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The most shocking moment of the civil war deserves much more attention

The most shocking moment of the civil war deserves much more attention

Summary

  • Rhodey was seriously injured and paralyzed by Vision in
    Captain America: Civil War
    .
  • The Marvel Cinematic Universe barely addresses Rhodey’s paralysis in later appearances, thereby overlooking a crucial aspect of his character.
  • The
    Armament wars
    The film offers the MCU an opportunity to explore Rhodey’s disability and his intelligence in dealing with it.



The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a lot going for it, but like any franchise, some of its decisions are purely down to luck. One major issue currently facing the Cinematic Universe is the situation of Rhodey, aka War Machine. The late Tony Stark’s best friend and his partner in all things armor, Rhodey has participated in nearly every major Avengers event since the team’s inception. However, he suffered a serious injury during the events of. Captain America: Civil WarDuring a battle among the Avengers, Rhodey was wounded so badly that he lost the use of his legs below the waist.


While this was an important moment in the film and helped fuel the animosity between both sides of the Avengers, Rhodey was ultimately left with a life-changing new reality. Yet in his later appearances in the MCU, the films and series seem to gloss over this fact. It’s almost as if he’s no longer paralyzed at all. Granted, there’s a logical explanation for this, but it’s also a missed opportunity not to focus on it as an important part of Rhodey’s character development. Marvel would do well to focus more on his paralysis, especially since he’ll be the main character in the upcoming Marvel series. Armament wars Movie.


Rhodey was one of the greatest victims of the Civil War

War machine injured

  • Rhodey was injured during Captain America: Civil War.
  • He was accidentally shot out of the sky by Vision.
  • This paralyzed him from the waist down.

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Shortly after the battle against Ultron, which left the country of Sokovia severely damaged by the fallout from the conflict, governments around the world began to question whether it was a safe idea to leave the Avengers as an uncontrolled international superpower. These debates turned into full-scale calls for regulation after another tragedy in which several Wakandan social workers were killed while the Avengers attempted to capture the terrorist known as Crossbones. With the eyes of the world upon them and facing the consequences of their own actions, the Avengers were forced to either submit to government control and regulation or risk being viewed as criminals by the world’s governments.


Rhodey was in favor of signing those Sokovia Accords. He felt that the responsible way to handle their power was to exist in a hierarchy. To him, the Avengers were still humans who could make mistakes, and it seemed like a good idea to work with people who could perhaps offer better insight. Perhaps it was the military man in him who wanted to add a little more structure to a group that was largely reactionary in its endeavors. As well-intentioned as his decision was, it unfortunately coincided with Baron Zemo’s attempts to sabotage the Avengers. The angry Sokovian had made it his mission to get the Avengers to kill each other. The Sokovia Accords were the perfect setting for his revenge. He caused an explosion that killed many people and pinned the blame on Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. He knew this would set Captain America on the path to saving his friend, thus creating a conflict between the Avengers who wanted to sign the Accords and those who did not.


Unfortunately, the Avengers fell for his ruse. Captain America fled with Bucky to clear his name and prevent what he believed to be Zemo’s plan. This brought him into conflict with Iron Man’s Avengers faction, and Rhodey helped him attempt to capture Captain America, pursuing him as he fled in a Quinjet. What no one could have anticipated was that Vision, usually so precise, would make an error in judgment. His concern for the injured Wanda Maximoff distracted him so much that he misjudged a beam he aimed at Falcon. The beam struck Rhodey’s arc reactor, sending him plummeting from the sky. Despite Iron Man and Falcon’s best efforts, Rhodey crashed, and the impact severely injured his spine, paralyzing him from the waist down.

How the MCU completely ignores Rhodey’s paralysis


  • Tony Stark gave Rhodey leg braces so he could walk.
  • He got used to her within two years.
  • In his later appearances, however, his disability is hardly addressed.

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After the Avengers Civil War, Tony developed a set of leg braces that allowed Rhodey to walk around. At the end of the film, it was shown that he was still getting used to them, but was gradually getting the hang of it. This little assistance from his best friend explains how Rhodey is later able to move around. He would also incorporate this technology into his War Machine suit, allowing him to participate in battles alongside his allies. While this explains his ability to walk, it doesn’t justify his paralyzed condition being fundamentally overlooked.


Now we fast forward about two years to when Thanos finally made his move to claim the rest of the Infinity Stones. Rhodey is seen as the leader of the Avengers and seems to be doing well. To a certain extent, that makes sense. Rhodey is a hardworking man and has probably used those two years to get used to life with the braces. He wouldn’t mention it at every opportunity. It may not be ideal, but it’s a part of his life now and he’s adapted to it well. In that regard, the MCU has done Rhodey justice by not letting him view his paralysis as something that limits him. In fact, he has helped others with their concerns by giving Nebula a little nudge regarding her cybernetic implants when he received the Power Stone in Avengers: Endgame.


The complete invisibility, however, is arguably just as problematic. Here’s a main character with a disability, and it’s barely seen. You can’t blame anyone for wondering if it even happened. Rhodey has been through as much of the last few Phase 3 films as anyone, but a key aspect of his daily life is ignored. Granted, he’s not the focus, so audiences can’t expect him to go through every aspect of his life. There’s been little mention of how he’s emotionally adapted to the situation. Rhodey was a very active person before his injury, so realizing he’s lost mobility in his legs must have been traumatic in its own way. This was also missed by the MCU, depriving fans of an excellent opportunity to get a glimpse into Rhodey’s psychological and physical journey. Thankfully, Marvel has a chance to rectify all of this in the future.


How Armor Wars Could Cause Rhodey’s Paralysis

Concept art for war machine

  • The arms wars could cause Rhodey’s paralysis again.
  • He was shown maintaining his leg braces, demonstrating his technical talent.

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Knowing that Rhodey will be the main character in the upcoming Armament wars The film offers a unique opportunity to explore how this disability affects Rhodey’s life. The film itself focuses on Rhodey’s attempts to protect Tony Stark’s technology and legacy from those who would try to appropriate it for greedy reasons. It creates a scenario where Rhodey is not the side figure to Tony’s grandiosity, but someone who gets to show off his own intellect to the audience. There is even good evidence that Rhodey is more than just a gifted pilot.


Rhodey wears a “brass rat,” MIT’s school ring, suggesting he got his master’s degree from a school famous for engineering. This shows a high intellect that would likely have been dwarfed by Tony’s at the time, but is still something Rhodey could draw on in this film. The leg brace would be a way to showcase those talents. With Tony gone, Rhodey would likely have to maintain the braces himself, make sure they stay functional, and maybe even improve them over time. This assumes he hasn’t been doing this for some time already. Rhodey is independent of Tony, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if he’s learned to maintain the braces himself in the years since his injury.


This would be a wonderful way to remind audiences that Rhodey is a man with a disability, but one who is determined and intelligent enough not to let it stop him from living his life to the fullest. There is a certain heroism in adapting to the circumstances that life deals to people, and the fact that Rhodey helped his friends save the world and the universe on multiple occasions despite not being able to use his legs properly is just incredible. He deserves recognition for that, and hopefully the MCU will give him that recognition.