Today's episode of Secret Invasion confirms what we've long suspected (well, for the past few weeks, anyway). Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Skrull, though how long War Machine hasn't been himself is up for debate.
Nick Fury figured it out after the Avenger called him "Nick," but as President Ritson's advisor, Rhodey remains a major threat even after the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director managed to rush POTUS to safety. Now, Don Cheadle has opened up on the big reveal in an interview with Marvel.com.
"It's fun to fold that in and know that that’s what's happening underneath all of these Rhodey scenes," the actor says. "Rhodes is not who he appears to be."
"It becomes sort of a cat-and-mouse game between the two of them, about what he has on Fury and if he's going to release information about Fury," Cheadle continues. "Fury has to play it the right way while still trying to protect and save the planet."
The question now is, how long has Rhodey been a Skrull? Looking back at his scene in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, his words definitely take on a slightly different meaning now, and based on comments from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, it's possible we've been watching an imposter in action long before that.
"It was very early days when we pitched this concept to Don," the executive says, "and he very much was into it and into being able to play with different sides of Rhodey that we haven't seen before."
Feige would add that we'll come to "understand exactly how long he’s been a Skrull," noting: "We like the idea of fans going back and watching some of the other appearances of Rhodey and realizing that that wasn't him."
Could Avengers: Endgame's Rhodey have also been this Skrull imposter?
A lot of fans were surprised by his suggestion The Avengers travel back in time to kill Baby Thanos...