Don Cheadle’s Time as War Machine May Have Already Come to an End

The rumor mill might have been churning out reports that Marvel has been planning to develop a War Machine series for Disney+, however, it seems like Don Cheadle may no longer be returning as James Rhodes.

Speaking in a recent interview with the A.V. Club, Cheadle decided to open up about his journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, discussing how he was offered the opportunity to play War Machine and the details behind his contract with Marvel Studios.

"I was actually at my kid's birthday party—a laser tag party—and I got a call from my agent, and they said, 'Hey, so I want to connect you to these Marvel guys. They want to talk to you, but they want to offer you the part.' I don't think it was [Kevin] Feige. I don't know who was on the phone. But they said, 'Hey, this is the role. We want you to do this. It's a six-picture deal.' I was like, 'What?! Oh, uh, okay...' And I'm trying to do the math. I'm like, 'That's 11 or 12 years. I'm not sure.' And they're like, 'Well, we need to know, because if you're not saying yes, then we're gonna move on to the next person. So you've got an hour.'"

While the actor didn't explicitly say that his contract has come to an end, he did say that Marvel originally signed him up for a six-picture deal. Seeing that Cheadle's been Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Captain America: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, it seems like the Marvel star's contract may have already come to an end.

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that Cheadle's time with Marvel is coming to an end. The actor could very well sign another contract with the studio. Stars like Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Jeremy Renner all signed new contracts with Marvel. Why not Cheadle? Unless of course, Marvel no longer needs War Machine in the MCU.

Let's wait and see what Marvel has planned for the actor.

Read: Marvel Gave Don Cheadle Only 2 Hours to Decide on Big War Machine Offer in Iron Man 2