Warning: This article contains spoilers for M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #1
James “Rhodey” Rhodes has always been a force to be reckoned with, whether he’s in his signature War Machine armor or not, but his latest appearance in the debut issue of M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games gives readers a glimpse of what is most likely his most badass armor upgrade to date.
The premiere issue - from writers Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum, with art by Scott Hepburn – opens with MODOK and his crew of miscreants in the middle of an attempted heist of a Stark Industries hovertrain. However, thing’s go south when MODOK’s brain starts to wander and his attention on the task at hand wanes. The Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing is having strange visions of a happy life with a family that never existed
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This momentary lapse in concentration is enough for War Machine to swoop in and foil the villains’ plot. And he’s outfitted with what may well be the most heavily-weaponized version of the suit to date. At a glance, he seems to be decked out with at least half a dozen missiles, four arm-mounted Gatling guns, dozens of repulsor rays and what looks like two belt-fed machine guns just for good measure. This iteration of War Machine is essentially a walking (well, flying) Arc-Reactor-powered armory. Unfortunately, this all amounts to nothing more than a tease, as his appearance causes the villains (rightfully so) to flee before readers can get a chance to see what this latest suit is truly capable of. War Machine appears in the comic for literally just two panels, but those panels alone were enough to leave an impression, and judging by the haste with which MODOK and company retreated, they were equally in awe with his OP upgrade.
While the villains are able to escape War Machine by the skin of their teeth, the issue only gets worse for MODOK, as his team revolts and votes him out as their leader. A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) plans to decommission him, leaving him with no choice but to flee and turn to – of all people – Tony Stark for assistance at the issue’s end.
As amazing as it would be to see this version of the War Machine armor in action on the big screen, that seems unlikely. The small screen, however, may be a different story. This miniseries serves as a sort of precursor to HULU’s upcoming M.O.D.O.K. series, which will see Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum at the helm (with Oswalt providing the title character’s voice). The series is set to release early 2021 and preview images have already shown the family that is consuming MODOK’s mind throughout this issue. So with this sort of synergy already having been set in motion, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that fans can see this new and improved War Machine (or any other Marvel characters) making appearances.
Only time will tell, but hopefully readers will get to see more of this War Machine on steroids in the future, whether it’s on the screen or the page.
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