WAR MACHINE (James Rhodes, aka Iron Man II)
Created By: David Michelinie & Bob Layton
First Appearance: Iron Man #118 (Jan. 1979), #170 (May 1983- as Iron Man), #282 (Sept. 1992- as War Machine)
Role: Powersuit Guy, Flying Brick/Blaster, Replacement Black Guy, EXTREEEME Replacement, Vitriolic Best Buddy, Black Best Friend
Group Affiliations: The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Force Works, Sentinel Squad O*N*E, U.S. Marine Corps, The Crew, The Initiative
Avengers Grade: B-Level
PL 11 (222)
STRENGTH 3/12 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2
Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7, +16 Armor)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Business) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Military) 9 (+11)
Insight 4 (+6)
Intimidation 8 (+10)
Investigation 4 (+6)
Perception 6 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 5 (+7)
Vehicles 9 (+14)
Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Diehard, Equipment (Gear in Suit- Radio & stuff), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Blasts) 2, Improved Smash, Interpose, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover & Concealment), Ranged Attack 6, Teamwork
Powers:
"War Machine Armor" (Flaws: Removable) (Feats: Restricted 2- Only Rhodey, Remote Control) [99]
Enhanced Strength 9 (18)
Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 9) (17)
Immunity 6 (Cold, Heat, Radiation, Pressure, Suffocation 2) (6)
"Boot Rockets" Flight 9 (1,000 mph) (18)
"Targetting & Environmental Sensors"
Enhanced Advantages 4: Extraordinary Effort, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Withstand Damage (4)
Enhanced Dodge 2 & Parry 1 (3)
"Armor Sensors" Senses 13 (Extended & Infravision, Extended Hearing, Radar 4, Detect Energy- Ranged, Acute & Accurate, Direction & Distance Sense) (13)
"Guns Aplenty" Blast 11 (Extras: Multiattack) (36) -- (41)
- AE: "Repulsor Rays/Flamethrower/Heat-Seekers" Blast 11 (Feats: Split, Variable Energy Descriptor, Homing 2, Penetrating 4) (30)
- AE: "Uni-Beam" Damage 11 (Feats: Penetrating 5) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Line) (Flaws: Distracting) (16)
- AE: "Electro-Magnetic Pulse" Nullify Technology 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Sustained) (Flaws: Touch Range) (24)
- AE: "Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launcher" Blast 11 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (33)
- AE: "Gauntlet Blade" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Penetrating 4) (5)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Suit Unarmed +10 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Gauntlet Blade +9 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Repulsor Rays +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Guns +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Rocket Launcher/Uni-Beam +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
EM Pulse +8 Area (+8 Nullify, DC 18)
Initiative +7
Defenses:
"Out of Suit" Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +7
"In Suit" Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +12 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude +7, Will +7
Complications:
Relationship (Tony Stark)
Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 62--31 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 99 / Defenses: 14 (222)
James Rhodes- The Ultimate "Black Best Friend":
-DC had John Stewart, and so Marvel had James Rhodes- the "Black Replacement Hero". In what was then a unique and new concept, the main hero had to step down, and his replacement turned out to be a black man! "Rhodey" has since ended up being a permanent "Sidekick" sort, generally following Stark's lead, replacing him on minor books, or being a "Black Best Friend" type of guy- one of Marvel's most reliable C-level characters that people actually like and respect, as he'd earned the role and put in the work.
-James Rhodes had been introduced as Tony's personal pilot- a man with a military background as a Marine and combat pilot who was retconned in as having rescued Tony when he first broke free from his captors in his first prototype suit, and quickly became part of the inner circle, having already known Tony's secret identity. In a 1983 story, Iron Man ran the story of Tony relapsing into alcoholism after the manipulations of Obadiah Stane, necessitating Rhodes taking the role of Iron Man full-time. He threw on the Iron Man armor after Tony had jobbed to the super-villain Magma (unrelated to the New Mutant) and defeated the villain. As most super-heroes (even many AVENGERS) didn't know Tony was the guy in the first place, it was pretty simple to act as if he'd been the same guy the entire time, and "Gadget-Based" heroes are generally the easiest to replace anyhow. Rhodes & Morley Erwin- a Stark tech guy- both quit Stark International as Stane took it over and continued on as solo operatives, trying to figure out Tony's high-tech gear.
