Avengers: Age of Ultron reunites the Marvel superhero ensemble of Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) in a desperate battle to save the world.
Amidst such a heavyweight group, it's easy for some characters to be overlooked. Step forward Oscar nominee Don Cheadle, who's back for his third Marvel appearance as Iron Man's ally Colonel Rhodes aka War Machine.
Cheadle first appeared in 2010's Iron Man 2, replacing original Rhodes actor Terrence Howard. However, it was only towards the end of that film that we got a proper look at the War Machine armour, designed by Tony Stark. And we had to wait until 2013's Iron Man 3 to see War Machine finally in the thick of the action.
Speaking with American TV host Seth Meyers, Cheadle was enthusiastic about reuniting with Downey Jr. for another blast of comic book action. "After Iron Man, Robert and I struck up a friendship and we're both very busy," said the versatile star of films such as Ocean's Eleven, Hotel Rwanda and The Guard. "But we get to see each other time and again, and now this new Avengers crew, some of them I know from other things, but getting to do these movies and traveling around the world, it doesn't suck."
It remains to be seen how War Machine will slot into the storyline of Avengers: Age of Ultron. It already threatens to be an overstuffed movie with not only the aforementioned superheroes but also appearances from new faces Ultron (James Spader), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Vision (Paul Bettany), plus mooted appearances from supervillains Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) and Ulysses Claw (who may or may not be played by Andy Serkis).
Avengers: Age of Ultron is released on 24th April. Take a look at the full Don Cheadle interview below.