Much like DLC hero Kate Bishop, the likely addition of War Machine to Marvel’s Avengers comes with plenty of baggage. While James “Rhodey” Rhodes has seen plenty of memorable comic book moments, from taking over as Iron Man to “dying” at the end of the Civil War 2 storyline, it is War Machine’s deep connection to Tony Stark that serves as a double-edged sword for his heavily leaked debut in the growing games-as-a-service title.
While the friendship between Rhodey and Tony Stark has been the backbone of many excellent storylines and should certainly be explored in Marvel’s Avengers, War Machine has always been in Iron Man’s shadow. Usually taking a backseat to Iron Man in the comics and films, it says a lot that War Machine’s most memorable showing of skill came in the Marvel Zombies universe where Tony Stark was already dead. Boasting too many similarities to Iron Man but lacking Stark’s lovable personality, War Machine is likely to suffer a similar fate in Marvel’s Avengers. While he will still likely be fun to play, he may be far too familiar to Iron Man to truly shine.
With War Machine’s suits almost always being made by Tony Stark, it is hardly a surprise that the character would fight in a similar way to Iron Man. While Rhodey may be an expert pilot, making him a natural fit for the armor and allowing him to control the suits with ease, War Machine’s signature gear is essentially just a modified Iron Man suit. As such, Marvel’s Avengers players can expect Rhodey’s hand-to-hand combat to feel just like Iron Man’s does, with a mixture of boosted punches and close-up gunfire.
Like Iron Man’s Intrinsic Energy system, players can expect to see Rhodey recharging his larger weapons by beating down AIM foes with his fists. The big draw to playing as War Machine will surely be his mini-gun, and while Rhodey’s signature weapon will likely be a blast to use, it will not be enough to make the character feel different. While he will surely have rockets to use as well, Iron Man already has the weapon type as an alternate fire option. While he could be given a tankier, self-healing style like in the books, as well as stronger repulsor blasts and periods with no cooldown on his minigun, War Machine is still in danger of being the DLC hero that most resembles a reskin.
As for Rhodey’s ultimate, the Manticore mech seems like the most logical choice for the character’s special ability. A massive alternate suit that is essentially a tank, the Manticore includes special beam-rifles and larger versions of War Machine’s signature gatling gun. While the wildly cool vehicle-suit hybrid would surely be fun to use in-game, it once again brings about a similar issue of being too similar to content that is already in Marvel’s Avengers. The Manticore would likely be activated via the same system as Iron Man’s Hulkbuster suit, and it would boast many of the same weapons and abilities — only with a minigun in place of repulsors.
While Rhodey will surely be able to don some excellent alternate costumes, like the version of his armor briefly worn by Marvel anti-hero The Punisher in the comics, this could be where the diversity between the two armored Avengers stops. While similar content is better than no content and introducing characters with similar skillsets likely helps Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics save on resources, the last thing Marvel’s Avengers needs right now is more of the same. Unfortunately, this is a likely scenario, as even the best Marvel releases see Rhodey being used in an incredibly predictable way.
However, there is still hope for Rhodey to be more than an Iron Man copycat with some extra finishing moves and fancy skins. While the character has almost always been treated as a second-rate version of Tony Stark, Rhodey has plenty of potential that shines through on a few standout occasions. To realize that potential, Crystal Dynamics should take a risk with Rhodey, giving him a special set of abilities rarely seen in the comics.
Following A-Day, Rhodey could have went off-world with romantic interest Captain Marvel, giving himself time away from the chaos caused by the downfall of The Avengers. Aside from explaining where he was during the events of the main game and acknowledging his comic book relationship with Carol Danvers, War Machine’s trip to outer space can see him encountering alien life — and getting access to the Eidolon Warwear armor set from the comics.
While the costume boasted a ridiculous design in its original appearance during the 1990s, the Warwear armor also gave Rhodes access to new abilities. Giving the Marvel hero legitimate superpowers like strength, durability, and speed while also allowing him to create weaponry at will, the use of such a suit in Marvel’s Avengers would instantly make War Machine different than he is traditionally. Using the Warwear to morph his right arm into a blade in the comics, as well as unleashing drones that fire energy blasts, Rhodey’s special suit would prove wildly different from what is expected from the character’s upcoming appearance. The suit’s alien nature could also provide an interesting story that is the perfect length for a DLC, letting Rhodey and Carol debate over whether he should stick with the Warwear.
While Crystal Dynamics may want to keep their Marvel universe more grounded, a similar effect can be achieved by using a Nanotech suit like Iron Man has worn in both the comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The nanotech would allow Rhodey to construct shields, blades, and his signature guns. Anything from grenade launchers to healing drones would be on the table, and regardless of whether it is through a Symbiote-like suit or some heavily advanced Stark armor, doing something special with War Machine is possible. The best thing for both the character’s expansion and Marvel’s Avengers as a whole, dropping a traditional approach to the hero in favor of something special would be a wise idea.
Crystal Dynamics has already shown that it is willing to add new abilities for certain Marvel heroes, giving the recently added Kate Bishop a previously unseen teleport power in her DLC and allowing Black Widow to be just as proficient with a staff as she is with guns and her fists. The same thing should be done with War Machine, as pulling from deep lore to forge his skillset could lead to a pleasant surprise for fans. If Rhodey simply plays like Iron Man with a minigun, though, his expansion could serve as a meaningless addition to Marvel’s Avengers.
Marvel’s Avengers is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions currently in development.
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