-Rhodey was thus the Iron Man that took part in Secret Wars, though had probably the least to do out of all the major heroes (all I remember is Jim Shooter giving him the odd "Black Guy" dialogue of "Torch, you got no class, man!" or asking Reed if he was surprised to find a black man within the armor when Reed was inspecting the arms of the suit). Rhodes fought many of the old Iron Man foes like the Mandarin & Radioactive Man, taking on mercenary jobs to pay for the armor's upkeep while Erwin fixed it. Eventually, Tony recovered from his alcoholism and returned- him taking back the armor was "justified" when it was shown that since the armor was set to respond to Tony's brainwaves, Rhodes was slowly being driven to erratic behavior by wearing the suit. During a rampage in which he nearly killed Vibro, Tony had to put on a new "testbed" armor (resembling his original suit) to stop Rhodes and calm him down. Rhodes didn't disappear, however- Shaman of Alpha Flight sent Rhodes on a spirit journey that cured his mental troubles. He even kept going as Iron Man with Tony's assistance! However, tragedy struck as Stane returned and sent a bomb that injured Rhodes & killed Erwin- Tony thus had to suit up as Iron Man once more, developing the "Silver Centurion" suit to defeat Stane as "Iron Monger". A two-year story arc had ended with Tony FINALLY going "Back To Basics" in 1985.
War Machine:
-Rhodey continued on as a key Stark ally at this point, as Tony built a new corporation and stayed in California. Rhodes put on the red & gold again to fight A.I.M. but was badly burned in the process, further "justfying" Tony staying on. He backed Tony during Armor Wars, and even refused to wear the armor when Tony was left paralyzed by Kathy Dare, saying the history wasn't all that good between him and the suit. Rhodes reluctantly put on the suit to fight the Mandarin at the behest of the Chinese government so Tony could enter the country for medical assistance, but Tony remotely-controls another suit and two armors team up with the Mandarin to fight some Makluan dragons.
-In 1992, Tony was considered dead, and Rhodes replaced him again, this time in a BITCHING black variant of the suit. Me, I just though the shoulder rocket launcher and multiple guns were the coolest thing EVER, but I was like twelve. When Tony quickly returned (infuriating Rhodes, who was angry at being kept in the dark about Stark's survival), Rhodes thus did the "DC" thing and spun off into his own identity, creating War Machine. Taking it to the EXTREME, or something (one Nick Fury bio-card actually talks about him being "so full of rage"). If you believe John Byrne's rants on his forum, he blames that on Marvel hiring a bunch of writers brought up on DC's stories of multiple versions of each hero- cross-pollination of writers did in fact have some effects like this (DC's best-selling '80s book was its most Marvel-like- The New Teen Titans), and by the '90s, Marvel had all three of the Avengers Big Three operate simultaneously with their spin-off counterparts, all of whom had replaced them previously.
-In this position, Rhodes got a short-lived War Machine title (this was the '90s, when EVERYONE had their own solo book) and took Tony's spot on the Avenger West Coast in that book's dying days. He was therefore on the much-derided successor Force Works, which was an extreme failure. Rhodes & Stark feuded over War Machine's actions in an African country, and Stark demanded the armor back- the two fought and were ultimately captured by the Mandarin, and Force Works had to save them. Stark & Rhodes thus reconciled... but then we hit The Crossing and then Onslaught. Rhodey lost the War Machine suit in a Time War story involving Kang, but gained a suit of "Eidolon Warwear" that didn't last, using it to fight Stark, who had revealed an allegiance to Immortus. Stark broke his mind control thanks to Rhodes fighting him, but sacrificed himself. Rhodes sacrifices the Warwear by downloading it into the Stark-Fujikawa database to prevent the new owners from discovering the Iron Man armors, and Rhodes is thus written out of comics alongside Tony.
