Iron Man: James "Rhodey" Rhodes, the War Machine Appreciation 2019

[Chris0013]

Really hate that Rhodey is not in the suit now.

[cc008]

Really hate that Rhodey is not in the suit now.

Same. Hate that thing he rides around in.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Iron Man #126 Sep 1979
"The Hammer Strikes!"
The story opens in a beach of Monaco, where Jim Rhodes tries to explains his recent actions to the local police.
They are surrounded by an angry crowd, which calls Rhodes an American pig and a Yankee hoodlum.

Rhodes claims that a few minutes before, this whole beach was covered with armed goons. He was just fighting for his life.
Someone then knocked his head and left him unconscious. He claims that his opponents left the beach while he was passed out.
The crowd claims that Americans are liars, just like Tricky Dick. They blame Rhodes for destroying the beach, and want to teach him a lesson.

The police arrests Rhodes and one of the ringleaders of the angry crowd, intending to question them at the police headquarters.
Rhodes wants the police to go after the goons, because they have abducted his boss. Rhodes further claims that he works for Tony Stark.
The police officer in charge of the situation does not believe that Rhodes has any connection to Stark. He mocks Rhodes for his claim.

An extended flashback begins. The flashback begins with Iron Man fighting against the Blizzard, the Melter, and Whiplash.
The battle hinted at a master plan behind the villains, and it was connected to a mysterious man who was called "Hammer".
Iron Man had little time to consider these clues or the existence of a possible conspiracy.
The battle had caused a rift between himself and Bethany Cabe.

The flashback continues. Iron Man sought to lose himself in his work.
He served as a representative for Stark International at a contract-signing ceremony for a foreign ambassador.
The repulsor of the armor malfunctioned and killed the ambassador. The crowd of bystanders viewed Iron Man as a murdered.
He was shocked to see the same accusation in Bethany's eyes. He managed to convince the police that the death was caused by a systems failure.
The police then insisted on impounding the armor. Tony Stark reacted to the tragedy by starting to constantly consume whiskey.
He eventually pulled himself together, and became determined to clear Iron Man's name.
He informed the Avengers that he would temporarily step down from his position as their chairman.

The flashback continues. Tony Stark requested and received intense martial arts training from Captain America.
Using martial arts was not as effective as using his armor, but it felt good to Tony.
He enlisted his employee Scott Lang, sending him to interrogate the incarcerated Whiplash about "Mr. Hammer".
Lang used his Ant-Man alter ego to get persuasive.
Tony used the garnered information to follow the trail to Monaco, accompanied by his private pilot Jim Rhodes.
They were soon surrounded by armed soldiers and got into a fight.
While Stark and Rhodes were trying to escape, they ended up on a deserted beach.
Then an amphibious landing craft appeared, blocking their path, and unloading an army of costumed combatants.
Tony was able to hold his own in battle, and Rhodes turned out to be even more effective in combat.
But then Rhodes was knocked out, and seconds later Tony was also knocked out.
The soldiers proceeded to remove all evidence of their part in this battle, abandoned Rhodes at the edge of the bathing area,
and dragged the unconscious Tony to their amphibious craft. The craft traveled in the Mediterranean Sea. The flashback ends.

In the present, Tony Stark awakes at Justin Hammer's Villa and comes face-to-face with Justin Hammer himself.
Hammer introduces himself and claims that Tony is his primary competitor. Tony points out that he had never even heard of Hammer.
Hammer replies that he goes to great lengths to avoid official attention. He distributes his influence among a great many diverse enterprises.
His power and holdings in the business world are second only to those of Tony Stark.
Stark International has been a thorn in his side for some time.
Hammer reveals that they recently competed for the contract with Carnelia.
He had made a generous offer to the ambassador to get that contract.
The ambassador chose Stark International instead, because he was fascinated with Iron Man.

