Marvel's Armor Wars Movie Rumored To Bring Back Beloved MCU Villain After What If...?

According to Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel wants Sam Rockwell to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The American actor — whose long career includes films such as "The Green Mile," "Galaxy Quest," and "Jojo Rabbit" — first appeared in the MCU in 2010 as Justin Hammer, the secondary antagonist of "Iron Man 2." Since then, Rockwell has only reprised his role once. In 2023, Rockwell voiced an animated version of his role in "What If ...?" Season 2, Episode 3, "What If ... Hogan Saved Christmas?" Richtman believes that Rockwell's return, should talks go well, will take place in "Armor Wars," the Disney+ series-turned-Marvel movie starring James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), a.k.a. War Machine.

Although Richtman's claims are currently unverified, Rockwell is indeed interested in returning to the MCU. During a 2022 interview with The Discourse, he shared a desire to see Hammer appear as a ringleader in "Thunderbolts," Marvel's upcoming film with a similar narrative framework to DC's "The Suicide Squad." "Yeah, definitely," the actor said. "I would be into that. ['Thunderbolts'] sounds cool...[Hammer's] fun, he's a real Lex Luthor." 

As of this writing, Hammer is not in the official lineup for the MCU's villain-centric film, but it's not unreasonable to believe Richtman's scoop, as he's not the only one following that thread.

There's an "Armor Wars" theory that has fans buzzing and it hinges upon Justin Hammer's return. Originally posted on Reddit in 2020, the theory posits that "Armor Wars" will see Hammer, newly released from prison and "rehabilitated," pretend to work with the US government to gain legal access to Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) Iron Man technology. Instead of supplying his version of Stark's suit to a singular villain, however, he would weaponize multiple minor Marvel villains, thus creating the kind of army that would justify the title "Armor Wars." While the full theory is adjusted for the current state of the MCU, its bones can be found in the "Armor Wars" comic storyline, which also sees Hammer nab Stark tech to empower lesser villains.

Both the comic and the theory understand that "Armor Wars" heavily features Firepower, Hammer's mech suit, with more style than substance. Although woefully inept in his handling of the technology, Hammer is a carelessly aggressive combatant, and that makes him dangerous. He's more dangerous than a villain specifically targeting the hero — James Rhodes in this case — because he can easily rack up lethal collateral damage. After all, who can forget how Hammer's uninformed bastardization of Stark's armor broke a test pilot's spine in "Iron Man 2?"

"Armor Wars" is currently set to release in 2026.