War Machine #15
Wartime!
Now
War Machine has been enlisted to assist SHIELD on a raid on a Neo-Nazi facility in Santiago, Chile. Leading the charge is SHIELD director Nick Fury himself, who insists on using lethal force because there is far too much at stake and the enemy doesn’t deserve their mercy. War Machine, however, chooses only to incapacitate their foes as he has his own code to live by.[1] As they fight their way through the crowds of enemy soldiers, War Machine thinks about how he got into this situation to begin with…
Two Days Earlier
War Machine had just returned to the WorldWatch offices after his missions in Slorenia and San Revilla to find Nick Fury waiting for him.[2] But, before getting down to business, Fury starts off berating Rhodes for all the trouble he has caused on the global stage as War Machine.[3] Eventually, they get to the point of Fury’s appearance. He has become aware of group of Neo-Nazis that are up to something in Santiago, Chile, that SHIELD wants to investigate. He wanted to inform WorldWatch since they sent their own operative, Sheva Joseph, into the region itself.[4] Hearing that there is a group of Neo-Nazis operating in the area and that they might have captured Sheva, Jim insists on tagging along despite Fury’s protests.
Now
War Machine and SHIELD have cleared out the Neo-Nazi base and secured the facility. There agent Kirby Martell has uncovered that the group had developed a time machine and using it to send troops and equipment into the past, but she doesn’t know where. However, Fury has a pretty good idea where they went and insists on going back in time to stop whatever plan they are scheming. However, the time transport requires the occupants to be wearing some kind of shielding. Since War Machine’s armor can probably protect him for the trip, Jim volunteers to go instead, telling Fury that he can’t go back in time because he’s already there.
War Machine then steps on the time platform and as Agent Martell fires it up, Fury wishes him godspeed.
Berlin, Germany, 1941[5]
Jim Rhodes suddenly materializes in the middle of the street without his War Machine armor. He is quickly caught by Nazi soldiers but before they can take him prisoner they are mowed down by Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos. Jim is surprised to see this era’s version of Fury but follows along as they make their retreat to the Commando’s secret hideout.
There, Jim is reunited with Sheva Joseph who has managed to convince the Howlers that she is from the future. She gets Jim up to date on what’s going on, explaining that during the war the Nazis had plotted a back up plan in the event that they lost the war. This plan included setting up a secret Nazi operation in Santiago, Chile whose sole purpose was to amass weapons until time travel became possible. They would then use a time machine to bring the weapons of the future to the past to help the Nazis win the war. Their job is to stop the Nazis from utilizing these weapons to conquer the world and change the future. She also explains that the reason why Jim was separated from his War Machine armor during the time jump was due to the fact that inorganic matter gets displaced unless it is sent through the time stream with a special electronic stabilizer. Fearing that the War Machine armor might fall into Nazi hands, Sheva insists that they need to recover it as soon as possible.
That’s when Captain America and Bucky return from a scouting mission and report seeing the War Machine armor at a Nazi facility being examined. Cap and Bucky then lead Fury and Jim to the location so the War Machine armor can be recovered. While they keep the guards distracted outside, Jim and Fury sneak inside and find the War Machine armor. Rhodes is relieved when he suits up and finds everything in proper working order. However, moments later they are ambushed by a Nazi soldier in a reversed engineered suit of Nazi Iron Man armor calling himself V3. Jim is shocked when Fury gets mowed down and dies. As War Machine worries how this will affect the timeline, V3 tells the hero not to worry as he’ll be joining Fury soon enough.
Recurring Characters
(Earth-616) War Machine, Sheva Joseph, SHIELD (Nick Fury, Kirby Martell), WorldWatch (Rebecca Bergier, Ranald Jeffries, Paula Lin), (Earth-95615) Howling Commandos (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan) Captain America, Bucky, Nazis (V3)
Continuity Notes
War Machine swore off killing opponents as of War Machine #7 after it became too easy to take lives while liberating the nation of Imaya. See War Machine #1-4.
War Machine was dragged to Tblunka, Slorenia by Locomotive Breath last issue. He later went on to engage in a conflict in San Revella in the Vicious Circle storyline which took place in Force Works #12, the 2nd story of this issue, and Iron Man #317.
