 3/4 inch War Machine action figure was produced for a Secret Wars 25th Anniversary two pack.
• Marvel Minimates line by Diamond Select Toys
  • Series 21 - Rhodes as he appeared in the Iron Man film packaged with the Iron Man Mark II armor.
  • Series 23 - Rhodes' Mark II War Machine armor was a chase variant figure packaged with Spymaster.
  • Series 35 - Rhodes' War Machine armor as depicted in the Iron Man 2 film packaged with Iron Man Mark V and Rhodes in his U.S. Air Force uniform packaged with an Air Assault Drone.
• Iron Man 2 movie tie-in line by Hasbro
  • Wave 1 (2010) - Two War Machine action figures, one based on the film, tho other on the comics.
  • Wave 5 (2010) - A War Machine action figure labled as "Concept".
  • Armor Tech Deluxe Wave 3 - A War Machine action figure labled as "Concept".
  • Hall of Armor Collection Wave 1 (2010) - A Target exclusive variant of the Wave 1 film based action figure.
  • A 6 inch War Machine action figure was also produced as a Wal-Mart exclusive.
• Marvel Select line by Diamond Select Toys - A 7-inch War Machine action figure.
• Transformers: Crossovers line (2010) by Hasbro - A War Machine figure which is supposed to be an upgraded version of his armor from the second Iron Man film, which is larger and turns into a stealth jet.