Iron Man: War Machine #[nn]

In "The Masters of Silence," Tony Stark, still recovering from near-fatal injuries, faces a deadly trio of assassins sent to punish him for a nuclear meltdown in Japan caused by faulty parts he designed. With his body weakened, he fights back by remotely piloting his Iron Man armor—then pushes further, crafting a new suit to stand against the silent killers closing in.

When Tony Stark's fate takes a tragic turn, James Rhodes steps into the spotlight, taking the reins of Stark Enterprises and donning the War Machine armor—crafted by Stark himself—now reimagined as the new Iron Man. The weight of legacy and the demands of leadership test Rhodes as he carries forward a mantle built on innovation, duty, and the echoes of a friend.

In "Dust to Dust," the Avengers West Coast face an Iron Man they no longer recognize, while behind the scenes, Kathy Dare's tragic end sends shockwaves through the team. As Abe Zimmer and Erica Sondheim maintain their watch over a cryogenically frozen Tony Stark, the line between identity, legacy, and responsibility begins to blur.

In "Meltdown!", Iron Man faces off against the destructive Atom Smasher, who threatens to obliterate a Stark Enterprise nuclear facility, forcing a high-stakes showdown. Meanwhile, Rhodey finds himself drawn into a new romance with Rae Lacoste as tensions rise both on the battlefield and in the heart of the city.

In "Ground Zero," Rhodey finds himself caught between duty and conscience as he confronts Atom Smasher at a toxic waste site, where the stakes rise when he agrees with the extremist's call to shut down Stark Enterprises' nuclear facilities. With tensions escalating, Morgan Stark manipulates events through Marcy Pearson, planting evidence that implicates Rhodey in Tony Stark's murder—turning allies into suspects and trust into a fragile thing.

In "The Light at the End," Iron Man faces off against the Living Laser in a high-stakes clash that pushes him to his limits. When Abe Zimmer and Erica Sondheim bring a recovering Tony Stark to Rhodey, the revelation of Stark’s survival ignites a rift—Rhodey, furious and betrayed, walks away from the mission.

In "Judgment Day," Iron Man and War Machine face off against a wave of deadly battledroids sent to eliminate Rhodey, forcing a tense showdown that tests their bond. After the fight, Stark admits he kept secrets, and in a moment of reckoning, hands over the War Machine armor—marking a turning point that leaves their friendship hanging in the balance as Rhodey prepares to join the Avengers West Coast.