Armor Wars: Unmasking Iron Man 2 – Who Is the Real Villain?

One deleted Iron Man 2 scene would have been the perfect villain setup for Armor Wars, as well as a great callback, but it can’t work anymore.

Armor Wars will bring the real Rhodey (Don Cheadle) back for a story that will connect to his late friend Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), and the movie’s perfect villain setup could have happened in Iron Man 2 had it not become a deleted scene. The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues expanding now with its Multiverse Saga, which has brought many shocking twists and reveals. Many of these will impact the movies that are to come after the Multiverse Saga is over, and there’s one project that won’t only feel the consequences of this saga but also some from the Infinity Saga: Armor Wars.

Armor Wars was initially announced as a TV series for Disney+, but was reworked in 2022 into a feature film, though not as part of the Multiverse Saga. Not much is known about Armor Wars as it doesn’t even have a projected release date yet, but it’s confirmed to star Rhodey, who will confront one of Tony Stark’s greatest fears: Stark tech falling into the wrong hands. Plot details about Armor Wars are still unknown as well as who the villain will be, and the MCU has already lost its perfect villain setup in a deleted Iron Man 2 scene.

Iron Man 2 Cut The Perfect Setup For An Armor Wars Villain

While most deleted scenes often don’t add much to the movie, there are some cases where they would have benefited the film. Such is the case for one of Iron Man 2’s deleted scenes, which could have helped set up a villain for Armor Wars. Set six months after the events of Iron Man, Iron Man 2 reunited the audience with Tony Stark/Iron Man, who was being pressured to hand over the Iron Man technology to the US government. Meanwhile, Stark struggled with serious health issues while Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) planned his revenge against him, and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), Stark’s rival weapons manufacturer, allied with Vanko.

At the beginning of Iron Man 2, Stark was at a Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing about the threat of the Iron Man armor. Justin Hammer also attended to testify against him, and a deleted scene showed more of his speech at the hearing. At one point, Hammer mentioned his nephew Timmy, who idolizes Iron Man, with Hammer using him to ask Stark to “not disappoint him and don’t disappoint America”. This scene could have been used to set up Armor Wars’ villain by having Timmy take over Hammer’s business and antagonistic role, assuming that he is now old enough to do so.

With Armor Wars dealing with Stark tech falling into the wrong hands, which is what almost happened in Iron Man 2, Timmy would have been the perfect callback and link, and would have set up legacy villains in the MCU, which could have expanded to other characters, as well.

Why Iron Man 2’s Cut Villain Setup Can’t Work Now

While Armor Wars could still connect to Justin Hammer in some way, Timmy as the villain can no longer work. Justin Hammer doesn’t mention Timmy again in Iron Man 2, so if he was to become the bad guy in Armor Wars, his presence would cause a lot of confusion, as the audience would have no idea who he is. Time is also against this setup as many years have passed since Iron Man 2 came out, so introducing Timmy and explaining who he is would feel forced. There are other options for Armor Wars’ villain, but Justin Hammer’s nephew would have been perfect for that role.