Marvel has made its fair share of questionable choices throughout its history, but one of the most glaring missteps is the absence of Rhodey in the Black Panther franchise, at least according to Don Cheadle.
The American actor made his grand debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2010, replacing Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes, the loyal best friend of Iron Man, better known as War Machine.
Since then, he's become an integral part of the superhero saga, appearing in a total of six films: Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, and Avengers: Endgame.
However, Cheadle has been noticeably absent from the Black Panther films, despite the franchise's significance in terms of its cultural impact and representation of the Black community in the superhero genre.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cheadle expressed his frustration at not being a part of the franchise, saying: Like Sam, I had a big chip on my shoulder — we thought we should have been in Wakanda together. We thought, 'Really? You're not going to pull us into Wakanda? Perfect opportunity.' But we're very glad to have had the chance to do it in this [Secret Invasion]. I've been wanting to work with Sam for many, many years. Despite getting the Avengers Initiative running, Nick Fury has not made an appearance in the Black Panther franchise.