War Machine himself, Don Cheadle, has touched base on the fate of Colonel Rhodes going into Captain America: Civil War.
When quizzed about the character’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Empire – which, at the very least, appears to be hanging in the balance following the threequel’s most recent trailer – Cheadle was understandably coy, though still managed to skirt around pertinent plot details during the interview. Spoilers to follow!
Still with us? Civil War‘s sizzle reel featured a shot of an airborne War Machine plummeting to the earth after being shot – presumably by Sebastian Stan’s loosest of loose cannons, Bucky Barnes. Much to the dismay of Tony Stark’s fellow man in the tin can, all signs point to Rhodey meeting his maker when the lights go down on May 6 and here, Cheadle teased that it “doesn’t look good for Rhodey,” before adding “he did hit the ground pretty hard.”
That he did. Indeed, for all of its trailblazing success, there’s been a remarkable lack of notable deaths in the MCU thus far, and considering that Captain America: Civil War is gunning to raise the stakes ten fold, don’t be too surprised if War Machine is one of the early casualties to fall in Joe and Anthony Russo’s monumental actioner. That said, keep in mind that this is merely conjecture at this stage.
All will hopefully be revealed when Captain America: Civil War descends into theaters in time for May 6.