The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding now more than ever. Apart from the main characters, the expansion is also seen giving some of the smaller characters the spotlight as well, including Don Cheadle’s War Machine. The actor is all set to explore his character in the upcoming movie, Armor Wars.
Don Cheadle
Although Don Cheadle is super excited about his own movie and the expansion altogether, there are some wrinkles on his forehead, too. Apparently, the actor is worried about the future of the MCU and hopes that the superhero universe focuses on maintaining good quality in their projects. Don Cheadle isn’t the only one worried about MCU’s quality as the Marvel Studios have been blamed for keeping quantity as a priority over quality in Phase 4.
Don Cheadle Hopes For Quality Control
Don Cheadle as War Machine
The Marvel Studios were put on a blast after the recent Phase 4 had one mediocre project coming in after the next. With the possible exception of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, none of the movies or the TV series excited the fans as much as The Infinity Saga did. One could say that Phase 4 put the much-dedicated fans of the MCU into a slumber.
Now, Don Cheadle appears hopeful for the next chapter in the superhero universe, while also showing some worries. Talking to Total Film, Cheadle opened up about his character, James Rhodes aka War Machine, and how the character’s movie will kick off. The War Machine-centric movie, Armor Wars, was initially going to join the band of miniseries on Disney+ before being turned into a full-length film.
Talking about MCU’s expansion, Cheadle called it “bananas” how “everyone can show up in everybody else’s story.” The actor stated that since he too was in the upcoming series, Secret Invasion, it kicks off Armor Wars’ story. This further backed his point that the MCU is just branching off into one story from the other.
All of this is pretty cool since who doesn’t love special cameos from their favorite characters? However, Cheadle is right to worry about the MCU expanding just for the sake of it, eventually getting spread too thin.
“So yeah, it can go on and on and on… hopefully it doesn’t get spread too thin. And there’s still some quality control and not just trying to expand for expansion’s sake. But there’s a clear idea about the storytelling and what you’re trying to accomplish with every iteration.”
He certainly makes a solid point. If the MCU only expands the universe without paying attention to the bigger picture, fans may end up completely losing their interest in the superhero universe. Fans have been there for the MCU through thick and thin, however, Phase 4 being a disappointment let the fans down big time. If Phase 5 and 6 don’t pick up, this might be the last straw for the fans.
Don Cheadle is Excited About Armor Wars
War Machine and Iron Man
Yes, Cheadle is super excited about finally diving into the character he has been playing for all these years. Why shouldn’t he be? After all, after making the decision to be in the MCU in under two hours, it is finally his time to shine.
As stated by the House of Lies actor, fans can expect an insight into James’ personal life with his relationships, his trajectory, his challenges, and so on. He also added that of course, the superhero side will be there, but making War Machine a more three-dimensional character is the superior motive.
“I don’t think we’ve ever really dug into him, and now it’s an opportunity to really explore his emotional life, his interior life, his relationships, his trajectory, where he wants to go, what his challenges are. Obviously, you have to pay off the Marvel stuff. And be in the lore of the mythology of the character and the MCU in general. But trying to really build out this character and make him a three-dimensional dude… is what the goal [is]. So I’m excited about that.”
It is great seeing Cheadle so excited to be playing War Machine again and we cannot wait to see how his story unfolds. There is definitely more to the character than being Tony Stark’s best friend.
While Secret Invasion is scheduled to release on Disney+ in early 2023, there is nothing that can be said for Armor Wars.
