credit: MCU
In all honesty, this almost feels like a mismatch since, despite the fact that Riri Williams is a brilliant young woman with the type of genius that rivals Tony Stark, she’s still not as intelligent as Tony Stark. The upside of such a statement is that it takes nothing away from Riri, no matter how it sounds, as she’s smart enough to take Tony’s tech and reverse-engineer her own suit. But when it comes to pitting her against someone like James Rhodes, aka War Machine, it’s fair to say that she’s far smarter.
Still, her battle experience is nowhere near Rhodes’ since this is a guy that has fighting experience that predates his time as an armored hero, and Riri has never taken on the types of villains that Rhodes has had to fight against, even in the comics. While her own exploits are growing, and she’s bound to be worth even more than she already is, Ironheart is not the tactically-minded individual that Rhodey is, and her lack of experience is enough to make it clear that she wouldn’t last long against Rhodes no matter how impressive her suit might be.
credit: Marvel Comics
Counting her out isn’t wise since Riri is smart enough to devise several ways to handle War Machine.
Riri is intelligent enough to know how to create her own armor, she can modify it, and she can do what it takes to be tougher than Rhodey, but one has to wonder if she’s able to anticipate everything Rhodes is going to do, and what he’s going to bring to the fight, especially since stepping onto the battlefield is not just about outwitting or outgunning one’s opponent.
The years of experience that War Machine brings to the battle is enough to help him take on quite a few opponents since, between the capabilities of his armor and the battle toughness he’s gained over the years, it’s easy to think that he can handle himself a lot better than Riri when it comes to one moment or another. James Rhodes has been there, done that, and has come back again and again from many a battle that should have ended him.
War Machine’s armor has capabilities that Ironheart might not be aware of and could be surprised by.
Not only does Rhodes have the type of armor that can easily overpower many enemies, but he’s also proven this over the course of his time in the comics and in the MCU since he first entered. He’s taken his lumps, and he’s even been paralyzed and been hit hard enough to be slain immediately if not for his armor, plot armor that is.
But his experience and battle skills are more than enough to see him through most times unless he’s taking on an enemy that is far beyond him. In this case, however, Ironheart might be able to figure out his weaknesses without fail if she has time, but in a spur-of-the-moment battle, there’s no doubt that she would be overwhelmed unless Rhodes decided to go easy on her, which would be just as big of a mistake on his part.
credit: MCU
Riri has a long way to go to prove that she’s worthy of the armor.
It’s one thing to be smart enough to build her own suit of armor, but Rhodes has been around and worked with Tony Stark for years and has learned how to adapt to and use several different suits that he has almost complete mastery over. Riri could probably boast the ability to give Rhodes a run for his money if they came to blows.
It’s tough to think that such a thing would ever happen since it might occur that Rhodes would see Riri as someone to mentor and possibly teach a little bit when it came to using the armor she created, but in the movies, moving away from the comics, it’s tough to say whether or not the young woman would be written in as willing to listen to the veteran, or if like others before her, she would figure that it’s best to seek her own counsel.
War Machine is much more than just a sidekick.
Both characters are more than sidekicks, but James jas proven this over the years in numerous battles that have left him a little more experienced and a lot more battle-hardened during the course of his superhero career. Right now, the edge would still go to War Machine since, after all he’s been through, there’s no doubt that he might see Riri as a tough opponent but also someone that would be a little less seasoned and a little easier to overcome when all was said and done. Any argument that might be used to build Riri up at this point would be sound, but it still wouldn’t be enough to overcome War Machine.