James Rhoades has become one of Marvel's most iconic heroes. For a time, he took Tony Stark's place as the hero Iron Man. Then, after Stark retained his mantle, Rhoades was given a new suit of armor all his own.
Called the War Machine armor, this new suit (and the many variations that came after) has proven to be one of the most insanely powerful pieces of technology in the entire Marvel universe. Although it is very popular, there are many facts about the armor that mainstream Marvel fans are not aware of. Here are 10 secrets about the War Machine armor that Marvel fans never knew.
10 Immune To Stark Tech
Obadiah Stane, the longtime enemy of Tony Stark both in business and as the supervillain Iron Monger, was able to put many improvements into his own version of the War Machine armor. Still piloted by James Rhoades, this new model combined aspects from both Starktech as well as Obadiah's Stanetech.
Because of Stane's rivalry with Stark Industries, he built this War Machine armor with many built-in protections from Stark weapons. Essentially, War Machine was immune to any attack from a Stark weapon. At times Tony's company has been taken over by somewhat malicious individuals, so this feature is not a bad one for the armor to have.
9 Vibranium
Other than Adamantium, Vibranium is the strongest metal to be found on Earth in the Marvel universe. Its unique properties allow the metal to absorb any kind of kinetic energy. In the hands of a capable scientist, Vibranium can be used to absorb and then redirect the kinetic energy back at various opponents.
While not purely made of the Wakandan metal, the War Machine armor is laced with enough Vibranium to give it some of the material's best qualities. This allows War Machine to take on extremely powerful attacks without taking any damage, as the Vibranium merely absorbs and then disperses the blow.
8 EMP
One of War Machine's most powerful weapons is his uni-beam projector. While it is very powerful, the uni-beam is a signature weapon of both Iron Man and War Machine. It isn't exactly a big secret. Housed within the uni-beam projector, however, is another weapon with devastating effect.
Within the projector lies an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) generator. This device is so powerful that, if used, it can disable any and every piece of electrical equipment within a 50-mile radius.
7 Chameleon Mode
There are many functions that the War Machine armor has that don't often get used. Most of the time, whoever is writing about War Machine is not aware of the vast capabilities of his armor. Perhaps the most useful of his many utilities is War Machine's Chameleon Mode.
The Chameleon Mode allows the War Machine armor to approach near invisibility. Through refracting light, the armor is able to blend in with any background. Careful study of an environment still allows enemies to be able to spot the armor, but anything short of that allows this piece of Starktech to go unnoticed.
6 Ghost Technology
If you thought that Chameleon Mode is one of the most overpowered abilities of this armor, just wait till you hear about its Ghost Tech. Taken from the supervillain known as the Ghost, Ghost technology allows War Machine to phase through solid objects.
The possible applications for such an ability are near limitless. Combined with the armor's Chameleon Mode, Ghost Tech makes the War Machine armor one of the greatest stealth weapons ever created. There is almost no place he can't enter, and it is nearly impossible to find him if War Machine does not wish to be found.
5 Sentinel Armor
Although the Sentinel Program and Sentinels are, in general, viewed as enemies of the X-Men, within the Marvel universe the public feels much more neutral about these mutant-hunting machines. They are, after all, simply tools to be used by various individuals and government agencies.
Within the pages of the Sentinel Squad O.N.E. comics, War Machine wore a Sentinel armor. This armor was actually a combination of many aspects of the traditional Sentinel robots as well as the War Machine armor itself.
4 It Can Integrate With Any Technology
Not only is the hardware of War Machine's armor bleeding edge, but so is its software. This software is so advanced that War Machine can actually interface with almost any technological device he wishes.
Although James Rhoades is no expert hacker, these tools allow him to hack into some of the most well-protected technological devices on the planet. In fact, it can also allow him to access technology that came from other planets as well.
3 Eidolon Warwear
Perhaps the weirdest secret of all comes from War Machine's Eidolon Warwear. Sharing many properties with the alien symbiotes that Spider-Man often gets entangled with, the Eidolon Warwear is also a sentient, wearable armor that responds telepathically to its user's commands.
Also like symbiotes, it can retract and dissipate like some sort of nano-tech. When not in use, it resides within a tattoo that Rhodey has on his chest. Then whenever he needs it, the Eidolon armor forms over his body.
2 Technomorphing
Perhaps one of the suit's most useful applications is techno-morphing. Using some extremely adaptive Stark technologies, the War Machine armor is able to assimilate and utilize various forms of technology not initially within the suit.
In addition to that, the armor is able to morph different weapons, such as massive cannons or the signature minigun. As armed-to-the-teeth as the armor can be, there isn't enough room to store all of these weapons, so it's essential that War Machine is able to utilize techno-morphing technologies.
1 War Machine Satellite
Tony Stark built a massive satellite array in Earth's orbit. At first glance, this satellite appears to be just like any other. That, of course, is not true.
This Stark Satellite was created as a defense against any sort of interstellar world-ending threat. Rhodey is able to personally connect his armor to the satellite array and use its many powerful weapons. This armor makes War Machine one of the most powerful heroes within Earth's orbit by far.