Major Marvel project "in danger" of cancellation; may be scrapped altogether

Over the past few months, it really has felt like Marvel Studios is starting to stage a comeback. The franchise had an uncharacteristically rough year in 2023 after the underperformances of both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels, and the critical failure of Disney Plus series Secret Invasion. But after pumping the breaks and focusing on quality over quantity, it's beginning to look like things are turning around.

The release of Deadpool and Wolverine this year is sure to bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe the success it once knew, while the studio has also made some exciting revelations about upcoming Disney Plus shows Agatha All Along, Ironheart, and Daredevil: Born Again. That's not even taking the highly-successful release of X-Men '97 or the other multiple upcoming titles into account.

In the midst of all of that, there is an MCU project that is often forgotten about (even though it has undergone multiple iterations), and now a new report suggests that Marvel Studios may cancel it altogether.

Armor Wars reportedly in danger of cancellation

According to a new report from Marvel scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Marvel has been seriously considering cancelling Armor Wars. The movie is set to star Don Cheadle, who reprises his role as James "Rhodey" Rhodes as he deals with the aftermath of Tony Stark's death, particularly the dangers of what could happen when Iron Man's technology falls into the wrong hands.

This wouldn't be the first time that Armor Wars' future has been in question. The project was originally envisioned as a Disney Plus series but after a lengthy period without any updates, Marvel revealed that it had been reimagined as a movie instead. That decision was met with some raised eyebrows, because even though a film would ensure a much tighter story, was it wise to make it a theatrical release when the MCU wasn't in its strongest phase anymore (and "superhero fatigue" was beginning to set in)?

It's possible that this too is a thought process that the-powers-that-be at Marvel Studios have also been having, because after that announcement, all has once again been quiet on the Armor Wars front. In fact, it's one of the only confirmed MCU projects to have never been given a date on the upcoming slate of movies and TV shows.

While it's important to wait for Marvel Studios themselves to make any announcements about Armor Wars' future, this new report isn't entirely unsurprising. If it is true, we're just hoping that they ultimately decide against cancelling the project (and perhaps even revert it back to its original form as a Disney Plus series).

Has the writing been on the wall for Armor Wars this whole time?

We mentioned that Armor Wars has had a pretty unusual journey for a movie that has yet to make it to the screen, going through multiple reinventions and yet still not having much to offer in terms of news or updates. It's been disheartening for fans of Rhodey because this is a character who deserved a solo project a very long time ago.

The irony here is that Rhodey has actually been one of the more semi-regular classic MCU characters to feature in Phases Four and Five, appearing in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in a guest capacity (which earned Don Cheadle an Emmy nomination), What If...?, and Secret Invasion. And yet there still hasn't been much word on his solo project.

To make matters worse, the treatment of his character in Secret Invasion was widely criticized as it was revealed that he had been secretly a Skrull in disguise since an unknown time (most likely after Captain America: Civil War). It was supposed to be a game-changer of a reveal, but it only ended up retroactively hurting the MCU as it raised questions about whether Rhodey was present for Tony Stark's death, perhaps even undercutting the poignant moment the two shared in Avengers: Endgame.

You can see why that would impact the emotional gravity of a show like Armor Wars, a show focused on Rhodey preserving Tony's legacy. While there is no question that he would do that, a number of fans would have a hard time investing in it when we don't even know when the real Rhodey was replaced by a Skrull.

Perhaps this is the reason why we haven't heard much about Armor Wars in recent months (and why all has been particularly quiet from Marvel about the project since Secret Invasion came out). With the Disney Upfronts giving MCU fans some clarity on previously undated projects like Agatha, Ironheart, and Daredevil, Armor Wars once again sticks out as the project with an uncertain future.

We'll have to wait and see what happens with the movie's fate, but let's hope that Marvel ultimately decides against cancelling it and finds a way to bring it to a screen (and preferably retcon Secret Invasion's twist while they're at it).