Looking closely at the MCU timeline reveals why the theory that Rhodey was replaced right after Captain America: Civil War doesn't actually hold up against on-screen canon. While Secret Invasion director Ali Selim suggested in post-finale interviews that Rhodey’s hospital gown hinted at a kidnapping after his 2016 spinal injury in Civil War, that timeline contradicts the show's own premise. Within Secret Invasion itself, Gravik’s insurgency only begins after 2023’s Battle of Earth, triggered by Nick Fury’s failure to find the Skrulls a home following the "Harvest" of Avengers DNA. Furthermore, during the bombing of the Avengers Compound in Endgame, Rhodey is shown bleeding red human blood rather than purple Skrull blood. Because Rhodey’s paralysis from Civil War is permanent, he requires ongoing medical procedures and spinal maintenance throughout his life. Being abducted during a routine hospital visit in 2025, just months before Secret Invasion, preserves his entire emotional arc alongside Tony Stark in Infinity War and Endgame without breaking established continuity. #Marvel #MCU