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mikeymagee:
Notice that Tony doesn’t say “Give me back my partner” or “give me back my friend.” He says “Give me back my Rhodey” Which implies the special (and frankly, irreplaceable) space Rhodey occupies within Tony’s life. Tony was specific in his wording (Give me back my “Rhodey” and affectionate nickname, as opposed to “James” or “Rhodes”, a nickname which Tony uses in place of his actual name “James”)
Looking at Tony throughout the MCU, he’s dealt with betrayal, guilt, PTSD, and an overall anger that consumed most of his actions in the final act of CACW. With the destruction of the Avengers morale, the fact that Tony and Pepper are “on a break”, the guilt he feels for causing Ultron, and the endangerment of millions of people, the only thing Tony has left after the events of CACW is his “Rhodey”.
And seeing Giant man take hold of Rhodey during the airport fight was far more than just dramatic action, it was Tony Stark, for the briefest of seconds, seeing the only good thing left in his world being snatched from him. Which makes Rhodey’s fall even more impactful. It’s more than apparent that James Rhodes is the center of Tony’s entire world right now.
At the end of the film, after Rhodes’ fall, during the trial run of Rhodey’s new mechanical legs, you could clearly see Tony doting on Rhodes, Offering to help him be as comfortable as possible, willing to add any modifications Rhodey asked for (including a cup holder if Rhodey had asked for one).It wouldn’t surprise me if Tony insisted Rhodey stay with him in the mansion so he could keep an eye on his “Rhodey”
Of course, this affection (whether platonic or otherwise) is also shared by Rhodey (from searching through the entire desert to find Tony to making sure he was sleeping enough in IM3). What I find interesting about this role reversal is that Tony tends to overcompensate (again, going back to the scene where Tony was willing to make any modification Rhodes asked for) but Rhodey never blames Tony (or anyone for that matter) about his current situation, he jokes with Tony (Tony Stank) in an attempt to lighten an otherwise negative situation. Rhodey is upset/disappointed/sad about his current situation (“This is a bad beat”) but he never, ever, blames Tony. Which is something Tony would probably expect given his transgressions listed earlier. Think about that, Rhodey provided Tony with a brief reprieve from the guilt that had been building since Iron Man 1, and who else in the entirety of the MCU franchise has done that?
Not Steve Rogers, or Bruce Banner, or even Thor with his ideals of second chances (he did give Loki multiple chances to redeem himself, right?)
Throughout the MCU Rhodey is the one thing that hasn’t blown up in Tony’s face. He’s the one thing that Tony can still trust not to betray him, or keep secrets. Rhodey is the one person who doesn’t make Tony feel guilty about his past mistakes (and that’s quite a feat when your mistakes are easily the size of the entire planet.) Rhodey is so much more to Tony than just a “side kick.”
When Tony says “Give me back my Rhodey” what he means is “Give me back my world.”
