Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion marks the tenth appearance of Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, this time things are a bit different, serving as the right-hand man for the President of the United States.
The upcoming Disney+ series gives us a more politics-oriented Rhodey focusing on his day job of serving the country rather than his Avengers side hustle. In fact, this is the first time Rhodey appears without another member of the Avengers, and Cheadle couldn’t be more relieved.
The Avengers Are Just Baggage
The Illuminerdi recently attended the Secret Invasion virtual press conference, where Don Cheadle broke down what Rhodey’s going through when audiences catch up with him in the Disney+ series.
Usually, Iron Man/Tony Stark isn’t very far away when Marvel Studios decides to include Rhodey, but the billionaire playboy philanthropist is no longer around, and Cheadle’s making that known.
“It was liberating not to have to carry that dead weight.”
– Don Cheadle, Secret Invasion press conference –
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All jokes aside, Don Cheadle had a wonderful time filming without his fellow Avengers and with his longtime friend Samuel L. Jackson. The two actors have long been searching for a project to bring them together, so he’s glad they finally got to do so, even if Rhodey wasn’t initially included in Secret Invasion.
While Cheadle was happy to work closely with Jackson, Secret Invasion also offered various benefits, including the opportunity to explore Rhodey without the War Machine armor, which he hasn’t gotten to do much of since joining the MCU in Iron Man 2.
“Also, being in a show like this, it’s really a departure from what I have been in, as far as the genre goes. It’s really an opportunity to act, and really, you know, lean into some human stuff, which was also a lot of fun. You know, as Emilia [Clarke] said, as Olivia [Colman] said, as Kingsley [Ben-Adir] said, as Ben [Mendelsohn] said, this is a great cast and Ali [Selim] was a great director. A great leader. So, it was just all upside, and, you know, very happy to look into who Rhodey is and to probe that more, and kind of find out what really makes him tick.”
– Don Cheadle, Secret Invasion press conference –
Secret Invasion shows a side of Rhodey that MCU fans haven’t seen. However, could that be because he’s been a Skrull this whole time?
About Secret Invasion
Release Date: June 21, 2023, exclusively on Disney+
Director: Ali Selim
Head Writer: Kyle Bradstreet
Executive Producers: Kevin Feige, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Samuel L. Jackson, Ali Selim, Kyle Bradstreet, and Brian Tucker
Production Company: Marvel Studios
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Charlayne Woodard, Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran, with Emilia Clarke, with Olivia Colman, and Don Cheadle
Synopsis: In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present-day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against t me to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.
Are you excited to see Don Cheadle back as Rhodey in Secret Invasion? What do you think his relationship with Nick Fury is like now? Do you think we’ll see War Machine? Let us know your thoughts and theories on social media!
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