Rhodes Returns:
-So multiple shenanigans then ensue- Tony is dead for years and there's a "Teen Tony" running around, and Rhodes is running a marine recovery business, but it soon goes bankrupt thanks to embezzlement and Rhodes now living a higher-end lifestyle. He helps a returned Tony fight an evil War Machine, then shows up in The Crew, an "all black heroes" book written by Christopher Priest after his sister is killed in "Little Mogadishu" in New York. He, Josiah X & Kasper Cole arrest the killers (drug dealers), but The Crew is soon cancelled- he's briefly one of the "O*N*E Sentinel" people, instructing the suit wearers as they oversee the X-Mansion.
-Rhodes finally returns as War Machine following Bendis taking over Marvel- with Tony now front and center of superheroics thanks to Civil War and the SuperHuman Registration Act, Rhodes is now his #2 as an armored hero once more. He's the director of Camp Hammond and helps out during Secret Invasion, teaming with the Winter Guard against Skrulls. Around this time, Rhodes appears in the Iron Man mega-hit film, with Terrence Howard being replaced right away by Don Cheadle, who debuts as "The Iron Patriot", then War Machine, in Iron Man 2. All this leads to Rhodes continuously being used in the books, even as Tony gets revamped following HIS own popularity post-movie (as his guilt over causing Civil War and then putting Norman Osborn in power takes a while to dissipate)- he forms "Team War Machine" with some former Stark allies, going from Christos Gage to Grek Pak writing a solo book.
One Damn Thing After Another (aka "Marvel Post-2005"):
-Rhodey becomes one of the characters who perhaps suffers most from Marvel's lack of focus and random-ass writers re-writing the book EVERY TIME they take something over, as he changes identities and concepts like eight times over ten years. He becomes the U.S. government's own "Iron Man" but this appears dropped in spectacularly-quick fashion as he fakes his death and secretly operates as Iron Man while Tony "retires", then Tony quickly gets that suit back and Rhodes works for S.H.I.E.L.D. as the "Iron Patriot" (mimicking Iron Man 2)... debuting the look in Gambit of all places. His father dies when terrorists attack, and Rhodes quickly returns as War Machine (the Iron Patriot book was cancelled after a humiliatingly-short five issues by Ales Kot- some nobody). Then he's made Secretary of Defense, but attacks Thanos during Civil War II and is randomly and pointlessly killed- a mindless death even by modern comics standards. This sets off the whole event, as Carol Danvers had used the foresight powers of Ulysses to tackle Thanos, which cost them Jim's life.
-And even by modern standards Rhodes is back quickly, as everyone ignores that and Tony uses some DNA-altering stuff that'd saved him to restore Rhodes to life. Rhodes suffers from PTSD over his multiple injuries and resigns as War Machine... but then pops up piloting the larger mech suit the Manticore. When he finds out that the Punisher has been using the War Machine armor to kill HYDRA agents, Rhodes convinces him to return it and turn himself in. In the Iron Man 2020 event, Tony disappears and Rhodes is back as War Machine (AGAIN? That's like five times in seven years!), leading a new "Force Works" consisting of U.S. Agent, Solo, Gauntlet, Quake & Mockingbird on missions. Gauntlet is hurt & Solo quits, and the team faces a bunch of Deathloks.
-And that's where we're at today- a dozen writers with a dozen different concepts all messing about with a guy, mostly because he's a distant #2 armored guy to Tony Stark... but he's part of the movies and one of Marvel's top black heroes so you HAVE to use him, resulting in... this. Being the "Also Ran" Iron Man means that Rhodes gets replaced quickly, gets his ass kicked alot, and frequently gets called in to whatever big idea Tony has now. This includes The Initiative and Civil War, where he's a prime toady, even though usually Rhodes is the moralistic one getting Stark to calm down. But hey, it's a living. Rhodey farts about, not really doing too much, and always showing up in books that get cancelled quickly. He's gone all over the place, as Marvel desperately tries to find a spot for the guy. But really- he'll always be the U.S. Agent to Tony's Cap, because that's how it is for replacements. Always has been, always will be. Rhodes can be a good character when they're actually trying with him, but they usually just kinda toss him out there.
