Marvel’s What If? episode 6 is here, charting a scenario where Killmonger rescues Tony Stark in the Afghan desert. As you can expect, the episode then becomes an alternate retelling of 2008’s Iron Man and 2018’s Black Panther, with some pretty shocking twists thrown in. Of course, a lot of Iron Man’s key supporting characters are here, including James Rhodes a.k.a. War Machine. If his voice sounds familiar, then fear not, as we explain who the War Machine voice actor is, and dig into the spoilers behind his role here.
Does Don Cheadle voice War Machine in What If? Episode 6?
Yes, the War Machine voice actor should sound recognizable, as Don Cheadle returns to voice James Rhodes/Rhodey here.
It’s the second time we’ve seen — or heard — Cheadle as Rhodey this year, following his Emmy-nominated cameo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, his role in this episode of What If? is a lot more substantial, as he is one of the first to pick up on Killmonger’s evil plan.
In fact, War Machine never gets to suit up in his super-powered armor in this adventure. Instead, he’s sadly murdered by Killmonger in the episode’s early stages. Rhodey is one of the few to realize that Killmonger is only protecting Tony Stark for his access to technology. He accompanies Killmonger in a meeting with arms dealer Ulysses Klaue, where he witnesses the soldier’s turn to evil.
Killmonger then kills War Machine, framing T’Challa for the murder to further tensions between America and Wakanda. As such, War Machine’s role is a pretty significant one, even if he isn’t in the episode for too long. Regardless of his grisly end, it’s always nice to see Cheadle reprise his beloved role. We can next expect to see him in the MCU in the Armor Wars series, where he’ll play the starring role.
If you want more What If? we’ve got all the details on whether this episode has a post-credits scene, as well as a look towards episode 7.
