One of the major criticisms usually directed towards the MCU is the way the franchise handles its iconic overpowered characters. Right from Hulk, Gorr the God Butcher, Adam Warlock, and Ultron—every major figure of the Marvel mythos whom fans know as notable powerhouses—were either nerfed due to poor writing or didn’t get the chance to shine. Fortunately, that didn’t happen with arguably the strongest, and also the most troubled, supe of Marvel, Sentry, and his alter ego, supervillain Void, who made their live-action debut in the recently released Thunderbolts. Although MCU’s version of the character somewhat differs from his comics counterpart, the writers respected the core of Sentry’s lore and kept his portrayal true to the source material. With Phase Five ending and the multiversal crossover event, Avengers: Doomsday, only a year away, it goes beyond saying that Sentry/Void is going to play a pivotal role in the future.
Spoilers Ahead
MCU’s Version Of Sentry Respects The Lore
While in the movie, Robert Reynolds, aka Bob, was tricked into volunteering for Project Sentry by OXE research recruiters working under Valentina Fontaine; in the comics, Bob stole the Golden Sentry serum and consumed it to become the superhero with the power of one million exploding suns. In the movie, Val tries to portray Sentry as the classical hero archetype, with a colorful costume and cape and an S emblem attached to her belt—in order to boost the PR and hide her own devious actions behind the glam. However, this is in sync with Sentry’s reputation in comics, as Bob is quite an inspiring character in the Marvel universe, the literal golden boy whom everyone looks up to. The best instance of adherence to source material, however, comes in the depiction of Void, Sentry’s ‘Other,’ and essentially his nemesis. Without revealing much, Thunderbolts hints at how Bob’s extremely disturbed mental condition, a fractured psyche caused by lifelong trauma, loneliness, and crippling anxiety, made him a potentially dangerous candidate for Project Sentry. His darker thoughts amplified and later manifested for the first time as Void after Bob accidentally killed the scientists involved with the project.
It can be considered that in the movie, Void was the first one to exist, until Val tried to convince Bob to assume control over his power and mind and operate as the goody two shoes, Sentry. In the comics, a Yin-Yang duality exists between Sentry and Void, as both of them were created at the same moment and have a twisted complementary dynamic between them. While the conflict between two personas to take over Bob’s mind is a recurrent affair in comics, in the live-action version Sentry, Bob’s confident, brash self isn’t strong, or should I say positive enough to act as a counter to Void. Detached from Bob’s human self, Void is immensely powerful, and the corruption of Bob’s mind, his inner darkness, reflects through Void’s all-consuming shadow powers. Those who loved the character of Crazy Jane from Doom Patrol might find strong similarities between the psychological condition affecting the nature of Bob’s powers. There is a fun tidbit regarding Yelena helping Bob control his mind and powers, as her adopted sister Natasha, aka Black Widow, similarly helped Bruce Banner to control his Hulk persona—and Hulk and Sentry share quite an amicable relationship in the comics.
Sentry’s Return Might Occur In Secret Wars
Thanks to Yelena and co. acting as strong mental and moral support, the Sentry/Void duo has gone into hibernation, for now at least. Fans are right to speculate that Bob’s alter egos might play quite a significant role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, and I have my speculations regarding what role the character can play in the mega crossover narrative. There should not be any doubt regarding the fact that Sentry/Void is a cosmic-level player, with his physical, telekinetic, and psychical powers making him stronger than even heavy hitters like Scarlet Witch, Ms. Marvel, or Thor. The most obvious speculation is that Dr. Doom, the iconic overarching villain in the Multiverse Saga, which will be played by Robert Downey Jr., is going to take control of Bob’s troubled mind and unleash Void upon the heroes of the multiverse. Galactus has a herald in the form of Silver Surfer; think of Void as Doom’s herald in that context. A more comic-book-ish route, which I am sure MCU will not choose due to how wild it is, with Bob retaining his Sentry identity, he and Void can exist as separate entities and choose sides in Secret Wars—with Bob literally battling with his own self. Both events can play out through two movies, with Void wreaking multiversal havoc in Avengers: Doomsday and Sentry duking it out with Void in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Does Sentry’s Debut Hint At Molecule Man’s Arrival?
Sentry’s inclusion in MCU’s roster of heroes can also indicate the arrival of one of the most powerful villains in Marvel comics, Owen Reece, aka Molecule Man. Reece is even more twisted, powerful, and out of control compared to Bob and possesses reality, matter, and probability manipulation powers, among other crazy skills. Sharing somewhat similar kinds of power signatures (according to source material), both of them have interacted several times in comics, with Reece being able to kill Sentry a couple of times and Sentry resurrecting himself through Reece’s body. The nature of Sentry’s power, along with greater emphasis being given to MCU’s quantum world, might pave the way for Molecule Man to arrive in the Prime Earth timeline. In both past and present iterations of the Secret Wars storyline in comics, Molecule Man played a pivotal role by facing the nigh omnipotent Beyonder(s), and after he harnessed the vast cosmic power of the Beyonder, Reece was used by a cunning Dr. Doom to take control over the Battleworld. Hopefully, unlike what fans are assuming to be the case, MCU will not use Sentry as a replacement for Molecule Man—both of them are unique, complex characters, and in an adaptation of an epic event like Secret Wars, fans will be over the moon to see both of them appear in their full glory.Â
