Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige opened up about that surprise Skrull posing as a Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero in Secret Invasion.
Which Avenger was really a Skrull this whole time?
Speaking to Marvel.com, Feige addressed the Disney Plus series’ fourth episode titled “Beloved” where Tony Stark’s longtime ally Jim Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) was revealed as a Skrull. With MCU fans questioning the whereabouts of the real Rhodey and how long this unnamed Skrull has been posing in his form, Feige reveals how long this plan with Cheadle’s role was in the works. “We needed to have a character that one would not expect to be a Skrull. Don was on board for this reveal of playing and revealing another side of Rhodey and revealing that, yeah, Rhodey has been a Skrull,” Feige said.
He continued, “It was very early days when we pitched this concept to Don, and he very much was into it and into being able to play with different sides of Rhodey that we haven’t seen before. We like the idea of fans going back and watching some of the other appearances of Rhodey and realizing that that wasn’t him.”
The shocking turn of events for Rhodey is ironic given the circumstances of Cheadle being cast in the role during the MCU’s early beginnings. The actor was cast in 2010’s Iron Man 2 to replace Terrance Howard who originated the role in the first film. Howard left the MCU over a reported pay cut, though it remains unknown if Howard walked away from negotiations or if Marvel opted not to move forward with the actor.
Since Iron Man 2, Cheadle has made five MCU appearances on the big screen as well as a guest starring role in the opening episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney Plus. Following the conclusion of Secret Invasion, the actor is expected to reprise his role as Rhodey in Armor Wars, an upcoming MCU movie originally conceived as a Disney Plus series. MCU fans will have to tune in to the remaining episodes of Secret Invasion to find out how this Skrull reveal will impact Rhodey’s future.
All-new episodes of Secret Invasion premiere every Wednesday on Disney Plus.
