While Iron Man was one of the fan-favorites of the MCU, War Machine is often overlooked because of Tony's superior suits. However, now with Tony laid to rest, Rhodey has a chance to enter the spotlight, at least until Riri Williams arrives on the scene. Not only has the actor for War Machine changed, but the armor has gone through some significant upgrades as well.

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With the focus on Tony, it's sometimes hard to remember the cooler features of Rhodey's suits. Additionally, when looking at Tony's 85+ Iron Man armors, Rhodey's seven tend to fall by the wayside. However, with the upcoming Disney+ series, Armor Wars, set to focus on Rhodey, fans may finally get an up-close and personal look at the War Machine's armor(s).

10 Downgraded With Hammer Tech Followed By Continual Weapons Upgrades

Justin Hammer showing off guns

The War Machine Mark I suit didn't have much to it and wasn't even designed for Rhodey. Once Rhodey was able to apprehend the suit from Tony's mansion, the U.S. Air Force brought in Justin Hammer to weaponize it. The guns he installed worked fine, but the custom Hammer-tech failed upon first use when Rhodey attempts to use "The Ex-Wife" against Ivan Vanko.

Since then, Tony has been providing the weaponry. He's upgraded the standard guns, improved the repulsors, and added some other bells and whistles along the way. One of which is the Unibeam, a powerful repulsor blast emitted from the chest's arc reactor.

9 Increased Flight Capabilities & Maneuverability Over Time

War Machine flying

The early War Machine armors weren't very nimble. The first suit was a prototype for the Iron Man Mark II suit so the flight capabilities weren't perfected. Additionally, once the military added their two cents, the suit became much heavier and therefore couldn't move as quickly or with much agility.

While they did add additional thrusters to the legs to account for the added weight, it did nothing for the flight function of the suit. Luckily it was equipped with an arsenal of weaponry so aerial acrobatics weren't crucial.

8 War Machine Mark II Was Built Specifically For Rhodey

War Machine In Iron Man 2

As the first armor was a prototype for Tony it was built with his measurements and preferences so it wasn't a true fit for Rhodey. The War Machine Mark II, however, was built specifically for Rhodey. The second iteration of the War Machine suit was designed to fit his body type and interact with his physiology more effectively.

These suits are incredibly intuitive and are capable of responding to unspoken commands, represented on multiple occasions with Tony's H.U.D. With the same functionality, albeit to a lesser degree, the War Machine armor became much more powerful after being designed specifically for Col. Rhodes.

7 War Machine Mark II Wasn't Just A Prototype

James Rhodes from Iron Man 2

In addition to being designed for Tony, the War Machine Mark I was merely a prototype so the functions and systems weren't quite up to par. The flight systems were limited, the H.U.D. was minimal, and the repulsors weren't even at full power. Tony never planned for this suit to be battle-ready and never expected it to be stolen, especially not by his best friend.

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However, once they cleared the air, Tony took it upon himself to upgrade the War Machine armor and make it almost as cool as his own suits. The War Machine Mark II was a vast improvement over its predecessor and was actually designed as a sophisticated military-grade weapon rather than a limited prototype.

6 Missile Launchers & Bomb Dispensers Keep Getting Added

war machine is looking to the side in the MCU

In addition to advanced guns, the War Machine armors continue to build their arsenal in the form of missiles and bombs. The War Machine armors have gained multiple missile launchers and bomb dispensers located in different parts of the suit including the shoulders, thighs, and forearms.

The missiles and bombs are important because they cause more damage and affect more enemies, making Rhodey more valuable. Additionally, the missiles and bombs can seek out targets making them more effective than just firing high volumes of bullets and hoping they will hit something.

5 The Iron Patriot Rebranding

Rhodey as Iron Patriot

The Iron Patriot rebranding of the War Machine suit was an incredibly polarizing event not only for fans but also for in-universe characters as well. In addition to friendly ribbing from Tony, the Iron Patriot armor received negative backlash from the in-universe media.

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Rhodey tries to defend the move by explaining that it tested well in focus groups. However, upon revealing that his military login and password are "WarMachine68" & "WARMACHINEROX" respectively, Rhodey clearly prefers War Machine to Iron Patriot as well.

4 Fixes The Icing Issue, But Heat Becomes A Problem

Killian cooking Rhodey in the Iron Patriot suit.

Tony discovers that when the suits reach high enough altitudes, they experience an icing problem that shuts the suit down, even mid-flight. While the icing issue may have been one of the first issues resolved, whatever keeps the suits from freezing up has inadvertently made them susceptible to extreme heat.

Iron Patriot completely shuts down when first overheated by one of Killian's Extremis subjects after Rhodey frees a group of Middle-Eastern women from what appears to be a sweatshop. Heat is later used to override the suit's safety measures as it eventually ejects Rhodes (on his command) when the suit is too hot to maintain normal functions or keep him safe from the rising temperature.

3 Becomes Much Easier To Remove & Put On

Tony about to jump into another suit in Iron Man 3.

The first few suits that Tony invented required an entire mechanical apparatus to assist the user in putting on and removing the armor. After so many improvements to the apparatus, Tony decided to forego it entirely and upgrade the suits instead. Once this technology was perfected, it is implemented in the War Machine armors as well, shown during Iron Man 3.

While this function ultimately allowed Aldrich Killian to apprehend the Iron Patriot armor and kidnap the President, it does cut down on prep time before missions as well as debriefing time after missions. Tony or Rhodey can simply step into or out of the suit in a matter of seconds rather than wait for a mechanism to remove all of the pieces. This is presumably the first iteration of some kind of nano-tech as the suit can open from the front or back seamlessly, paving the way for the entirely retractable heads and the nanoparticle chest piece housing.

2 Addition Of The Non-Lethal War Hammer & Presumably Non-Lethal Stark Sonic Cannon

War Machine with the War Hammer in Captain America: Civil War

During the events of Captain America: Civil War, Team Iron Man was tasked with bringing in Team Cap for questioning and incarceration. However, considering these two teams were previously one team, Tony made sure they had the means to win without causing any serious damage. It seems as though the War Hammer and Stark Sonic Cannon were added specifically for this event.

Rhodey doesn't get much of a chance to use the War Hammer as just before he attacks Cap with it, the weapon is destroyed. Though he does show the power of the Stark Sonic Cannon when he uses it against Wanda, causing her to lose focus on the crumbling tower she was trying to keep from crushing Cap and Bucky. Much larger versions of this cannon were used against Hulk by General Ross in The Incredible Hulk.

1 War Machine Mark IV Had Increased Durability & Built-In Walking Aids After Rhodey's Accident

Tony coming to Rhodey's aid after he fell out of the sky

While this unfortunate attack was merely an accident, it still nearly crippled Rhodey with a severe spinal injury causing him to lose a majority of his ambulatory functions. In addition to physical therapy, Tony creates walking braces that help Rhodey maintain some form of a normal life.

These braces are implemented as a permanent fixture of the War Machine armors to help Rhodey with walking while in the suit. Additionally, after watching a beam from the Mind Stone tear through the arc reactor like butter, Tony makes the suits vastly more durable. After the accident, the War Machine armor is shown to be durable enough to withstand the full force of Cull Obsidian's hammer, alien attacks from the Outriders, and even another fall from the sky. Most notably, the suit appears to remain functional after an encounter with Thanos and the Power Stone.

NEXT: War Machine: 10 Things You Didn't Know About His Alien Armor