War Machine was notably absent during the chaotic Battle of New York between the Avengers and Loki, but he has a valid reason for not being able to lend a hand to Iron Man. The Avengers (2012) was an integral part of the entire MCU franchise, serving as the first team-up of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
With the release of the two-issue miniseries Iron Man 3 Prelude by Christos Gage, Steve Kurth, Drew Geraci, and Chris Sotomayor, fans would discover what James Rhodes was up to while he was away from the action in New York.
War Machine Fought The Ten Rings In Hong Kong
It turns out War Machine was also taking part in a fight across the globe. The terrorist organization Ten Rings, which abducted Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008), was in action in Hong Kong carrying various weaponry. Rhodes had to deal with this, so, he could not fight aliens side by side with the Avengers.
The Ten Rings is a powerful group that cannot be ignored. The growing arsenal of weapons that the terrorist group possesses is more advanced than what they had in the first movie. Had War Machine chosen to help the Avengers, Hong Kong would have fallen into the hands of the evil men.
In the Iron Man 3 Prelude issue, Stark said to Rhodes, “If it’s not too much trouble, d’you think you could maybe high-tail it to New York in the next, oh, I don’t know… five minutes?” Rhodes would subsequently respond, “I’m in Asia. Even at supersonic it’ll take me an hour or so. You all right?”
This story gives Rhodes his own massive character moment. His presence in Hong Kong also proved that the Ten Rings had already established their presence globally, making them even more dangerous. The group would later reemerge in Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Ten Rings Sought To Destroy Iron Man After Fighting War Machine
After the successful Battle of Hong Kong, War Machine went over to New York to see what the fuss Tony Stark was talking about, only to witness another battle had taken place. When he arrived, the fight against Loki and the Chitauri was already over, and the Avengers were now enjoying their shawarma.
Little did Rhodes know that the Ten Rings managed to scan his armor during the fight, obtaining all the necessary information that would help them destroy Iron Man.
The Ten Rings managed to lurk behind the shadows, and they had maintained an underground presence despite their more than a decade-long existence in the MCU.