Hammer leads Stark to a board room, where Phillip Barnett is working on opening Stark's briefcase.
Phillip reports that he and his team have been, so far, unable to override the print-lock mechanism of the briefcase.
Hammer warns them not to damage the briefcase, in case it contains something important.
Stark contemplates that his spare armor is in that case.
Hammer introduces Barnett as the man who developed the computer system of the room.
The system utilizes a hypersonic scan technique to bypass the protective coating of Iron Man's armor.
The technique was used to neutralize the armor's controls on several occasions and to manipulate its actions.
Tony Stark assumed that the armor was simply malfunctioning. The killing of the ambassador was one of these occasions,
intended to discredit Stark International and to win the Carnelian contract for Hammer. Hammer reveals that the plan has already worked.
The Carnelian consulate signed the contract with one of Hammer's subsidiary corporations, in the morning of this day.

As Hammer offers his explanations to Tony Stark, the two businessmen are surrounded by armed guards.
As the guards capture Tony Stark, Hammer learns that some of his returning agents will soon be arriving at the Helipad.
The scene shifts to the furnished cell where Tony Stark is held. He notices a liquor cabinet and goes in search for a drink.
To his disappointment, the cabinet is empty. He calls for room service and alerts the guard outside his cell.
He tries to bribe the guard to bring him some alcoholic drinks.
The guard reports that Hammer's information network has noticed that Tony is drinking too hard.
Hammer wants him sober and has given such instructions to his staff. The only drink available to the prisoner is a jug of water.
Tony is frustrated with the guard's attitude, and decides to teach him some manners.

Some time later, the guard hears the noise of something breaking within the cell.
He immediately enters the cell to investigate, and steps on a puddle of water.
Tony Stark in a relaxed mood, reports that he has broke an electric lamp. He holds the lamp in his hands and points to the water.
The guard is suddenly very scared and asks what Tony intents to do. Tony uses the lamp to electrify the water, electrocuting the guard.
He then escapes. Tony figures that the house current of the Villa will not be enough
to permanently damage the guard, but it should be enough to knock him out.

Tony does not locate any other guards on active duty, and manages to sneak out to the Villa's garden. He locates a helicopter about to land.
He plans to take over the helicopter to use it as his escape vehicle,
in order to return to Monaco and alert the authorities about Hammer's conspiracy.
While spying the helicopter, Tony finds out the identities of three of Hammer's agents. They are the Blizzard, the Melter, and Whiplash.
All three exit the helicopter, while dressed in their super-villain uniforms. Hammer has helped them escape from Ryker's Island.
Hammer warns his agents that he may not help them again if they fail. He finds neither pleasure, nor profit in financing failures.

Tony sneaks away. He has realized that Justin Hammer has more secrets and plots than he expected.
He wants to find out what they are. He decides to use a gimmick prepared for him by Scott Lang.
The belt that Tony is wearing actually consists of 20 feet of ultra-thin and super-strong nylon weave.
His belt buckle contains a hidden switch, which changes the buckle into a miniature grappling hook.
After a few failed efforts, Tony manages get the grappling hook attached to the roof of the Villa.
He uses the nylon rope to climb the walls of the building.
He gets to a second-story window, kicks and shatters the glass, and gains access to Phillip Barnett's computer laboratory.
He uses martial arts to knock out Barnett and his guards. He retrieves the armor case.
It contains a spare version of Iron Man Armor Model 4 and incendiary bombs prepared by Scott Lang.
Tony prepares to use the bombs to disable the computer.

Hammer warns his three agents about the consequences of failure. They suddenly hear an explosion from the computer lab.
Hammer deduces that Stark caused the explosion. He sounds the alarm and calls out his reserve operatives.
A small army of super-villains emerges from the Villa and responds to the call.
They include the Beetle, Constrictor, Discus, Leap-Frog, Man-Killer, Porcupine, Spymaster, Stiletto and Water Wizard.

Hammer and his agents soon enter the computer lab. A voice alerts them that Mr. Stark has been taken to safety.
In his place is Iron Man, who threatens to take every one of the agents and rip them to tiny pieces.

He will then come after Hammer himself.

Script by David Michelinie. Art by John Romita Jr. (breakdowns) and Bob Layton (finishes).

