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[b]Name.[/b] Colonel James Rhodes
[b]Alias.[/b] War Machine
[b]Age.[/b] 52
[b]Place of Birth. [/b]Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

[b]Powers. [/b]
James Rhodes is a skilled pilot and an experienced soldier, and also possesses a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He has enough technical skill to do some maintenance of Power Armor and other modern weapon systems.

He operates the War Machine armor, a derivative of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit. It is less sleek and incorporates less cutting edge technology, but what it loses in elegance it makes up for in practicality. War Machine is built with a more modular approach, allowing it to incorporate different systems depending on the mission type. If Iron Man is a race car, War Machine is an armored car. The specific loadout will differ based on the mission, but the suit always has supersonic flight capabilities, repulsor beams, and enhanced strength. His most common add-ons are a missile launcher and a high power gatling gun, often referred to colloquially as his BRRT gun, owing to the noise it makes.


[b]History. [/b]

Colonel James Rhodes’ story starts with going from the mean streets of South Philly to becoming a decorated pilot in the US Marines. His time in the military is what led to him meeting Tony Stark, and his life was never the same afterwards. They were friends even before Stark built his first Iron Man armor, but afterwards they became even closer, with Rhodes being a trusted advisor to Stark and very helpful as a liaison to the US Military. For a while that was all Rhodes was, until Tony’s personal struggle with alcoholism impeded his ability to fulfill his duties as Iron Man; Rhodes stepped into the vacuum and donned a modified version of one of Tony’s old armor designs, becoming War Machine for the first time. 

Now equipped with his own equipped with his own power armor, Rhodes would fight alongside Tony, fighting to make the world safer. It was difficult to balance his loyalty to his friend, his duties as serviceman and his desire to protect the world, but James gave them all his best effort. At one point he took a prolonged break from direct combat because the government thought he would be more useful as part of the Office of National Emergency, serving as commander of a squad of manned Sentinels. The main things this job taught him was how much he missed the action of the front lines.

As soon as he got the chance, James Rhodes jumped back into action, but on his first mission back he had trouble shaking off the rust. While attempting to thwart a terrorist attack, he was injured so severely that he almost died; Tony was able to save his life, but only through heavy use of cybernetic parts. Now less than 50% organic by body mass, Rhodes returned to the action, but never got used to his new augments, always feeling that he was something other than himself. Even with the increased combat capabilities of his cyborg body, Rhodes found himself less and less willing to don the armor, to shut himself inside a metal suit apart from the world.

Just as he was about to retire permanently, a lucky stroke came to James. He found that his DNA had been backed up before his injury, and so he called on Tony for aid one further time. It took a lot tinkering even for Tony, and some irreplaceable salvaged technology stolen from AIM and the High Evolutionary, but Stark was able to come through and perform the minor miracle of giving Rhodes a new, fully human body. Rhodes returned to his duties as War Machine with a new enthusiasm, eager to make a difference at such a pivotal time. With the founding of Krakoa and The Avengers relocation to Avenger’s mountain, things have only gotten more complex, but Rhodes believes he can help, bringing sensible solutions and working with the military powers towards common interests instead of rushing headlong and creating more infighting.


[b]Story Arcs.[/b]

[b]X-Day[/b]: The day he feared arrive as the world sees a confrontation between Krakoa and human forces. Will calmer heads prevail, and will Rhodes be one of the ones pushing for peace or pushing for the use of force?


[b]The Gift of Life[/b]: When a secret about mutants and cheating death is made public, Rhodes joins the outraged masses, becoming one of the public faces of the movement. Inside himself, he feels guilt as the situation brings back memories of his own luck with avoiding death.
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