Warning! This Article Contains Spoiler For Secret Invasion.Secret Invasion was one of the most hyped and anticipated MCU shows of recent times, as the show finally shed some light on Nick Fury, an important MCU character being the character that formed the Avengers. He was presumably missing after he was revealed to be a Skrull at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. After 4 years, the character's whereabouts were finally answered, and it follows his attempt to stop the Skrulls, an alien race attempting to take over Earth. However, the show faced controversy over its plot, which was deemed too generic, slow-paced, and received criticism for its treatment of many of MCU's veteran characters. The show's finale even received a score of 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the worst-rated episodes ever.
Secret Invasion in its early episodes revealed that Colonel James Rhodes is a Skrull and not actually a human. Fans were quite disappointed, more than shocked, to see yet another character turning out to be a Skrull. But questions arise about how long Rhodes has been a Skrull and where the real Rhodes is?
Who Is James Rhodes?
Colonel James Rhodes, better known for maneuvering the War Machine throughout the movies, is one of the oldest MCU characters still on camera. The character was initially played by Terrence Howard but was later recast when Don Cheadle took on the role. Colonel Rhodes was a close friend of Tony Stark and first appeared in the premiere of the first Iron Man movie over 14 years ago. Initially serving in the military, the colonel also took on the role of a superhero part-time when he first donned the War Machine suit in Iron Man 2.
War Machine has been one of Tony's most supportive characters and even fought against Captain America and the Winter Soldier in the movie of the same name. Aside from being Tony's friend, Rhodes has assisted the Avengers several times in their battles against Ultron and Thanos. Unfortunately, Rhodes got paralyzed after Vision's laser, which was intended for The Falcon, accidentally hit him. Tony developed special leg braces to help him walk again, but the colonel didn't need the braces when wearing the War Machine suit.
How Long Has Rhodes Been A Skrull For?
While in the second episode, it was quite obvious that the Rhodes in the show was actually a Skrull. Despite the character being paralyzed, Secret Invasion shows him walking early on, which was all the proof needed to know that Rhodes was a Skrull. In the show, Rhodes took on the role of Advisor to the President, a quite intense role that could help Skrulls with the invasion of Earth. However, the character's identity was exposed by Nick Fury in episode 5 when he pins him against the wall in a Hospital.
Since many fans speculate that Rhodes was swapped out as a Skrull sometimes after the events of Avengers: Endgame and before Spiderman: Far From Home. the question of how long Rhodes had been a Skrull was answered by Marvel Studios' head, Kevin Feige, who addressed it in an interview, stating that Rhodes had been a Skrull all the way from Captain America: Civil War. The character was presumably swapped by a Skrull after he fell from the sky after getting hit.
What Happened To The Real Rhodes?
In episode 6 of Secret Invasion, Rhodes is shown to be kept in a pod, alive so the Skrulls could access his memories. After defeating Gravik, Gi'ah saves Rhodey along with other human scientists and political leaders who were replaced by Skrulls in order to invade Earth. Trying to come out of the pod, Rhodes is shown to struggle since his legs were paralyzed in Captain America: Civil War. He is then assisted by some soldiers to get out. Rhodes is still in his hospital gown, which implies that he was replaced sometime after he was injured, most presumably in the hospital where he was admitted, as that was the widest opportunity for the Skrulls.
This came disappointing and caused some fans to infuriate as it destroys the character completely. Rhodes being a Skrull since the events of Civil War means that the real Rhodes is completely unfamiliar with the events of Infinity Wars and Endgame about the blip and even his best friend Tony Stark's death. It also ruins all the character's moments in the past movies like Rhodes sticking up for Captain America and the rest of the remaining Avengers after the Blip. It is highly likely that the character wasn't written to be a Skrull all along and it was only recent decisions that made him to be a Skrull.
Rhodes's Future In The MCU
Rhodes' future is currently most uncertain as he still has to face the reality of the events that unfolded while he was out. Aside from a small sequence, not much was shown about Rhodes at the end of Secret Invasion. However, the MCU can still redeem the injustice done to his character in the upcoming Armor Wars movie. Originally planned as a TV series based on the comic of the same name, Armor Wars was later changed to be a movie. The film will revolve around War Machine as the main protagonist, as he becomes a full-fledged superhero rather than being a sidekick for Iron Man.
The Armor Wars comics followed the plot of Tony Stark's war against his own armor suits falling into the wrong hands. However, since Tony is dead in the MCU, the movie will follow a similar plot, with War Machine defending his friend's legacy. Armor Wars will not solely feature War Machine as the only superhero, as the cast is expected to include Iron Heart from Black Panther 2.
Armor Wars is also set to have an emotional touch to its story, as Rhodes will be coping with the loss of his Tony and accepting everything that has happened. Armor Wars is still far away from release as the movie is not scheduled for a release in Phase 5 or 6.