Believe It or Not, Sentry Is Even More Powerful in the Comics Than He Was in ‘Thunderbolts*’

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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Thunderbolts*’

If there’s one character who encompasses everything that Thunderbolts* is about, it’s Robert “Bob” Reynolds (Lewis Pullman). Bob possesses immense superhuman powers as the Sentry, making him one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he also runs the risk of his darker half — the Void —coming to life. Like most characters in the MCU, the Sentry has a major history within Marvel Comics. What most fans might not know is that the character’s history was meant to be a riff on the Golden Age of Comics, which led to some interesting stories…and a life for Bob Reynolds that was full of triumph and tragedy. But how exactly do Sentry’s comic book origins differ from his portrayal in Thunderbolts?*

The Sentry Is One of the Marvel Universe’s Most Powerful Heroes

If you find that the Sentry feels like Marvel’s version of Superman, that was more or less the point. Rick Veitch wrote on his official website how he and Paul Jenkins worked on developing the Sentry, with Jenkins floating the idea of a “guardian” for the Marvel Universe and Veitch delivering the idea that the Sentry had always been part of the Marvel Universe’s history, but a cataclysmic event forced the world to forget who he was. The Sentry miniseries by Jenkins and Jae Lee expanded upon this: Reynolds slowly regains his memories as the Sentry, traveling to various characters, including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, to warn them of the coming of the Void. But upon learning that the Void was actually the Sentry’s darker half, Reed Richards and Doctor Strange worked to erase Reynolds’ memory. Eventually, Reynolds would return in New Avengers #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch, eventually joining the newest team of Avengers.

The Sentry is arguably one of the most powerful figures in the Marvel Universe, due to a serum he injected into himself that grants him “the power of one million exploding suns.” This means that the Sentry is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, as he has superhuman strength and nigh invulnerability to the point where he battled Galactus to a standstill. Like Superman, he can also project solar energy from his body, utilizing it as a weapon — but there’s one thing the Sentry can do that the Man of Steel can’t: he can teleport. Sentry also possesses immense psychic powers, to the point where he could potentially reshape the fabric of reality himself. What keeps the Sentry, and by extension, the Void, from utilizing his full power is his struggles with his mental health.

Robert Reynolds’s Life Is Full of Tragedy and Triumph

Reynolds’ struggle to hold onto his powers has been exploited by multiple characters and caused immense chaos for the other heroes of the Marvel Universe. In New Avengers #1, he locked himself in the superhuman prison known as the Raft because he believed he had murdered his wife, Lindy…only to learn that Lindy was actually alive, and that the mutant criminal Mastermind placed a virus in his head that made him believe his wife was dead. With the help of Emma Frost, Reynolds was able to reclaim control over his life and helped the Avengers on multiple occasions. But following the events of Secret Invasion, Reynolds falls under the thrall of Norman Osborn; Osborn commands him to tear Thor’s home of Asgard from the sky, and when Ares battles him, Reynolds rips the God of War in half. Eventually, Reynolds starts succumbing to the Void and asks Thor to kill him, with the God of Thunder cremating his body in the sun.

Sentry would later be resurrected as one of the four Horsemen of Apocalypse in Rick Remender‘s Uncanny Avengers run. Doctor Strange was able to bring him back to normal, but eventually, Robert Reynolds was killed by the King in Black Knull, who tore him in half, ironically mirroring the way Sentry killed Ares. Reynolds’ legacy would continue past his death as six different people inherited his power. All of that power would wind up transferring to New York resident Mallory Gibbs, who became the new heroine known as “Solarus.”

How Is Sentry Portrayed in ‘Thunderbolts*?’

Thunderbolts* reveals that Bob Reynolds is the only successful test subject of ‘Project Sentry’, a project meant to give a normal person the power of a god. Utilizing market research, Valentina de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) intends to make a superhero under her control, even purchasing Avengers Tower and renaming it the “Watchtower” (a nod to Sentry’s headquarters in the comics). What she didn’t count on was Bob’s mental issues bringing forth the Void, who almost kills all of New York until the Thunderbolts stop him. The post-credits scene shows that Bob is still with the Thunderbolts (or rather, the New Avengers), and isn’t looking to tap into his Sentry powers…but given that Avengers: Doomsday is on the horizon, the Sentry may take to the skies again.

Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.

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