[K7P5V]

Iron Man #126 Sep 1979
"The Hammer Strikes!"
The story opens in a beach of Monaco, where Jim Rhodes tries to explains his recent actions to the local police.
They are surrounded by an angry crowd, which calls Rhodes an American pig and a Yankee hoodlum.

Rhodes claims that a few minutes before, this whole beach was covered with armed goons. He was just fighting for his life.
Someone then knocked his head and left him unconscious. He claims that his opponents left the beach while he was passed out.
The crowd claims that Americans are liars, just like Tricky Dick. They blame Rhodes for destroying the beach, and want to teach him a lesson.

The police arrests Rhodes and one of the ringleaders of the angry crowd, intending to question them at the police headquarters.
Rhodes wants the police to go after the goons, because they have abducted his boss. Rhodes further claims that he works for Tony Stark.
The police officer in charge of the situation does not believe that Rhodes has any connection to Stark. He mocks Rhodes for his claim.

An extended flashback begins. The flashback begins with Iron Man fighting against the Blizzard, the Melter, and Whiplash.
The battle hinted at a master plan behind the villains, and it was connected to a mysterious man who was called "Hammer".
Iron Man had little time to consider these clues or the existence of a possible conspiracy.
The battle had caused a rift between himself and Bethany Cabe.

The flashback continues. Iron Man sought to lose himself in his work.
He served as a representative for Stark International at a contract-signing ceremony for a foreign ambassador.
The repulsor of the armor malfunctioned and killed the ambassador. The crowd of bystanders viewed Iron Man as a murdered.
He was shocked to see the same accusation in Bethany's eyes. He managed to convince the police that the death was caused by a systems failure.
The police then insisted on impounding the armor. Tony Stark reacted to the tragedy by starting to constantly consume whiskey.
He eventually pulled himself together, and became determined to clear Iron Man's name.
He informed the Avengers that he would temporarily step down from his position as their chairman.

The flashback continues. Tony Stark requested and received intense martial arts training from Captain America.
Using martial arts was not as effective as using his armor, but it felt good to Tony.
He enlisted his employee Scott Lang, sending him to interrogate the incarcerated Whiplash about "Mr. Hammer".
Lang used his Ant-Man alter ego to get persuasive.
Tony used the garnered information to follow the trail to Monaco, accompanied by his private pilot Jim Rhodes.
They were soon surrounded by armed soldiers and got into a fight.
While Stark and Rhodes were trying to escape, they ended up on a deserted beach.
Then an amphibious landing craft appeared, blocking their path, and unloading an army of costumed combatants.
Tony was able to hold his own in battle, and Rhodes turned out to be even more effective in combat.
But then Rhodes was knocked out, and seconds later Tony was also knocked out.
The soldiers proceeded to remove all evidence of their part in this battle, abandoned Rhodes at the edge of the bathing area,
and dragged the unconscious Tony to their amphibious craft. The craft traveled in the Mediterranean Sea. The flashback ends.

In the present, Tony Stark awakes at Justin Hammer's Villa and comes face-to-face with Justin Hammer himself.
Hammer introduces himself and claims that Tony is his primary competitor. Tony points out that he had never even heard of Hammer.
Hammer replies that he goes to great lengths to avoid official attention. He distributes his influence among a great many diverse enterprises.
His power and holdings in the business world are second only to those of Tony Stark.
Stark International has been a thorn in his side for some time.
Hammer reveals that they recently competed for the contract with Carnelia.
He had made a generous offer to the ambassador to get that contract.
The ambassador chose Stark International instead, because he was fascinated with Iron Man.

Hammer leads Stark to a board room, where Phillip Barnett is working on opening Stark's briefcase.
Phillip reports that he and his team have been, so far, unable to override the print-lock mechanism of the briefcase.
Hammer warns them not to damage the briefcase, in case it contains something important.
Stark contemplates that his spare armor is in that case.
Hammer introduces Barnett as the man who developed the computer system of the room.
The system utilizes a hypersonic scan technique to bypass the protective coating of Iron Man's armor.
The technique was used to neutralize the armor's controls on several occasions and to manipulate its actions.
Tony Stark assumed that the armor was simply malfunctioning. The killing of the ambassador was one of these occasions,
intended to discredit Stark International and to win the Carnelian contract for Hammer. Hammer reveals that the plan has already worked.
The Carnelian consulate signed the contract with one of Hammer's subsidiary corporations, in the morning of this day.

