Summary

• A deleted scene from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hinted at Rhodey being a Skrull.
• Rhodey's miraculous recovery surgery revealed in the scene could have foreshadowed the twist.
• Rhodey was seemingly a Skrull since Captain America: Civil War.

A new The Falcon and the Winter Soldier deleted scene drops clues of the twist that would come later for Rhodey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After receiving the Captain America shield from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson co-led The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's cast on his journey to becoming the new Captain America. Now, it turns out the MCU series deleted a scene that could have connected the show to a controversial Disney+ Marvel entry.

On Twitter, IGN shared a deleted scene from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier featuring a conversation between Sam Wilson and Rhodey.

The scene connects to Secret Invasion's reveal that Don Cheadle's character had been swapped for a Skrull. That twist was met with heavy criticism, as it came out of nowhere and meant a huge impact on Rhodey's MCU history. However, had The Falcon and the Winter Soldier kept this deleted scene, perhaps the reception to the reveal of the later MCU TV series would not have been as negative.

How Rhodey's Miraculous Injury Recovery Makes His Secret Invasion Reveal Way Better

Rhodey Has Likely Been A Skrull For A Long Time

While Secret Invasion might not have been the major success Marvel wanted it to be, the series did provide some shocking moments. One of those was the reveal that Rhodey was a Skrull in disguise. That started the debate about when the real War Machine was swapped for a Skrull, and Secret Invasion teased that Rhodey has been a Skrull since his serious injury in Captain America: Civil War, meaning it was a Skrull next to Tony Stark as he died, not the real Rhodey.

In the series, the real Rhodey was revealed to be in a stasis pod at the Skrulls' headquarters. The fact that the character was wearing a hospital gown and his legs faltered after he was freed from the restraints pretty much confirmed that Rhodey had been a Skrull for all of the MCU's events after his injury. The new The Falcon and the Winter Soldier deleted scene helps contextualize Secret Invasion's Rhodey reveal. Had the scene not been deleted, it would have served as the much-needed foreshadowing that something was not right with Rhodey.

The deleted scene reveals that Rhodey no longer wears his leg braces. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's deleted scene has Rhodey say he had surgery so that he did not have to wear the braces anymore, with Rhodey joking and jumping around to show how much better he was to Sam. This scene could have effectively served as the biggest clue that something was off with Rhodey, as Tony Stark would surely have thought of such a procedure for his best friend if it had been possible. Sadly, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier scene ended up being cut.

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  The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

  The Falcon and the Winter Soldier focuses on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) after Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) passed the Captain America mantle over to him in Avengers: Endgame. The Disney+ mini-series features a Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) team-up, as the title suggests, as they track down an anti-nationalist group known as the Flag Smashers. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw the return of familiar faces, such as Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo and Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter, while also introducing new characters like Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, aka US Agent.

  Cast

  Sebastian Stan , Daniel Brühl , Anthony Mackie , Wyatt Russell , Erin Kellyman , Emily VanCamp

  Release Date

  March 19, 2021

  Streaming Service(s)

  Disney+

  Showrunner

  Kari Skogland

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  Secret Invasion

  Based on the Marvel Comics event, Secret Invasion is a chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that sees Nick Fury attempting to reckon with an alien invasion that has been occurring for years - without humanity even knowing. Fury discovers that the Skrulls have been infiltrating society for far longer than he realized, and danger arises as plans start into motion.

  Cast

  Samuel L. Jackson , Ben Mendelsohn , Emilia Clarke , Cobie Smulders , Olivia Colman , Christopher McDonald , Carmen Ejogo , Kingsley Ben-Adir , Martin Freeman , Don Cheadle

  Release Date

  June 21, 2023

  Streaming Service(s)

  Disney+

  Showrunner

  Kyle Bradstreet

Source: IGN/Twitter