War Machine #25
The Kiss Off
Following the death of his friend Sheva Joseph, Jim Rhodes is confronted by SHEILD who wants to take him into custody to examine the Eidolon Warwear that has bonded to his body and determine if it is a threat to humanity.[1][2] When Jim refuses to go with them, Agent Groom attacks him in a suit of Mandroid armor. Jim shifts into his Warwear form and easily incapacitates Groom’s armor, but spares his life, as he isn’t worth killing.
With the battle over, Jim asks Ranald Jeffries to allow him to take a leave of absence from WorldWatch so he can sort out his life. Jeffries gives Jim his blessing. Before he leaves, Kirby Martell apologizes for what happened, saying that this is a greater symptom of the changes happening at SHIELD after Nick Fury’s death.[3]
Jim leaves the hospital with his estranged girlfriend Rae LaCoste. The two then check into a hotel to catch up on missed time. After getting some room service, Jim apologizes for not being as present, telling her about how he got caught up in time travel, the Warwear, and a war against Kang the Conqueror in short order.[4][5] That’s when the subject of Jim having an illegitimate son comes up.[6] Jim insists that he knew nothing about this and wonders if his parents might have made it up because they didn’t approve of him dating Rae. However, he has many more important things to sort out, specifically surrounding the Warwear and tells Rae that he is going to need some time to focus on dealing with all of this. Rae understands and promises to wait for him.
Soon, Jim returns to his apartment to pack his bags and figure out his first steps on his next journey in life. He comes across a recent photo of himself with Hawkeye and US Agent and thinks about how easy things were not so long ago.[7] That’s when another SHIELD agent in a Mandroid suit comes smashing in through his apartment to apprehend him. Jim is still unwilling to surrender and changes into War Machine. He trounces the Mandroid and heads outside to find Agent Groom waiting for him with a whole army of Mandroids. Rhodes is unphased by this and when Groom says he will hunt War Machine to the ends of the Earth, Jim tells him to bring it on. As he clashes with the Mandroids, his Warwear assumes a new more powerful form and soundly defeats them. He leaves Agent Groom standing there with his mouth hanging open in the aftermath of the battle.
Reverting back to human form, Jim meets up with Rae who is waiting for him in her car a few blocks away. When she asks him what took so long, he tells her that he had some unfinished business to settle. When Rae asks where they’re going next, Jim tells her that they’ll make it up as they go along.
Recurring Characters
War Machine, SHIELD (Agent Groom, Kirby Martel), Ranald Jeffries, Rae LaCoste
Continuity Notes
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 last issue.
On his return trip from World War II, Jim lost his original War Machine armor in War Machine #15-17 in the time stream. 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.
At the time of this story, everyone believes that Fury was murdered by the Punisher in Double Edge Omega #1. However, it’s later revealed that this was just as Life Model Decoy and the real Fury will be recovered from another dimension in Fury/Agent 13 #1-2.
Jim arranged for Rae to meet his family in War Machine #11. Jim was then sucked into a battle with the Rush Club in issues #12-14 and wasn’t there when Rae arrived to meet his parents. At the time, Jim’s parents didn’t like the idea of him dating Rae for some unknown reason. They told Rae something that had her deeply upset because Jim never mentioned anything about it previously. This is issue is the first time the two have been together since that incident.
This is a reference to The Crossing that took place over Avengers #390-395, Iron Man #319-324, Avengers: The Crossing #1, Force Works #16-20, War Machine #20-23, Avengers: Timeslide #1, and Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man #1.
Rae explains that Jim’s parents told her that he has a son and the reason why they didn’t approve of him dating Rae is because they had hoped he would raise the boy with his biological mother. However, as of this writing (November, 2022) this revelation has never been explored or explained any further. War Machine’s most recent profile in Iron Manual Mark 3 #1 states that he has an alleged son. Since we have seen War Machine’s parents again since then (notably in War Machine (vol. 2) and Iron Patriot) and the subject of this illegitimate child has not been brought up again, I think it’s safe to assume that it was all bullshit.
The photo of War Machine, Hawkeye, and US Agent was taken when the trio were in San Revilla on a mission together. See Force Works #12, War Machine #15, and Iron Man #317.
