War Machine #23
Wish Upon a Star
This story continues from Force Works #20…
Iron Man has betrayed the Avengers and Force Works to Kang the Conqueror.[1] As the two teams deal with Tony Stark on Earth, War Machine heads into space to shut down the Starcore Satellite recently put into orbit by Stark Enterprises as it is hiding one of Kang’s doomsday machines.[2]
Jim is able to reach escape velocity with ease in his new Ediolon Warwear suit. Once he has located the Starcore satellite it tries to keep him at bay with an array of laser defenses. These weapons are no match for Rhodes’ detachable drones. Once past the laser defenses, Jim uses his Warwear to hack into the airlock and gain access to the inside. Attaching his drone to the tunks of network cable, Jim is then able to track the flow of data so he can find where the central computer database is located so he can shut the satellite down.
As he follows the signal, War Machine is surprised when he runs into Skye, the mystery woman who seems to know but has told him very little about his new suit of Warwear. While she is still playing coy with him, she does reveal that her employer saw the coming threat posed by Tony Stark and that after Jim lost his original suit of War Machine armor arranged for him to obtain the Warwear.[3][4] However, Jim refuses to be an executioner of his best friend and demands to know more about Skye’s mysterious employer. She assures him that all will be revealed in due time (HA!) and tells him to stay focused on the task at hand since Earth is still in peril from the weapon aboard this satellite. Jim is well aware of the task at hand, since he was present when Force Works shut down the component of the Siege Perilous that was hidden beneath their headquarters.
When the pair finally reach the control computer they quickly discover that Kang has someone aboard the satellite to defend it. This is a brand new foe calling himself Dirge who just so happens to have his own suit of Warwear. However, Dirge is far more skilled in the control of such technology and is easily able to force War Machine onto the defensive. Skye manages to grab a massive blaster and shoots Dirge with it so Jim can stop being on the defensive. Annoyed by her interference, Dirge forms a spear from his Warwear and throws it at Skye, impaling her to a nearby all.
When War Machine tries to attack Dirge directly, he creates a massive swarm of tiny drones that quickly surround him. Jim quickly burns them away with an energy flare. The two warriors then clash in hand-to-hand combat. Ultimately, War Machine gets Dirge in a bear hug and both of their suits of Warwear try to overpower each other. Suddenly, Jim’s mind is flooded images of Dirge’s mind which show him fighting for Kang across time and space with his Warwear. This gives way to memories from Jim’s own Warwear’s past.[5] He sees that the suit has been used to defend the universe from alien threats such as the Brood and that he has inherited the legacy of the Eidolon race, a warrior race that is long dead. Eventually, Jim snaps out of this dream state and fights back against Dirge. The Warwear then takes over, causing Dirge’s own suit to overload and self destruct, killing him. While his Warwear sings in victory, Jim finds no joy in killing an enemy.
With Dirge defeated, War Machine frees Skye from the wall but she has been mortally wounded. Before Dirge’s energies blow up the space station she tells Jim to take her to the radio telescope. On the monitors she shows him the Eidolon galaxy saying that in order to understand the Warwear he will have to understand its creators. Although this suggests that Jim’s destiny lies in the stars he tells her that he has a lot of things on Earth to deal with before. She tells him not to leave it too long because only death can separate his bond from the Warwear from now on. She then warns him that his days are numbered as her master is coming. Moments later, Skye dies in his arms.[6] Moments later, the energies unleashed by Dirge’s self-destructing Warwear causes the Starcore satellite to explode and War Machine rides the waves back down to Earth.
Back on Earth, SHIELD agent Kirby Martell has been trying for hours to read Jim Rhodes but nobody knows where he is. This is because his friend Sheva Joseph has been rapidly aging due to “time fatigue” during a recent trip into the past and she doesn’t have a lot of time left. Sheva sees a flash of light in the sky (the destruction of the Starcore satellite) and suggests that they wish upon the new star in the heavens.
… This story continues in Avengers #394.
Recurring Characters
War Machine, Skye, Kirby Martell, Sheva Joseph, Brood (flashback)
Continuity Notes
At the time of this story someone murdered Yellowjacket and Marilla by a traitor within the Avengers, as seen in Avengers: The Crossing #1. Hawkeye was framed for the killings in Force Works #17. As we learned in Iron Man #323, the real killer is actually Iron Man, who is being manipulated by what appeasers to be Kang the Conqueror. In reality, this is later revealed to be Immortus in disguise and part of plot to manipulate the destiny of the Avengers, as explained in Avengers Forever #8.
Tony Stark was contracted by the government to build the new Starcore satellite in Iron Man #319-320. It was discovered to be part of “Kang’s” temporal doomsday machine in Force Works #20.
Mentioned is made to how Jim lost his original War Machine armor. Jim lost his original War Machine armor in War Machine #15-17 during a trip through time. The suit will be found by Parnell Jacobs and will resurface in Iron Man (vol. 3) #11-12 and 18-20. Since then, Jim obtained the Warwear in War Machine #18-19, but has decided to keep his new identity a secret for the time being.
The identity of Skye’s employer, and their true motivations and plans are never really revealed as of this writing in November, 2022. However, given how Avengers Forever #8 reveals that The Crossing was all one massive deception to manipulate the destiny of the Avengers, it’s entirely possible that Skye is an agent of Immortus and he arranged for Jim to get the Warwear.
Given that The Crossing was all one big deception, the true nature of Dirge is also unrevealed. Was he really someone with a suit of Warwear tricked by Immortus into thinking he was serving Kang? Or was he just another Space Phantom playing a role? As of this writing this remains a mystery.
Except Jim’s connection with the Warwear is cut short without death getting involved at all. As we’ll see in Tales of the Marvel Universe #1, Jim sacrifices his Warwear in order to purge all the data on Iron Man tech from Stark Enterprise just after it was purchased by the Fujikawa Corporation. We never learn about this destiny in the stars are all about, nor who Skye’s employer is, as dire and life changing as she made it sound. Which supports my theory that this was more deceptions created by Immortus.
Sheva and War Machine went back in time to World War II in War Machine #15-17. At the time Kirby Martell warned them that they may experience “time fatigue” as a result. Sheva started showing symptoms in issue #19 that will continue to plague her until death in War Machine #24.
The Crossing Reading Order
Avengers #390, Iron Man #319, Avengers: The Crossing #1, Force Works #16, Iron Man #320, Avengers #391, Iron Man #321, Force Works #17, Avengers #392, War Machine #20, Iron Man #322, Force Works #18, War Machine #21, Iron Man #323, Avengers #393, Force Works #19, War Machine #22, Iron Man #324, Force Works #20, War Machine #23, Avengers #394, Avengers: Timeslide #1, Iron Man #325, Avengers #395, Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man #1