War Machine will have an intense and pivotal role in Civil War

Later this year Captain America: Civil War will kick off Phase 3 of Marvel's cinematic universe in a big way by pitting two teams of heroes against each other. Given his relationship with Tony Stark, it's unsurprising that Don Cheadle's James 'Rhodey' Rhodes - aka War Machine - is on Team Iron Man. The character made a brief appearance at the end of 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, but he's set to play a much bigger part in Civil War.

Speaking to Superhero Hype at the Sundance Film Festival to promote Miles Ahead, Cheadle said: "I never know what it’s going to be and they keep their cards very close to their [chest] with Marvel. I never know where the character’s going to go, but he’s become more and more and in the next one, you’ll see that what happens to Rhodey is a little bit more intense and pivotal to what happens in the rest of the stories."

One of the more significant moments in the Civil War trailer saw Stark's Iron Man kneeling beside a downed War Machine (see above), and the Russos have already suggested not everyone will make it out alive. Could War Machine "pivotal" role be his death? Is this what brings the Avengers back together? We'll have to wait until April to find out.

"I ultimately like it when we’re there and I’m working with other actors and it’s fun, but it can be very tedious," Cheadle continued. "A lot of time you’re looking at a green screen and a tennis ball on a C-stand, and it could’t be more antithetical to doing what Miles Ahead was, but you just give over to the elements and go, ‘Oh these are the toys and I’m playing with the biggest and best toys’ and we’re flying around and doing stuff that if I was ten years old, I would be having the greatest time in my life."

Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, and starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, Captain America: Civil War opens in UK cinemas on April 29, 2016 and May 6, 2016 in the US.

Images: Marvel

Amon Warmann

Amon is a contributing editor and columnist for Empire magazine, but is also a Film and TV writer for GamesRadar+, Total Film, and others. He has also written for NME, Composer Mag, and more, along with being a film critic for TalkSport. He is also the co-host of the Fade to Black Podcast, and a video mashup creator. Can also do a pretty good Bane impersonation.