You Better Watch Out! Cuz I'm a War Machine!:
-The War Machine armor is basically the same as Iron Man's standard armor, with some modifications to the Repulsor array. The Repulsors are less powerful, in exchange for getting more out of the Variable Descriptor, allowing Rhodes to do all those flame blasts and electro-shocks or whatever that he's been shown having (tech guys can be as annoying as mages for just pulling stuff out of their asses), as well as firing Homing Rockets. War Machine is a PL 11, losing power in the Area Attacks as well, but being more versatile, with an explosive Burst Area Rocket Launcher, a Multiattack Blast, and even a Gauntlet Blade for extra melee damage. As a whole, he's much cheaper than Tony by virtue of being only a standard smart guy rather than a super-genius, but most of his Combat Advantages exist outside the Armor set-up, allowing him to use them whenever he wants (he would beat the CRAP out of Stark in hand-to-hand). Notably, he's +11 at Range regardless of how his suit's working.
-Optional Attachments: A later suit from a 2007 series allowed him to "merge" with other technology (like tanks and jets & stuff) and gain some Regeneration on the suit. Another version includes some Stealth capabilities like Camouflage (Partial Concealment). Plus there's one with the ability to go Insubstantial 4, Concealment from all mechanical systems, etc. Like Tony, there can be a lot of variable traits put onto any armor, and who knows how many of them will be forgotten by the time the next writer comes along?
WAR MACHINE (James Rhodes, aka Iron Man II)- Eidolon Warwear Version
Created By: David Michelinie & Bob Layton
First Appearance: Iron Man #118 (Jan. 1979), #170 (May 1983- as Iron Man), #282 (Sept. 1992- as War Machine)
Role: Powersuit Guy, Flying Brick/Blaster, Replacement Black Guy, EXTREEEME Replacement, Vitriolic Best Buddy, Black Best Friend
Group Affiliations: The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Force Works, Sentinel Squad O*N*E, U.S. Marine Corps, The Crew, The Initiative
Avengers Grade: B-Level
PL 11 (258)
STRENGTH 3/12 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2
Skills:
Athletics 4 (+7, +16 Armor)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+10)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Business) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Military) 9 (+11)
Insight 4 (+6)
Intimidation 8 (+10)
Investigation 4 (+6)
Perception 6 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 5 (+7)
Vehicles 9 (+14)
Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Diehard, Equipment (Gear in Suit- Radio & stuff), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Blasts) 2, Improved Smash, Interpose, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged/Cover & Concealment), Ranged Attack 6, Teamwork
Powers:
Enhanced Strength 9 [18]
Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 9) [17]
Immunity 10 (Life Support) [10]
"Boot Rockets" Flight 9 (1,000 mph) [18]
Movement 1 (Space Travel) [2]
"Targetting & Environmental Sensors"
Enhanced Advantages 4: Extraordinary Effort, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Withstand Damage [4]
"Full Battle Mode" Enhanced Dodge 2 & Parry 1 [3]
"Armor Sensors" Senses 13 (Extended & Infravision, Extended Hearing, Radar 4, Detect Energy- Ranged, Acute & Accurate, Direction & Distance Sense) [13]
"Right Arm- Blaster" Blast 11 (Extras: Penetrating 8) (30) -- [31]
- AE: "Left Arm- Blade" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Penetrating 6) (8)
"Unskin Drones" Summon Robots 2 (Extras: Multiple Minions +8) (Flaws: Feedback) [18]
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Suit Unarmed +10 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Blade +9 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Blasts +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +7
Defenses:
"Out of Suit" Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +7
"With the Eidolon Warwear" Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +12 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude +7, Will +7
Complications:
Relationship (Tony Stark)
Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 62--31 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 134 / Defenses: 14 (258)
-Partway through his 1990s series (in 1995), War Machine got a suit of alien bio-armor called the Eidolon Warwear, allowing him to basically form the suit around himself (making it a Power, not a Device). The suit makes him cost 257 points.
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