We’ve seen a few shots of Cheadle in the Iron Patriot armor, and now a brand new poster for the highly anticipated Iron Man 3 has surfaced featuring the actor in a suit adorned with stars and stripes. We’ve heard plenty about how Iron Man 3 will feature Tony Stark, including how shaken he remains even a year after the Battle of New York, but what about Rhodey?

Although he was notably absent during the events of The Avengers, Lt. Colonel James Rhodes has surely had plenty on his plate as a senior United States Air Force Officer.

Although the character has undergone an actor shift since the original Iron Man, switching from Terrence Howard in Iron Man to Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2, Rhodey has always featured heavily in Stark’s solo outings, and this poster seems to confirm that Iron Man 3 will be no different.

We’ve seen the Iron Patriot armor in the trailers , and set photos have confirmed that it’s Rhodey inside, but we’re happy to see him on a full character poster for the film.

According to this poster, which was released by the Official Marvel Twitter earlier today, Rhodey will suit up in the Iron Patriot armor, a suit that was created and worn by Spider-Man‘s Norman Osborn in the comic books, although it’s safe to say that the armor will serve a completely different and Spider-Man unrelated purpose in the film.

Since Rhodes is still a high ranking officer of the United States Air Force, it’s expected that the Iron Patriot will act as an extension of the United States Armed Forces. The trailers seem to confirm this, though we’ll have to wait until May to find out what else Rhodey has in store for the Iron Patriot.

Iron Man 3 will hit theaters on May 3, 2013.

Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of Tales of Suspense (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with The Invincible Iron Man (#1) in May of 1968.

Iron Man 3 is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine, Charles Newirth, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film releases May 3, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

What do you think? Are you excited to see Don Cheadle in the Iron Patriot armor?

Thanks to SlashFilm for the heads up.