Could Secret Invasion be Don Cheadle's last MCU project? Actor opens up on Marvel contract and more

Don Cheadle will reprise his role as James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the upcoming Marvel series Secret Invasion, which is scheduled to be released in 2023 on Disney+. The release date and the series' trailer were unveiled during the D23 Expo, Disney's fan event.

IMDb's synopsis of Secret Invasion reads:

"Nick Fury and Talos try to stop the Skrulls who have infiltrated the highest spheres of the Marvel Universe."

Cheadle's Rhodes has been a recurring character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since the 2010 film Iron Man 2, where he replaced Terrence Howard. He has appeared in major films like Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avenger: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, and Avengers: Endgame.

Rhodes is a popular Marvel character primarily due to his proximity to Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.

However, Cheadle recently disclosed that one of the last few Marvel characters to have known Iron Man will be exiting the MCU owing to the expiration of his contract with Disney-owned Marvel Studios.

Read on to learn more about Don Cheadle's current scenario in the MCU.

---

Will Secret Invasion be Don Cheadle's last MCU film?

Fortunately for fans, Don Cheadle is not exiting the MCU as of now and will be seen in Secret Invasion later as well. However, the Armor Wars series, which will follow Secret Invasion, will mark the end of Cheadle's stint with MCU.

Cheadle confirmed the same and spoke to Variety at the D23 Expo. He said:

"I'm done with my contracted years in the MCU, so now, it's just like, if something sounds fun and I'm presented with it, then yeah, let's go."

For now, Cheadle will reprise his role as Rhodes in Secret Invasion. Regarding the upcoming show, Cheadle told Variety:

"This is a fun one because this sets up what happens in Armor Wars. In the trailer, you see that he's gonna confront Nick Fury. He and Fury are gonna go at it throughout this show as far as what they need to do, given what's happened on this planet at this point. It's kind of a thriller."

While it seems like Cheadle is just one more series away from exiting MCU, it is to be noted that Armor Wars will be out in 2024. So, chances are that with the expansion of the MCU and the upcoming crossovers, the next two years could lead to the extension of Cheadle's contract.

---

More information about Secret Invasion

Secret Invasion is a television miniseries created by Disney-owned Marvel Studios and is based on the Marvel comics storyline of the same name. The ninth television series in the MCU falls under Phase Five of the media giant's release roster and was announced in 2020.

It is created by Kyle Bradstreet and will see the return of Nick Fury, the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., from earlier films. The character is played by Samuel L. Jackson, who told Entertainment Weekly that the series would delve deeper into Nick Fury's past.

Jackson said:

"[It's] giving me an opportunity to explore something other than the bada**ery of who Nick Fury is. I've had a good time doing that, and I'm looking forward to people sharing that aspect of who he is when this series does happen."

In the series, Nick Fury will return to Earth and team up with Talos to prevent a Skrull invasion. According to the trailer, Maria Hill had reached out to Fury multiple times, but to no avail.

Other actors from the cast include:

• Ben Mendelsohn as Talos
• Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
• Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross
• Dermot Mulroney
• Kingsley Ben-Adir
• Olivia Colman
• Emilia Clarke
• Killian Scott
• Christopher McDonald
• Carmen Ejogo

---

Secret Invasion will premiere on Disney+ in 2023.