James Rhodes (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

James Rhodes
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Terrence Howard (left) and Don Cheadle (right) as James Rhodes in Iron Man and Iron Man 2 (2010), respectively.
First appearance	Iron Man (2008)
Based on	War Machine by David Michelinie John Byrne     Bob Layton
Adapted by	Mark Fergus Hawk Ostby Art Marcum Matt Holloway
Portrayed by	Don Cheadle (2010–present) Terrence Howard (2008; Iron Man)
Voiced by	Don Cheadle (What If...?)
In-universe information
Full name	James Rhodes
Aliases	War Machine Iron Patriot
Nickname	Rhodey
Title	Colonel (U.S. Air Force)
Occupation	Avenger Pilot Weapons liaison
Affiliation	Avengers Stark Industries United States Air Force
Weapon	War Machine armor
Nationality	American

James Rhodes is a fictional character originally portrayed by Terrence Howard and subsequently by Don Cheadle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. He is initially depicted as a U.S. Air Force officer who is the best friend of Tony Stark. A skilled pilot and tactician, he becomes involved in Stark's heroic efforts, gaining his own suit of Iron Man armor in the process while taking on the alias War Machine, and later the Iron Patriot.

Rhodes is recruited into the Avengers, joining them during the battle against Ultron. When the Avengers face internal conflict over the Sokovia Accords, Rhodes sides with Stark. In the ensuing struggle, he is accidentally injured by Vision and temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. When Thanos invades, Rhodes joins his former team to defend Earth and ultimately survives the Blip. Rhodes continues to serve as an Avenger, participating in the time travel mission to undo Thanos's actions. With trillions of lives successfully restored, Rhodes participates in the final and victorious battle against Thanos; a conflict that costs Stark his life. At some point, a shape-shifting Skrull called Raava hijacks Rhodes' likeness and holds him prisoner. Raava uses Rhodes to gain influence with the president of the United States until Nick Fury kills her and Rhodes is then freed.

Rhodes is a central MCU character, having appeared in seven films as of 2023. He also appears in the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and Secret Invasion (2023), and is expected to be the primary protagonist in Armor Wars, currently in production.

An alternate version of Rhodes appears in the animated series What If...? (2021), with Cheadle reprising the role. Cheadle also portrays the Skrull Raava impersonating Rhodes in Secret Invasion.