It's a very relaxed time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as we're currently in the interim period between phases. But it wasn't long ago that the entire MCU was colliding in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. The Russo Brothers were tasked with servicing that massive cast of characters, and there were plenty of ideas that fell to the wayside over the years. And now we've just learned of one scrapped War Machine sequence from Infinity War that would have deeply connected to the events of Captain America: Civil War.
Phase Three kicked off with Captain America: Civil War, which put the heroes of Earth at odds. Rhodes/War Machine was one of the victims of this conflict, as he was hit by Vision's blast mid-air and plummeted to the ground, resulting in his inability to walk unassisted. Infinity War originally could have focused on the mental scars from this incident, which would have seen Rhodey operating the War Machine armor remotely. Check out the concept art below.
Well, that's pretty epic. While it would have put Rhodes out of harms way for Infinity War's battle against Thanos' army, it definitely would have been cool to see War Machine engaged in battle in a different way. Alas, the PTSD storyline was cut completely, and Rhodes used cutting edge technology to use his legs, and get into the battle at Wakanda.
This image comes to us from artist Phil Saunders, and is sure to trigger FOMO for a few Marvel fans out there. The events of Captain America: Civil War were serious, as there was no happy ending. Half of the Avengers were imprisoned on The Raft before being broken out by Cap, resulting in the heroes becoming fugitives. As for Rhodes, it looked like his time as War Machine might have come to an end following a serious injury during the epic tarmac battle.
Giving War Machine PTSD in Avengers: Infinity War would have been a great way to further shape and deepen the character, even if it meant he was physically away from the action on Wakanda. Don Cheadle's signature Avenger is always good for a quip and some cool action sequences, but he hasn't been fleshed out as much as other heroes in the MCU. But that's likely due to ideas like this that fell to the wayside over the years.
It should be interesting to see how War Machine is utilized in the MCU moving forward. There's been no indication of when we might see the character again, although there are some interesting projects and possibilities in the works. Disney+'s myriad upcoming shows seem like a great choice, in particular Falcon and The Winter Soldier. We'll just have to see what Marvel Studios has in store when Phase Four kicks off with Black Widow.
Black Widow will hit theaters on May 1st. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
