Marvel Studios hires Black Monday's Yassir Lester as the head writer of the Armor Wars Disney+ show. Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with upcoming shows for Disney's streaming service focusing on new characters or those who haven't been the focus of past movies. Falcon, Bucky Barnes, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Loki have benefited from this approach already, and Don Cheadle's James Rhodes aka War Machine is set to receive the same treatment.

Cheadle has played Rhodey in the MCU since 2010's Iron Man 2, when he took over the role for Terrence Howard. He's gone on to make five more MCU movie appearances and a quick cameo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But, Marvel announced in 2020 that he wouldn't be on the sidelines forever. Cheadle will star in Armor Wars, a Disney+ series based on one of Iron Man's most famous comic stories where he tracks down other people powered by his stolen technology. The show will make substantial changes to the source material with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark no longer around.

Related: Armor Wars Needs To Answer An Iron Man 2 Question

Details on Armor Wars have been tough to come by ever since Marvel announced the solo War Machine series. That changed today with THR sharing news that Marvel Studios hired Yassir Lester to be the head writer on Armor Wars. Lester previously was one of the main writers of Black Monday, Showtime's comedy series starring Cheadle. The comedian-turned-writer also has credits on The Carmichael Show and Girls, as well as Disney+'s upcoming show Earth to Ned.

Title card for the Armor Wars series

The announcement that Armor Wars finally has a head writer is a much-needed positive step forward for the series. Cheadle originally mentioned that filming was going to begin in 2021, but the production schedule has shifted to 2022 due to the length of this search. Cheadle said as recently as July that he didn't even know Armor Wars' story and that the writer's room would assemble soon. That couldn't happen without a head writer attached, and now Cheadle will have a familiar face in that room with Lester leading the charge.

One potentially noteworthy takeaway from Lester's hiring for Armor Wars is his comedic background. Some might have expected the show to be a bit more serious and action-focused, and while Lester could certainly deliver that tone still, this could be a sign that Marvel wants the War Machine show to be funnier than usual. If that is the case, it should be fun to see that slightly different side of Rhodey. But, hopefully, Armor Wars also explores how he's dealing with the loss of Tony and even shines a light on Rhodey's personal life.

MORE: All 13 Marvel TV Shows Releasing After Loki (& When)

Source: THR

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