It’s 2013 and “Iron Man 3” has just hit theaters. The feature film introduces a brand new armor, worn by James Rhodes: Iron Patriot. But did you know that in the comics, it is carried by a totally different character? Explanations.
Iron Man 3 : the MCU post-Avengers
After directing the first two parts of the trilogy, Jon Favreau quits directingIron Man 3 to make way for Shane Black. The opportunity for the latter to find Robert Downey Jr. years after their collaboration on kiss kiss bang bang. Iron Man 3 was released in 2013 and is therefore the first film to take place after the events of the first Avengers. Tony Stark is still reeling from his confrontation with Loki and his army, and falls into a heavy, existential depression. In addition, he must face the Mandarin, who seems to want to destroy the Iron Man symbol.
Without being considered the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Iron Man 3 was a huge success for Marvel Studios. It is the firm’s first solo film to cross the billion-dollar mark in worldwide box office receipts (more than 1.2 billion). It is also the first MCU film to be distributed by Disneyshortly after Mickey bought the Marvel catalog from Paramount.
Iron Man 3 is also a way to reveal a new facet of James Rhodes, Tony Stark’s lifelong friend. In effect, the character played by Don Cheadle swap the costume of War Machine fromIron Man 2 against that of Iron Patriot. Colonel Rhodes decides to work for the United States government, which provides him with brand new armor in the colors of the American flag. A strong marketing move that allows the character to have a whole new look. Except that in the comics, Iron Patriot’s identity is totally different.
Small focus on the creation of Iron Patriot
In the comics, it’s 2009, shortly after the crossover Secret Invasion. Readers already know this, but this massive crossover ends in victory for the humans against the Skrulls (what a surprise). But the cost of this victory is high. Many heroes find death, but above all, it’s Norman Osborn, aka The Green Goblin, who comes to put the final blow to the alien invasion. A gesture that allows him to gain the confidence of the government, which then decides to place him at the head of the HAMMER (the descendant of SHIELD).
Norman Osborn then decided to create his own Avengers. He hires ex-villains and ambiguous heroes to mount the Dark Avengers, a fearsome team consisting of Venom (who pretends to be Spider-Man), Daken (who pretends to be Wolverine), Sentry, Ares, Opale (who pretends to be Carole Danvers) and finally by Norman Osborn himself. The latter obtains a superb armor from the government: Iron Patriot.
Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, this armor, which mixes the symbols of Iron Man and Captain America, thus becomes the new identity of Norman Osborn. After a few years of hegemony, Norman Osborn ends up losing control of his new false superheroic activity when he decides to attack Asgard (then installed on Earth) in Seat. An action that results in the defeat of Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers.
Afterwards, James Rhodes decides to wear the Iron Patriot armor for a while (before resuming that of War Machine) in an attempt to restore its image and that of the government. The character even got his own soberly titled series Iron Patriot.
What says Iron Patriot
In Iron Man 3, even if it is not Norman Osborn who wears Iron Patriot, the treatment of the character is much the same. This armor (more in the comics than in the film) allows pointing fingers at the workings of a corrupt government, out of breath, who can no longer find a solution to protect and serve his people. It’s a way to criticize American politics by hijacking the two iconic symbols that are Iron Man and Captain America’s silver star.
One way to explain how the notion of superheroes can become a political and military threat. A way also to remember that any hero can become an enemy, and vice versa. Anyway, that’s what it says Iron Patriot in the comics. In the movie, Iron Patriot’s armor is full of flaws, and is mostly a tool for false advertising. Showmanship in the service of an obsolete and propagandist policy. And James Rhodes realizes it quite quickly.
