How WandaVision Could Launch MCU Phase 4's Armor Wars
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for WandaVision episode 9, "The Series Finale..."
WandaVision paved the way for several fantastical adventures — but it could also set up more grounded MCU Phase 4 efforts like the upcoming Armor Wars. After a decade of box office domination, Marvel Studios sought to conquer streaming platforms. Bringing cinematic storytelling to the small screen, the intention was to more richly explore the movies' supporting characters. In the inaugural Disney+ offering, Scarlet Witch and Vision were granted the spotlight. The move paid off greatly, with WandaVision becoming the biggest show in the world. As well as telling a deep standalone story of grief, it was confirmed that WandaVision would tie directly into such movies as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Further down the line in Phase 4, Armor Wars will do the same for James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Now played by Don Cheadle, the character has been a part of the MCU since the very beginning. Eventually becoming the hero War Machine, he recurred throughout multiple films. As a survivor of Thanos' infamous snap, Rhodey most recently played a prominent role in Avengers: Endgame. As of yet, his solo series hasn't received an official release date. However, Armor Wars was announced to follow the same-titled comic book storyline. Bringing Iron Man's greatest fear to life, more and more of his tech will fall into the wrong hands. As a result, Rhodey will take it upon himself to discover how that came to be and get it back.
For all its witchcraft battles, reality-bending magic, and multiverse implications, WandaVision maintained threads within more grounded aspects of the MCU. This was mostly embodied by S.W.O.R.D. Overseen by Tyler Hayward, the agency sought to bring the dead Vision back online as their own sentient weapon. After many failed attempts, they ultimately succeeded by harnessing some of Wanda's magical energy. As such, the WandaVision episode 8 post-credits scene unveiled White Vision, before he was unleashed and almost killed Wanda in the finale. Though Vision wasn't as much a purely Tony Stark creation as his various suits, Stark still had a significant hand in the synthezoid's genesis. Equally, despite Vision's role in Rhodey's Captain America: Civil War accident, the two were friends and allies. As such, S.W.O.R.D.'s actions would not sit at all well with him.
It's left unclear whether S.W.O.R.D. was entrusted with Vision's corpse or acquired it dubiously. Either way, they blatantly misused it and went against his established wishes, not to mention the Sokovia Accords. In the words of Jimmy Woo: "He didn't want to be anybody's weapon." It was an example of everything Tony became Iron Man to prevent and a testament to the mistakes Stark sacrificed his life to atone for. If it hadn't been for Westview Vision battling and then reasoning with him, White Vision could've racked up untold collateral damage. Worse still, Ultron-style methods may have been utilized to achieve his directives. And yet S.W.O.R.D. didn't care for the possible consequences, only their agenda. They not only dishonored Vision's memory but almost tarnished Stark's legacy - and still might.
Depending on where the show falls in the MCU timeline, Rhodey's appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier could touch on this fact. At the very least, what happened to Vision could push War Machine forward in his eventual goal. After all, if something like this could happen to Vision without his knowledge, he'd have to wonder what else he'd missed. As such, these elements of WandaVision could be what prompt him to be more vigilant, investigate and monitor more rigorously, and lead to whatever conspiracy will be uncovered in Armor Wars. Furthermore, what S.W.O.R.D. did with Vision violated the Sokovia Accords that Rhodey fought and almost died for. As such, following directly from that story could make War Machine's journey even more complex — since aspects of his own country and the government he has served are potentially guilty parties.
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