Like It or Not, Thunderbolts* Broke a Long-Standing Marvel Theory, and Sentry Is Just the Start

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Despite the character’s complex nature, Marvel found the best way to adapt Sentry to live-action and set the stage for more ambitious MCU character introductions. Throughout the years, live-action Marvel movies and shows have offered accurate takes on an increasing number of comic book characters, with only a few exceptions. Lesser-known characters have risen to A-list status, and Marvel icons like Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the X-Men have strengthened their status as box office gold.

Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s massive success, many lesser-known Marvel heroes and villains have had the chance to shine on the big screen. Characters like Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent, Ghost, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster, once unfamiliar to general audiences, are now firmly established in pop culture. Among the ensemble of anti-heroes in Thunderbolts, Sentry stands out as a particularly bold and creative interpretation. Even in the comics, he’s notoriously difficult to handle, to the point that a live-action adaptation seemed impossible before Thunderbolts* proved otherwise.

Sentry Is An Inherently Difficult Marvel Character To Adapt

Sentry Is Often Underused Due To His Complex Origin And Powers

Robert Reynolds, a.k.a. Sentry has been one of Marvel’s most remarkable creations in the last quarter-century. Bob Reynolds’ duality between a troubled man battling addiction and a near-omnipotent superhero is unique in the Marvel universe. Sentry’s immense power also helps him stand out, as his stories have to find other ways to present conflict than simple physical confrontations; and the ever-present threat of the Void adds a dark twist: Sentry isn’t just a nearly invincible hero, but also one of the greatest threats on Earth. On top of that, Sentry’s retroactive history as a forgotten Avenger — paired with his being depowered, erased, killed, and resurrected — cements him as a fascinating figure.

Paradoxically, everything that makes Sentry such a special character also plays against him. Sentry is so powerful that he can technically defeat most Marvel villains, which forces writers to sideline him in order to maintain dramatic tension. Likewise, the Void is so overwhelmingly destructive that Sentry often becomes more of a liability than a hero, which prompts writers to bring Sentry back to square one, so as not to make him a full-fledged supervillain. As a result, Sentry has had a very inconsistent journey in Marvel Comics, with constant resets and abrupt exits that haven’t allowed such a volatile, godlike figure to reach the same level of prominence or popularity as other powerful characters like Hulk, Thor, and Captain Marvel.

Thunderbolts* Adapts Sentry And The Void Faithfully, But With A Twist

Marvel Found The Best Way To Showcase Sentry & The Void’s Unparalleled Power

Adapting Sentry to live-action is twice the challenge. Sentry’s invincible nature from the source material is just as difficult to portray on the big screen, or even more so, as there’s less time for long battles and the additional obstacle of budget. In a crossover movie with six main characters, adding an eldritch entity that takes over an all-powerful antagonist sounds like a recipe for disaster, and the heroes’ victory could easily become either impossible or unnatural. However, Marvel Studios defies the odds by leaning into Sentry’s invincibility, which motivates the Thunderbolts to find a different way to tackle his threat; and by making the Void a more metaphorical threat than a demonic entity.

Marvel Studios’ changes to Sentry and the Void in Thunderbolts*‘ ending not only allow both characters to be compelling and believable threats, but also put a fresh spin on the traditional superhero adaptation formula. The Thunderbolts don’t defeat their enemy with physical attacks or sci-fi McGuffins. In fact, they stop the Void by stopping Bob Reynolds from punching the Void, which takes power away from the embodiment of his mental health struggles. Instead of struggling with Sentry and the Void’s complex nature, Thunderbolts*‘ innovative third act makes the most out of it and delivers one of the most memorable final confrontations in superhero movie history.

What Other Tricky Marvel Comics Characters The MCU Could Adapt Next

Sentry’s Successful Live-Action Adaptation Could Lead To Other Bold Interpretations Of Marvel Comics Characters

Sentry isn’t the only complex character Marvel Studios has tackled recently. Galactus is an antagonist so powerful that his first live-action appearance struggled to even translate his physical appearance, and Doctor Doom is such an unapologetically evil villain that four Fantastic Four movies failed to make him a compelling antagonist. Now The Fantastic Four: First Steps aims to do Galactus justice, and Marvel Studios is placing all bets on Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. With Marvel Studios constantly raising the bar, there’s a wide variety of Marvel Comics characters that could finally make it to live-action.

Next, Marvel could continue raising the bar with characters who are notably difficult to adapt. Future Marvel projects could find similarly creative ways to depict the incredible power of heroes like Franklin Richards. Characters with convoluted stories or very specific plot elements, like Captain Universe, Ben Reilly, and Goop would also present an interesting challenge for Marvel. Notably, characters like Marvel’s Dazzler and DC’s Onomatopeia might be even more appealing than usual in an audiovisual medium. And if Marvel Studios wants to adapt Jean Grey, Psylocke, and Cable’s comic book history accurately, it could be an even more impressive task than translating Sentry to live-action.

“}]] Sentry raises the bar for live-action adaptations.  Read More