On this poster, Bob (Lewis Pullman) gets hit in the face with Bucky’s (Sebastian Stan) submachine gun. Image source: Disney/Marvel Studios
Captain Marvel, Wanda Maximoff and G’iah will soon have some tough competition. In Thunderbolts, Marvel’s own Superman enters the MCU: Bob – portrayed by Lewis Pullman.
But Bob is not just anyone, he has the superhero alter ego The Sentrywhich is really not to be trifled with. After all, it has the power of a million exploding suns
. (No joke.)
At the same time, Sentry is keeping a dark secret that makes him extremely vulnerable and attackable despite having powers on the level of Superman. And this will also play a key role in the film Thunderbolts, which will be released on 30. April 2025 starts in Europe cinemas.
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Thunderbolts: Marvel’s answer to Suicide Squad is not very heroic
Who is Sentry in the Marvel Comics?
But let’s start from the beginning and with the comic book origins of The Sentry. Robert Reynolds (or simply Bob) made his debut in the Marvel comics in 2000 and gained his superpower through an experimental serum: As a Sentry, Bob is superhumanly strong, fast and can fly. His abilities are similar in many ways to those of DC’s Superman.
But The Sentry immediately had to deal with his own personal villain: The Void. With the help of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, he finally managed to bring The Void to its knees – but there was a big twist.
Because in truth, Bob is not only The Sentry, but also The Void. Due to the super serum, Bob’s mental problems also received a major boost, which is why a diabolical personality split off, terrorizing the world as The Void and claiming the lives of a million people.
One of the most powerful Marvel heroes, but also villains: The Sentry aka The Void. Image source: Disney/Marvel Studios
The Sentry im Marvel Cinematic Universe
So what role does Bob play in Thunderbolts? At the moment, we can only speculate about what role Sentry (and Void) will play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the first trailer for Thunderbolts already provides some pretty clear clues.
Thunderbolts follows a very similar pattern to DC’s Suicide Squad: A group of villains and anti-heroes are recruited by a shady government agent to do her dirty work. In this case, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) assembles said team.
In the film, this consists of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). And it looks like Fontaine is going to send the Thunderbolts after Bob.
The CIA chief probably wants to use Sentry for her own purposes. Over the course of the film, the Thunderbolts will probably develop a conscience and side with Bob. However, it is doubtful whether The Void will join in.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Robert Reynolds aka The Sentry is played by Lewis Pullman. Image source: Disney/Marvel Studios
Incidentally, Bob in Thunderbolts was originally supposed to be played by Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Beef), who had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Lewis Pullmannwho previously appeared in films such as Top Gun: Maverick, Bad Times at the El Royale or in the TV series Outer Range occurred.
Thunderbolts will be released in Europe cinemas on April 30, 2025. Before that, new films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be released on February 12. Fantastic Four: Four Steps will follow on July 24 of next year. Fans will probably have to wait a little longer for Blade, however, as it has a tough development to contend with.
