Summary
Warning! Spoilers for The Invincible Iron Man #19 ahead!
WhenIron ManandWar Machinefinally reunite in the most recent issue ofThe Invincible Iron Man, James Rhodes is rocking a new look, courtesy of his vintage War Machine armor. It seems one of the features Tony Stark first installed in his suits was a “freshen up protocol,”providing the wearer with a shave and a haircut. However, it seems he never updated the style settings.
The previous issue revealed that the Saint Anthony medal Tony had smuggled into prison for Rhodey actually was packed withthe original War Machine suitfull of Pym particles. Rhodey, unshaven and with his hair grown long due to his time in prison, puts on the suit and engineers a jailbreak for himself, Sandman, and the Living Laser. When he emerges inThe Invincible IronMan #19 by Gerry Duggan, Andrea Di Vito, Bryan Valenza and VC’s Joe Caramagna, however, he’s sporting a new style.
Rhodey doesn’t realize it until he sees himself in a mirror in the Bar with No Name, and discovers that the “freshen up protocol”hasn’t been updated since the suit was first made back in the heyday of Arsenio Hall.
Tony Stark Names [SPOILER] the New Iron Man, Officially Passing on His Mantle
Tony Stark has officially crowned a new Iron Man, as he chooses a young hero to carry on his legacy as Earth’s armored protector.
Rhodey’s New Haircut Is Fashionable…30 Years Ago
The New Look Evokes MC Hammer And Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall was a popular late night talk show host in the early 1990s, sporting huge suits, a flattop haircut, and a flashy earring. His hairstyle was popular at the time, also being sported by MC Hammer, who was riding high on his single “U Can’t Touch This,” and even his own animated series. If Tony Stark built this suit for Rhodeyin the early ’90s, it makes sense that the system would think this would be the perfect look James would want to show off. Wearing it in 2024, however,isn’t even retro cool.It’s just old.
Given that, as J. Jonah Jameson says, “The sky is falling,” no one at the bar calls it out, and is more excited about the prospect of gearing up with stolen Stark tech. However, when Rhodey does notice the haircut, his jail friends Sandman and the Living Laser take a moment to snicker at his embarrassment. When Iron Man finally comes back to New York, taking out Orchis Master Mold factories on the way,Tony gets a rightful sock in the jawfrom Rhodey: for letting him stagnate in jail, for not providing more help, andsurely, for this old haircut.
Of COURSE Tony Stark Would Pack His Iron Man Suits with Hairstyling
The Invincible Iron Man #19by Gerry Duggan, Andrea Di Vito, Bryan Valenza, and Joe Caramagna
Hairstyling is an important avenue of self-expression and identity for so many people, andBlack men and women especially. While Rhodey definitely would have welcomed a shave and a haircut, to help wash away his prison time, this is definitelynot the style he would have chosenfor himself. He rightfully reminds Tony Stark that if he had been in an old suit, he’d currently have a perm, something the narcissist would hate possibly even more than Feilong.War Machine’s new appearance is a great reminder that even thoughIron Manis a genius, sometimes he needs to update his old tech.
