Marvel Reveals Why the MCU's War Machine Became Iron Patriot

Marvel revealed why War Machine became Iron Patriot for a little while in the MCU. The Wakanda Files shows that the President had some concerns about the branding of the "borrowed" Iron Man suit after Iron Man 2. He suggests the Department of Defense adopted a new moniker for James Rhodes' armor. Iron Patriot made a fun entrance in Iron Man 3 but quickly ended up being cast aside for the more traditional War Machine name later on. When that version of the suit showed up in Avengers: Endgame, it was a moment that threw some fans off. It made sense after some comments from the directors and screenwriters. A lot of fans believe that the armor will end up in some enemy hands down the line in the MCU but nothing has been alluded to so far.

In the book, the President wrote, "…A public-facing name such as 'War Machine' in and of itself is far too aggressive. PR in conjunction with Advanced Idea Mechanics have conceptualized a rebrand and refurbishing of War Machine that has tested extremely well with focus groups. Rebranding War Machine as the 'Iron Patriot' will send a far better message."

Funny enough, Rhodey was supposed to become Vice President at some point before Avengers: Endgame, and that got cut. Things could have been drastically different at numerous turns before the "most ambitious crossover event in cinematic history." However, writer Christoper Markus said that there was no other motivation behind the cut.

"We took it out because it didn't have any story weight, but I believe that during one draft, in the five-year-jump, Rhodie became vice president," told us.

He also explained that Marvel never issued any edicts to put these characters in certain positions for future movies or TV shows. But, the writers were given the freedom to do what was best for the story.

"It's not like [Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige] said, 'You know what, we had a meeting and we're going to have these three streaming services, so let's make sure...'" Markus added. 'No, if anything, I don't know what all the streaming shows are, but it feels like they might come off of Endgame in some ways, but at no point did anybody say, 'That's what we should do, so therefore, sprinkle that in.'"

Do you think we will see Iron Patriot the next time we see Rhodey? Let us know in the comments!