15 Years Ago, We Were Promised An MCU Movie That Never Happened, Here’s Why

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe launched in 2008 and quickly grew, with Marvel Studios starting production on several films based on their comic book characters and developing plans for many more. Over the years, numerous projects have been cancelled, but a movie centered around the character War Machine, starring Don Cheadle, has remained in consideration for the past 15 years.

Don Cheadle joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as James Rhodes in Iron Man 2, taking over from Terrence Howard. Over time, Rhodes became more than just Tony Stark’s friend and assistant; he eventually became a superhero himself, donning his own armor and becoming known as War Machine.

Don Cheadle has been a prominent figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over a decade, appearing in films like Iron Man 3, Captain America: Civil War, and three Avengers movies. Despite this long involvement, his character, War Machine, never received his own dedicated movie or series.

The MCU’s War Machine Movie & Its Troubled Production Timeline

2011 – Don Cheadle Announces A War Machine Film

By 2011, Marvel Studios had already released two Iron Man movies and The Incredible Hulk, and was preparing to launch standalone films for Captain America and Thor. This was all part of what would become the first major phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Don Cheadle had recently joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as War Machine in Iron Man 2, and Marvel Studios was beginning to plan its first large-scale team-up movie, The Avengers. Iron Man 2 introduced two important new characters: Don Cheadle as War Machine and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.

Back when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still growing, and didn’t have as many established characters, Marvel Studios considered making a War Machine movie. Don Cheadle shared this with IndieWire.

Don Cheadle says they are currently working on a new project and have brought a writer on board. He seems hopeful and thinks it could be a really enjoyable experience.

Reports of a potential War Machine movie surfaced after rumors indicated Marvel Studios had been discussing the idea with writers. Back in 2018, Joe Robert Cole, who co-wrote Black Panther, shared that he’d been hired to write a War Machine film, but Marvel ultimately decided not to move forward with the project following the creative choices made in Iron Man 3.

Joe Robert Cole shared that during a meeting, the possibility of a ‘War Machine’ movie came up. He successfully pitched a concept and was hired to write the script, but the project was ultimately cancelled after decisions were made about the direction of ‘Iron Man 3’.

2020 – ‘War Machine’ Becomes ‘Armor Wars’

After nearly ten years without a new project, while Don Cheadle appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, plans for War Machine were finally announced again at Disney’s Investor Day in 2020.

At Marvel Studios’ presentation, Kevin Feige revealed a new Disney+ series called Armor Wars. This project finally brings the long-discussed War Machine concept to life, and was announced alongside plans for Secret Invasion and Ironheart. Don Cheadle will reprise his role as a lead character, and the series will focus on the dangerous consequences of Tony Stark’s technology falling into the wrong hands.

Yassir Lester, a comedian and screenwriter, was brought on as the lead writer for Armor Wars in 2021. At the time, people expected the show to begin filming in mid-to-late 2022, but that timeframe passed, along with several other predicted start dates, and production never began.

Back in September 2022, Borys Kit from The Hollywood Reporter said that Armor Wars was planned as a six-episode show, and Kevin Feige stated it would begin filming in 2023. However, 2023 came and went without any updates about the series.

2022 – ‘Armor Wars’ Is A Movie Again

I was just getting used to the idea of Armor Wars being a six-episode series when even bigger news dropped! Apparently, Marvel Studios decided to completely change plans and is now making it a movie instead. It’s a huge shift, and honestly, I’m pretty excited to see what they do with it on the big screen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Don Cheadle and Jonathan Majors were still set to star, and the project would be released in theaters. Sources say Marvel decided a full-length movie was the best way to tell the story they envisioned.

2026 – What Is Happening With Armor Wars?

I’m still really hoping to see Don Cheadle get his own Armor Wars movie! It’s been over three years since it was first announced, and honestly, it feels like nothing’s really happened with it so far. I’m eager to see what they’ve got planned, but I’m starting to get a little worried that it might not ever come to fruition.

Since then, Don Cheadle has remained a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in projects like Secret Invasion. Originally, Secret Invasion was planned to connect directly to the Armor Wars series. However, reports in 2025 suggested that Armor Wars was put on hold and reworked following the negative response to Secret Invasion.

The rumor also suggested that Armor Wars wouldn’t be released until after Avengers: Secret Wars, meaning it likely wouldn’t come out until 2028 or later.

Okay, so there’s been some chatter that Marvel’s Armor Wars movie has been quietly shelved. Now, I checked Disney’s official site, and it is still listed as coming sometime after 2027. So, it doesn’t seem like it’s been completely canceled, more like put on the back burner for now. We’ll have to wait and see, but don’t count it out just yet!

Despite being in development for 15 years, Don Cheadle’s War Machine project, Armor Wars, hasn’t moved forward. Marvel hasn’t announced its plans for the next phase of movies yet, and may be waiting to see how the Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars films perform before confirming future projects, including a potential re-announcement of Armor Wars.

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2026-01-21 18:07