Armor Wars star Don Cheadle seemed confused when asked whether Arnold Schwarzenegger would be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, host Jimmy Kimmel asked Cheadle about the rumors that Schwarzenegger is set to appear in the MCU as Titanium Man. The actor was confused by the question and even thought it was a joke at first. Cheadle claimed he had never even heard of Titanium Man before. Bringing it back to Schwarzenegger, Cheadle stated, "No, he, um, I don’t know about that. I’ll ask him next time I see him."
In the summer of 2022, a rumor started circulating that Schwarzenegger would play the villain known as Titanium Man in the upcoming Armor Wars movie. Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck, Titanium Man first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1965's Tales of Suspense #69. In the comics, Titanium Man, also known as Boris Bullski, is a former KGB agent who came up with the idea of building a titanium suit to challenge Iron Man and the United States. The fact that Cheadle's War Machine has also gone by the alias Iron Patriot suggests that Armor Wars could explore a similar story, with Titanium Man rising from Russia or even another country, such as Schwarzenegger's native Austria, to challenge Rhodey.
Rhodey's Rebirth in Armor Wars
Cheadle, who has played James Rhodes/War Machine since 2010's Iron Man 2, has stated he is excited to explore the character more in the upcoming movie. He pointed out that MCU fans have mostly only seen Rhodey interact with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man or other members of the Avengers, so he is excited for people to learn about what he's like when he is alone. "It's a rebirth in a way," the actor said. "It's coming back to this character, but we've never gone to the places we're about to go in the show, so I feel like in some ways we're just getting to know him even after all this time."
While Armor Wars was initially announced as a Disney+ series, Marvel revealed the project has transformed into a movie. Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore explained they changed their plans for Armor Wars when they realized a lot of their ideas were too big and ambitious for a television show. "Our Disney+ shows are awesome, and we love them, but the budgets are not the same as the features, that's not secret," Moore stated, expressing his excitement at the cool things they'll now be able to do with different types of armor in the film.
Armor Wars doesn't yet have a release date.
Source: YouTube