Of all the Marvel Studios projects that have been announced as part of the Multiverse Saga, almost none have flown under the radar more than Don Cheadle’s Armor Wars. Although Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige first announced this Disney+ show during Disney Investor Day in late 2020, minimal updates have come regarding the project over the past two years.

Cheadle’s James Rhodes is set to be the leading character in his first MCU project, facing the ramifications of Tony Stark’s technology falling into the wrong hands. But while almost all of its other Disney+ counterparts have come with more concrete information, the only major news concerning Armor Wars noted that it was still happening, as Cheadle revealed that the show would begin production in 2023 during Marvel's D23 presentation.

But now, after a great deal of radio silence regarding Cheadle's first starring effort in the MCU, a new report shared that Armor Wars actually got a major upgrade ahead of its production schedule.

Major Change to Marvel Studios' Armor Wars

The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Marvel Studios has changed its plans for the development of Don Cheadle's Armor Wars.

Instead of releasing on Disney+ as a streaming series, Armor Wars is now being developed as a feature film that'll release in theaters, although its release date hasn't been confirmed yet. This will be Cheadle's first time headlining an MCU movie.

The outlet's sources noted that the studio was committed to "getting the story told the right way," thus realizing that a theatrical feature was better suited for the project, and informed production members on Thursday about the new plan.

Yassir Lester, who Marvel Studios hired in Summer 2020 to pen Armor Wars' script, reportedly remains as the writer for the movie.

THR also noted that this isn't the first time Marvel has changed a project in this manner. Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye was originally planned out as a movie before being developed as a six-episode Disney+ series.

Armor Wars still doesn't have a release date, although it will likely be planned out for sometime during Phase 6 or later.

Why Did Armor Wars Become an MCU Movie?

Even though Marvel has switched plans on other projects before, this is the first time that a Disney+ show has become a full-length feature film within the MCU. This is an exciting prospect from all angles, giving Don Cheadle lead billing in an MCU movie for the first time since he debuted in 2010's Iron Man 2 and showing the faith that Marvel has in the story.

Although the MCU's Disney+ shows are developed with budgets comparable to the movies, these series have to spread their allotted money out over six episodes instead of one long entry. This means that the budget has to cover nearly six hours of story, more than double the time that most MCU movies utilize outside of the 3-hour Avengers: Endgame.

This will also allow for Tony Stark's legacy to continue the right way on the big screen, with that budget allowing for numerous new Iron Man suits to shine in a new round of action just as they did with Robert Downey Jr's movies. Combine that with Marvel seemingly being impressed with the story being developed, and it appears that Cheadle will get his chance to bring a high-quality new entry to the big screen.

The big question, as has been the case since the former Disney+ show was announced, is when the movie will premiere in theaters.

With Deadpool 3 taking the September 6, 2024 slot in recent days, Armor Wars could be in line for either of the open 2025 slots in February or July, which would put it before or after one of the next two Avengers movies. But for now, fans continue to wait for more concrete information while Cheadle, Lester, and the team continue their work on the MCU's next big film.

Don Cheadle's next MCU appearance as War Machine will come in Secret Invasion, which premieres on Disney+ in Spring 2023.

The Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 revealed a lot more than expected. Yet, one glaring absence was the project given to longtime supporting Avenger James Rhodes as played by Don Cheadle. Yet, it makes sense that Armor Wars has to wait until Phase 6 in The Multiverse Saga.

The "Armor Wars" story in the comics focused on Tony Stark's character, specifically him losing control of his Iron Man technology. With Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel Cinematic Universe iteration of that character dead, the Armor Wars series is likely about rounding up the loose Stark technology after his death. However, outside Ms. Marvel and the two Spider-Man films, they've not really established that the technology is being abused. Once RiRi Williams is introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and then her series Ironheart, the series will have its hero.

Don Cheadle has appeared for a few brief Marvel cameos since Avengers: Endgame. He voiced his character in What If…?, and he also showed up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He is still in the Air Force, and may pop up here and there in movies where the military requires a presence. So, The Marvels and maybe Wakanda Forever, though Martin Freeman's Ross is there to represent the "good" side of America's war machine. Nonetheless, Cheadle's Rhodey is a character who easily fits into most spots in the Marvel Universe. (He's no Wong, though!) But everything announced with the series is either out or has a release date, but Armor Wars hasn't even begun. It's no surprise that some Marvel fans worried the series was already canceled.

Luckily, in the wake of the SDCC 2022 snub, Black Monday writer Yassier Lester confirmed the series was still on. So whether the reason for the delay is a narrative one or simply Don Cheadle's schedule, Marvel Studios can make it work. Remember, Doctor Strange 2 was supposed to debut before Spider-Man: No Way Home. When those dates shifted, Marvel Studios was able to adjust the films so they made narrative sense. With this time already baked in, it means that Feige and company can help ramp up the threat so that Armor Wars feels inevitable and not merely a victory lap for the definitive James Rhodes in the MCU.

