Christopher Markus, one of the screenwriters of Avengers: Endgame, recently revealed that an early draft of the script featured James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) as Vice President. In the months since the blockbuster release of Endgame, those involved with the making of the film have revealed various things that were cut or changed from earlier drafts of the screenplay. For example, Markus and his writing partner Stephen McFeely once toyed with the idea of Thanos (Josh Brolin) arriving at the final battle holding Captain America’s (Chris Evans) decapitated head.

Endgame is currently the highest grossing movie of both 2019 and all time, having unseated Avatar back in July. It was a cultural event that still has people talking about it and saw the departure of many beloved MCU characters like Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers. It was Markus and McFeely’s sixth MCU feature, having written the screenplays for Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: The Dark World, and the entire Captain America trilogy.

In an interview with ComicBook.com, Markus revealed the potential role change for Rhodey by saying, “We took it out because it didn’t have any story weight, but I believe that during one draft, in the five year jump, Rhodey became vice president.” He also explained that none of the decisions made in either Infinity War or Endgame were made to serve future stories of the MCU. He explained, “It’s not like [Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige] said, ‘You know what, we had a meeting and we’re going to have these three streaming services, so let’s make sure…”

When Marvel’s plan for Disney+ started to come into focus, there were rumors suggesting War Machine could be among those nabbing a solo series, with reports swirling saying the show was in early development. Since then, however, there has been no news. It was not confirmed alongside other Disney+ series at San Diego Comic-Con or D23.

Endgame served as a conclusion to the massive Infinity Saga while also leaving certain things open for Phase 4. From Steve passing on the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to Loki (Tom Hiddleston) disappearing with the Tesseract, there are still many stories left to be told in the MCU. Rhodey is still standing at the end of Endgame, and there is a chance audiences could see him again. Much of his role in the MCU so far has been Tony Stark’s best friend and fellow man-in-the-suit, and with Tony gone, there are so many possibilities opening up for Rhodey’s character. Fans are certainly excited at the prospect of seeing more of him in the future.

It would have been interesting to see Rhodey take on the role of Vice President, especially since the aftermath of Thanos’ Snap left so many characters in dark places. Aside from Tony and Bruce (Mark Ruffalo), the rest of the Avengers were seen struggling to move on from the events of Infinity War. The world was depicted as a very bleak place, and seeing someone as trusted and beloved as Rhodey in a position of power would have eased that pain a little. However, with a movie as massive as Avengers: Endgame, things were bound to be cut, and VP Rhodey ended up being one of the casualties.

More: War Machine Has One Out-Of-Character Moment In Endgame (Because Disney)

Source: ComicBook.com

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