War Machine (James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 (January 1979) by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton. The War Machine armor, which became his signature armored battlesuit, was designed by Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood.