James Rhodes was introduced all the way back in Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the character has been largely on the sidelines throughout his MCU tenure. War Machine has fought in massive battles and teamed up with his old friend Tony Stark, but never stepped into the spotlight himself.
That may be all about to change, though. War Machine's leading roles in the upcoming Secret Invasion and Armor Wars suggest there are big developments for the character in the MCU going forward. In the proces, he might find himself embroiled in the MCU's next superhero civil war.
Both upcoming MCU shows are set to dive back into the world of political intrigue and espionage established by Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Secret Invasion follows Nick Fury's return to Earth to contend with an invasion of Skrulls throughout humanity. The trailer for the series confirms that War Machine will be a factor in the plot. With the shapeshifting Skrulls central to the storyline, it's unclear who exactly is who they say they are. However, the series has to end with War Machine alive and well -- at least well enough to take center stage in Armor Wars, in which he's hunting down stolen pieces of Tony Stark's inventions.
All of this may be setting up Rhodes to become the MCU successor to Stark, who died at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. Stark has been featured at the center of plenty of comic stories that he can't take part in if they come to the big screen, meaning the MCU will innately be adapting those roles for someone else. The obvious answer -- as it was in the comics -- is to have Rhodes step into Tony's shoes if not the same role, taking over as the primary armored avenger of this timeline. Secret Invasion will likely leave anyone and everyone involved suspicious of the world around them, making it a perfect opportunity to set up Rhodes' newfound distrust that starts him on the warpath in Armor Wars -- and potentially beyond.
It makes sense that War Machine could fill the void Iron Man used to occupy. War Machine hunting down stolen Stark tech makes sense, and could further endear him to the world at large as the next Iron Man. It could also easily position him against the new Captain America: Sam Wilson. Both former Avengers themselves who've stepped into the roles left behind by friends, the two have already been shown on opposite sides of moral debates, with a brief sequence in Captain America: Civil War highlighting their very different views on the largely forgotten Sokovia Accords. Wilson was the target of Vision's blast that resulted in Rhodes being severely injured in that film -- which would give any animosity between Wilson and Rhodes an additional edge.
Now with both heroes are positioned to take on more central roles in the universe, they could find themselves embodying the conflict that Steve Rogers and Stark developed over the years. With the Incursions Saga seemingly coming to the MCU after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, they could become the central characters of an MCU adaptation of "Time Runs Out," an even more brutal superhero civil war that saw Rogers and Stark fight to their dying breaths. The two Disney+ shows will elevate War Machine from being a supporting character since the earliest days of the MCU into a major fixture going forward -- but they might also position him against some other heroes as well.
Secret Invasion premieres on Disney+ in 2023.