As Hammer offers his explanations to Tony Stark, the two businessmen are surrounded by armed guards.
As the guards capture Tony Stark, Hammer learns that some of his returning agents will soon be arriving at the Helipad.
The scene shifts to the furnished cell where Tony Stark is held. He notices a liquor cabinet and goes in search for a drink.
To his disappointment, the cabinet is empty. He calls for room service and alerts the guard outside his cell.
He tries to bribe the guard to bring him some alcoholic drinks.
The guard reports that Hammer's information network has noticed that Tony is drinking too hard.
Hammer wants him sober and has given such instructions to his staff. The only drink available to the prisoner is a jug of water.
Tony is frustrated with the guard's attitude, and decides to teach him some manners.

Some time later, the guard hears the noise of something breaking within the cell.
He immediately enters the cell to investigate, and steps on a puddle of water.
Tony Stark in a relaxed mood, reports that he has broke an electric lamp. He holds the lamp in his hands and points to the water.
The guard is suddenly very scared and asks what Tony intents to do. Tony uses the lamp to electrify the water, electrocuting the guard.
He then escapes. Tony figures that the house current of the Villa will not be enough
to permanently damage the guard, but it should be enough to knock him out.

Tony does not locate any other guards on active duty, and manages to sneak out to the Villa's garden. He locates a helicopter about to land.
He plans to take over the helicopter to use it as his escape vehicle,
in order to return to Monaco and alert the authorities about Hammer's conspiracy.
While spying the helicopter, Tony finds out the identities of three of Hammer's agents. They are the Blizzard, the Melter, and Whiplash.
All three exit the helicopter, while dressed in their super-villain uniforms. Hammer has helped them escape from Ryker's Island.
Hammer warns his agents that he may not help them again if they fail. He finds neither pleasure, nor profit in financing failures.

Tony sneaks away. He has realized that Justin Hammer has more secrets and plots than he expected.
He wants to find out what they are. He decides to use a gimmick prepared for him by Scott Lang.
The belt that Tony is wearing actually consists of 20 feet of ultra-thin and super-strong nylon weave.
His belt buckle contains a hidden switch, which changes the buckle into a miniature grappling hook.
After a few failed efforts, Tony manages get the grappling hook attached to the roof of the Villa.
He uses the nylon rope to climb the walls of the building.
He gets to a second-story window, kicks and shatters the glass, and gains access to Phillip Barnett's computer laboratory.
He uses martial arts to knock out Barnett and his guards. He retrieves the armor case.
It contains a spare version of Iron Man Armor Model 4 and incendiary bombs prepared by Scott Lang.
Tony prepares to use the bombs to disable the computer.

Hammer warns his three agents about the consequences of failure. They suddenly hear an explosion from the computer lab.
Hammer deduces that Stark caused the explosion. He sounds the alarm and calls out his reserve operatives.
A small army of super-villains emerges from the Villa and responds to the call.
They include the Beetle, Constrictor, Discus, Leap-Frog, Man-Killer, Porcupine, Spymaster, Stiletto and Water Wizard.

Hammer and his agents soon enter the computer lab. A voice alerts them that Mr. Stark has been taken to safety.
In his place is Iron Man, who threatens to take every one of the agents and rip them to tiny pieces.

He will then come after Hammer himself.

Script by David Michelinie. Art by John Romita Jr. (breakdowns) and Bob Layton (finishes).

Awesome selection, 616MarvelYear is LeapYear. This cliffhanger is one of my all-time favorites.

[Chris0013]

They should continue the Iron Man movies with Rhodey as Iron Man. Pepper is running the business and Harley is shown to be just as smart as Tony and works in R&D and maintains the IM armors.

[Digifiend]

Really hate that Rhodey is not in the suit now.

