Step aside Thor, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and even Scarlet Witch — there’s a new superhero vying for the “most powerful” title on his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Sentry, aka Robert “Bob” Reynolds, will make his MCU debut in 2025’s Thunderbolts* movie. After initially placing The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun in the role, Marvel Studios have cast Top Gun: Maverick’s Lewis Pullman following Yeun’s exit from the project due to a scheduling conflict.
Marvel leaker DanielRPK posted on X on June 29, 2024, to say the character will be “Superman level strong” in Thunderbolts* — which has raised questions about why he won’t seem massively out of place fighting alongside the mostly street-level eponymous team, which includes Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster.
It also raises the question of what the heck those characters could do if Sentry went rogue — he could turn them all to paste by simply clapping his hands together, after all. But that’s explained by a revelation that could restore a superhero trope the MCU has banished for 15 years and might giveaway something about Sentry’s role in the movie.
What could Sentry’s role in Thunderbolts* be?
On the same day that he posted on X about how strong Sentry would be in Thunderbolts*, the poster also explained how he’ll fit in alongside characters so far beneath him on the power scale. Apparently, the man with “the power of a million exploding suns” will have a no-kill rule in the MCU, so he’ll settle for kicking other character’s butts rather than ripping them in half like he tends to do in the comic books.
It’s been a long time since the MCU had any heroes who absolutely refused to kill, but Sentry having that rule could hint at an exciting future development for the character in the franchise. It may be because he’s trying hard to repress his evil side: the dark entity known as the Void.
Should the Void emerge in Thunderbolts*, there’s a good chance every other prominent character in the movie will be killed. The Void is a black creature with tentacle-like appendages and tendrils that once proved strong enough to break every bone in the Hulk’s body casually. If Sentry and the Thunderbolts succeed in repressing the dark entity, it could make an excellent Avengers-level threat in the MCU in the future.
In the comics, it has emerged in some fantastic storylines, such as 2009’s “Utopia” and “Dark Reign” (the latter of which culminated with 2010’s Siege comic book, in which the Void played a massively important part). Most Marvel fans would welcome live-action depictions of either of those arcs.
So, if Sentry does have a no-kill rule in Thunderbolts*, as DanielRPK suggested, be excited. It’s likely because he’s trying to prevent one of the most potent and feared evil entities in Marvel’s comic books from emerging — and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to do that for too long.
Published: Jul 9, 2024 07:26 am