Three years later, Marvel fans want Disney Plus series Secret Invasion erased from MCU canon because of how it changed Rhodey.
The discussion started when one Marvel fan took to Twitter and said that they think the 'Rhodey' who comforts a dying Tony Stark at the end of Avengers: Endgame is actually the real Rhodey. Another replied, "They should straight up just say Secret Invasion doesn’t exist in the main timeline. I’m not even joking. No one will give Feige shit for coming out and basically going ‘our fault, gang’."
Now, if you have seen Endgame but haven't yet had a chance to catch up to the 2023 show, you may be wondering what the fan means by the 'real Rhodey'. In Secret Invasion, it is revealed that Colonel James Rhodes, AKA Rhodey, was actually replaced by a Skrull named Raava a while back. In the finale, we see the real Rhodey rescued, but the question still remains: when was the real Rhodey replaced on the Marvel timeline?
Many believe Rhodey could have been swapped out as far back as Captain America: Civil War, which is when we last saw Rhodey wear his leg braces. This is evidenced by Rhodey wearing the same hospital gown at the end of Civil War as he does when he is saved at the end of Secret Invasion. Fast forward to Avengers: Infinity War, the braces are nowhere to be seen. That would mean that the Rhodey we saw attend his best friend Stark's funeral was just a Skrull, which is pretty heartbreaking.
However, others believe that is the real Rhodey in Endgame. "The deleted scenes from Falcon and the Winter Soldier basically confirmed that it is Rhodey in Endgame," said one fan. "Rhodey mentions going in for an upgrade procedure on his legs, and at the end of 'Secret Invasion' he's in a hospital gown. Switch occurred post-Endgame, not earlier."
Either way, now that the first Avengers: Endgame Encore trailer has hit the internet, it seems that Marvel fans are in agreement that Rhodey's identity switch in Secret Invasion should be forgotten about. Fans will be able to see War Machine back on the big screen once again as Marvel rereleases the 2019 movie with four minutes of added footage, which is set to bridge the gap to Avengers: Doomsday. However, as far as we know, Don Cheadle's Rhodey is not set to return in Doomsday.
Avengers: Endgame Encore hits cinemas on September 25. For more, check out our guide to the other upcoming Marvel movies and shows.