We've already seen the EDITH drones in use by the Dept. of Damage Control in Ms. Marvel. This makes sense since the glasses were last seen in their custody in No Way Home. Also, in that film, Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock told Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan he was in legal trouble for a lack of accountability for Tony's technology. This may have been a reference to the replicator in the apartment or something more. Either way, shows like Secret: Invasion and movies like Captain America: New World Order can further build up the threat of all this loose Stark tech.

Dominique Thorne's Riri Williams will debut in Wakanda Forever, yet her relationship with Rhodes may be the defining one for the character in the MCU. Ironheart will be Iron Man's true successor, and there's no better way to earn that than by making Tony's closest friend one of her mentors. Fans of Iron Man, War Machine, and other armor-suited superheroes will have to wait until Phase 6 to enjoy Armor Wars, but knowing Marvel Studios they're building up an incredibly epic problem for Rhodes and Williams to fix.

See Riri Williams debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11, 2022, and her own series Ironheart hits Disney+ in Fall 2023.

A social media post from Armor Wars head writer/showrunner Yassir Lester addresses the show's cancellation rumors. The upcoming MCU series stars Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine and is based on the Iron Man seven-issue Armor Wars comic book story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton. The comic storyline sees Tony Stark battling several enemies after discovering that they have acquired his suit designs. The show will feature Rhodes as the central character after Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame. Armor Wars was announced at Disney's 2020 Investor Day alongside other upcoming MCU series such as Secret Invasion, Iron Heart and I Am Groot. 

Marvel Studios announced upcoming projects for phases five and six of the MCU and debuted several trailers, including She-Hulk and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While the announcements were met with positive feedback, fans and observers noticed that Armor Wars was not a part of Marvel's showcase, although it was present on the slides shown to the crowd. This has led some to speculate whether the Cheadle-led series is moving forward. It was reported recently that Armor Wars would start filming this fall. However, no official indication has been given by Marvel Studios or Disney. While details are scarce, Lester's recent social media post has clarified the show's status.

Lester addressed the speculation surrounding Armor Wars via Instagram story, which Discussing Film captured. The writer's message, while somewhat cryptic, seems to indicate that the show is moving forward, despite its absence from Comic-Con 2022. As previously reported, Lester did not offer any additional details or confirm if the show was still being filmed in fall 2022. Lester's post can be seen below:

Yassir Lester confirms ‘ARMOR WARS’ is still coming out. pic.twitter.com/oJlpIwsr1p

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 24, 2022

Armor Wars is an upcoming Disney+ TV show that will face the problem of how to focus on Rhodey while still preserving Iron Man's looming legacy. Audiences last saw War Machine on the big screen in Avengers: Endgame, where he helped the final army against Thanos win the Battle of Earth and again at Tony Stark's funeral. He then appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier at the ceremony where Sam is giving Captain America's shield to a museum so that the public can celebrate and enjoy Steve Rogers' legacy.

Armor Wars is set up to be a vehicle for War Machine and how he handles making sure that everyone in the MCU isn't using Iron Man's tech for nefarious purposes. In the comics, the Armor Wars storyline is about Iron Man himself finding out that his tech is being misused after his ideas are sold to Justin Hammer. The first two Iron Man films deal with a similar problem. Obadiah Stane and Whiplash both abuse arc reactors to use them for their own purposes. Iron Man even tried to keep the government away from his tech at the beginning of Iron Man 2. With Iron Man dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though, it looks like the Armor Wars series is going to follow the comics in a way but will swap out Iron Man for War Machine.

Though the premise for the show is exciting, it does have a unique challenge in how it handles Iron Man's legacy. It's possible Armor Wars could become bogged down by Tony's friendship with Rhodey and the role that Stark tech plays in the show's story. While some viewers may be hoping the series will focus on Iron Man's death, which hasn't been addresed extensively since Spider-Man: Far From Home, Armor Wars is really War Machine's chance to shine after taking a backseat in so many MCU films. As such, the series will have to balance the impact Tony had on Rhodey while making it clear that War Machine is the show's most important character who needs his own arc separate from Iron Man.

Armor Wars Is Facing A Recent MCU Challenge

It's also worth remembering that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had a similar challenge as Armor Wars in that another departed Avenger, Steve Rogers, was a key part of the series. The show addressed Captain America's legacy head on, as Bucky and Sam worked to preserve and honor the good work Steve did while also preventing John Walker from tarnishing it. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ended with an inspiring and conscious speech where Sam tells the world's governments to start working for the people again, solidifying that Sam now stands for a slightly different America than Steve used to and how that is okay. While the series concluded as it should, with Sam established as the MCU's Captain America from here on out, at times, the shadow of Steve Rogers threatened to overwhelm the show and Sam's story.

This could serve as a cautionary tale for Armor Wars. While it helps that War Machine isn't becoming Iron Man in the way Sam became Captain America, it still faces a legacy hurdle. The MCU as a whole tends to get caught up in immortalizing departed characters, sometimes to the detriment of those who are still around. Hopefully, Armor Wars manages to circumvent this issue and finally give War Machine the standalone story he deserves.