That's about to change. The Iron Man 2020 description on Marvel.com mentions that Rescue, Ironheart and WAR MACHINE are all involved. They were all called by their codenames, so that means Rhodey's going to suit up.

[Hypestyle]

what does Rhodes officially do for a living now? Is he active military again? What rank?

[K7P5V]

That's about to change. The Iron Man 2020 description on Marvel.com mentions that Rescue, Ironheart and WAR MACHINE are all involved. They were all called by their codenames, so that means Rhodey's going to suit up.

Hope springs eternal, Digifiend.

[Vibranium Weave]

Wanted to get some other opinions on this scene from Armor War 2. 20191012_162551.jpg

I didn't feel that this scene was appropriate to the story at all. It didn't push the narrative forward or help to show off Rhodes in a good light. Why did this character have to make it seem like Tony is anyone's "massa"?

This scene is honestly what has stopped me from purchasing this trade. I don't see the writers need for including it to an otherwise decent storyline.

Thoughts?

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Iron Man #186 Sep 1984
"Though This Fault Be Mine..."
As Tony Stark and his friends settle into their new home in the Golden State,
Rhodey hears about a hostage crisis on an offshore oil rig!

And in impetuous fashion, Iron Man zooms over the Pacific Ocean to save the day!

At first Shell-Head's plan goes swimmingly as he routs the terrorists!
But then he encounters a new super-villain called Vibro!

And Vibro is going to shake the golden avenger to his foundations!
First appearance of Vibro. Cameo appearances by Morley Erwin and Clytemnestra Erwin.
NOTE: During this time period, Jim Rhodes also appeared as Iron Man in Marvel Team-Up 145 and the West Coast Avengers (1984) limited series.

Script by Denny O'Neil. Pencils by Luke McDonnell. Inks by Steve Mitchell.

[Kurolegacy]

That's about to change. The Iron Man 2020 description on Marvel.com mentions that Rescue, Ironheart and WAR MACHINE are all involved. They were all called by their codenames, so that means Rhodey's going to suit up.

I wonder if Rhodey blames himself for whatever is going to happen to Tony by the end of this story since he couldn’t bring himself to suit up in this current arc when he was needed and that motivates him to face his inner demons.

[Hypestyle]

Wanted to get some other opinions on this scene from Armor War 2. 20191012_162551.jpg

I didn't feel that this scene was appropriate to the story at all. It didn't push the narrative forward or help to show off Rhodes in a good light. Why did this character have to make it seem like Tony is anyone's "massa"?

This scene is honestly what has stopped me from purchasing this trade. I don't see the writers need for including it to an otherwise decent storyline.

Thoughts?

I'd have to read the arc again. who was the author? John Byrne?
I don't have a great memory of the overall story but I do remember reading that scene.

I also don't know if it's in the same story arc or elsewhere, but I do kind-of remember that there's some sequence (Byrne writing) where Rhodey is thinking to himself in some confrontation with Tony (mind controlled) that he (Rhodes) couldn't handle a non-armored fight with Tony.. (I was like whaa...?? this coming from the ex-marine?)

[Digifiend]

Yes, Armor Wars II was written by Byrne.

[Vibranium Weave]

I'd have to read the arc again. who was the author? John Byrne?
I don't have a great memory of the overall story but I do remember reading that scene.

I also don't know if it's in the same story arc or elsewhere, but I do kind-of remember that there's some sequence (Byrne writing) where Rhodey is thinking to himself in some confrontation with Tony (mind controlled) that he (Rhodes) couldn't handle a non-armored fight with Tony.. (I was like whaa...?? this coming from the ex-marine?)

Yes, it was written by John Byrne.

The scene of Rhodey wondering if he could take Stark in a fair fight was Armor Wars 2 as well.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

War Machine #6 Sep 1994
"Instant Karma's Gonna get You!"
The tenacious assassin Deathtoll strikes again.

Can even War Machine survive against a man who simply will not die?


Story by Scott Benson and Len Kaminski. Art by Gabriel Gecko and Pam Eklund.