While Tony Stark is the character most associated with the superhero Iron Man after creating the armored alter ego in 1963's Tales of Suspense #39 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he is not the only character that has held the role for a prolonged period in the Marvel Universe. For an extended stint in the 1980s, Tony's best friend and longtime confidante James "Rhodey" Rhodes would take on the mantle of the Armored Adventurer and participate in some of the Marvel Universe's biggest stories at the time, all while keeping his true identity a secret. Here's why Tony ceded the legacy of Iron Man to Rhodey and how he eventually reclaimed the role for himself.
Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton in 1979's Iron Man #118, Rhodey was introduced as a Marine Corps combat pilot that helped Tony escape from behind enemy lines when Tony unveiled the original Iron Man armor during the Vietnam War. Becoming fast friends and brothers-at-arms, Rhodey served as Tony's personal pilot after serving as a mercenary for a time following his military service. In 1983's Iron Man #170 by Denny O'Neil, Luke McDonnell and Steve Mitchell, personal and professional pressures orchestrated by Obadiah Stane led Tony to relapse into alcoholism, prompting Rhodey to don the Iron Man armor himself for the first time.
As Tony focused on his recovery, Rhodey became Iron Man with his friend's tacit blessing. He went on to face off against many of Tony's fiercest foes, including the Mandarin. One of Rhodey's most notable adventures as Iron Man was his participation in the 1984 crossover event Secret Wars by Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck and Layton. Rhodey began developing severe headaches from piloting the Iron Man armor, gradually making him more aggressive, before it was discovered it was due to the armor being programmed to match Tony's brain waves. After being cured of his condition by Alpha Flight, Rhodey would continue to use the armor until he was injured by Stane, leading Tony to reclaim his old superhero role.
After Tony was apparently killed in 1992's Iron Man #284 by Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood, Rhodey reclaimed the mantle of Iron Man to continue the superhero's legacy and defend the Marvel Universe. After learning Tony kept his survival a secret all along, the two men's friendship was strained until Tony gave his old friend what would become the first War Machine armor to continue his own superhero career. Rhodey's last major claim to the Iron Man mantle was in 2012's Invincible Iron Man #517 by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca, with Tony publicly stepping down as Iron Man to give Rhodey more leeway to confront the Mandarin. Tony resumed his old role and Rhodey became the Iron Patriot following the Mandarin's defeat.
Whether saving the day as Iron Man, War Machine or Iron Patriot, James Rhodes has more than proven himself every inch the superhero as his best friend. Whenever Tony Stark is incapacitated, Rhodey is consistently one of the few people that Tony would ever trust to pilot the Iron Man armor in his place. And while Rhodey has only had prolonged tenures as Iron Man a handful of times across his comic book history, it's likely only a matter of time before he steps in for another stint as the Armored Avenger.