Fury mentions how he once offered Jim a job with SHIELD. Jim turned down the offer in Iron Man #282.
Fury mentions how Joseph was a former SHIELD agent. She quit the spy agency in War Machine #4 to come work for WoldWatch.
Because of the changes to the timeline caused by the Neo-Nazis, this reality will become divergent from Earth-616. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #5 this timeline has been designated Reality-95615.
Topical References
The present day is stated as taking place in the year 1995, the year this comic was published. This should be considered a topical reference due to the Sliding Timescale. On the same token, it is stated that World War II ended about fifty years prior to the main story. The length of time between the end of the war and the start of the Modern Age will continue to change. Click here if you want to figure out the math behind that.
Vicious Circle Part 2: Face of the Enemy
This story continues from Force Works #12…
War Machine has been dispatched to San Revilla, Central America, to assist the local government in stopping a group of rebels known as the Shadow. Confronting the group as they raid a facility he discovers that the group is being assisted by his friend and former Avenger, Hawkeye!
War Machine demands to know why the bowman is fighting for the other side. Clint tries to explain the Shadow’s position but War Machine is ambushed by Striker, the team’s bruiser. The blow from behind damages War Machine’s weapon delivery system forcing him to fight hand-to-hand while the auto-repair systems kick in. While War Machine is busy, Hawkeye revives Sundance and says they are bugging out as he is aborting the mission. When War Machine tries to stop them again, Hawkeye fires a incendiary arrow at barrels of flammable chemicals causing an explosion that distracts War Machine long enough for him and the Shadows to escape.
However, this isn’t much of a defeat as War Machine is able to track the energy signature emitted from Sundance’s light amplification device. He fellows it back to the Shadow camp where he hides out in Hawkeye’s tent until the bowman enters. Jim confronts his friend and demands to know why he is helping the rebels in this region. As it turns out, the Shadows have the backing of the United States government. Clint explains that he needed a job to feel like a hero again after the loss of his wife Bobbi Morse.[1] Rhodes points out that the Shadows are killers, saying that Striker killed the fiancée of a friend of his.[2] Hawkeye doesn’t believe that the Shadows are killing innocent people. Jim warns him to stop siding with them or he’ll stop him hard.
War Machine then takes off and heads to the Shadow’s next target, the local airport. There, he scans that area and sees that there are no soldiers here, only refugees (and Luke Bergier) trying to get out of the country. This makes Jim realize that Hawkeye’s source is feeding him misinformation and leading them to slaughter innocent civilians. Tracking the data source to the capital in Cuidad Revilla, War Machine forces his way inside to confront the man in charge. He is shocked to discover that the man in charge is the so-called Advisor, the man responsible for stoking the recent civil war in Imaya as well as the death of Jim’s friend Vincent Cetewayo.[3] The Advisor gleefully explains that his goals in San Rivera are even more insidious than last time as he wants to accomplish nothing short of the utter annihilation of the country. War Machine attempts to blast the Advisor, but his weapons pass harmlessly through the madman. The Advisor mocks War Machine’s futile attempts at stopping war, saying he is but one man against an army, but Jim vows to stop this mad scheme.
Later, Hawkeye and the Shadows arrive at the airport, there the bowman orders his trainees to destroy planes and leave the people alone. Moments later, War Machine arrives on the scene to try and convince Clint that they are being used. However, before he can explain the truth, they are ambushed by a pair of government backed super-humans known as Hazzerd and Troubleshooter. Worse, they are being led into battle by yet another former Avenger, the US Agent!
… This story continues in Iron Man #317.
Recurring Characters
War Machine, Hawkeye, US Agent, Advisor, Shadow (Sundance, Striker), Luke Bergier, Hazzerd, Troubleshooter
Continuity Notes
Hawkeye believes his wife, Mockingbird, was killed during a fight with Mephisto in Avengers West Coast #100. In reality, this was a Skrull impostor who took her place circa Avengers West Coast #91, per New Avengers: The Reunion #2. Clint won’t learn the truth until Secret Invasion #8.
This would be Cindy, the fiancée of freelance photojournalist Luke Bergier as seen in Force Works #12.
The Advisor instigated the uprising in Imaya in War Machine #1-4. As of this writing in November, 2022, his motivations and goals have yet to be explained.
