Pullman's Bob Debuts in Thunderbolts, Revealing Sentry

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* remains largely under wraps, but the latest Big Game trailer offered another glimpse into the film. While it reveals little about the MCU team-up’s plot, it provides a clearer look at Lewis Pullman as Bob, also known as The Sentry. This Superman-like hero is finally joining the MCU, and his arrival spells serious danger for the world.

Who exactly is The Sentry, and why is he both the Marvel Universe's greatest champion and its most terrifying threat? Here, we explore the complex history of this psychologically fragile hero and his potential role in Thunderbolts*. Topics covered include:

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Who Is Lewis Pullman’s Thunderbolts* Character The Sentry?

The Sentry may well be the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe—and also its most hazardous.

Originally an ordinary man named Bob Reynolds, he gained “the power of a million exploding suns” after ingesting a mysterious serum. But that immense power comes at a heavy price. The Sentry harbors an evil counterpart, The Void, who balances his every heroic act with one of destruction. Bob Reynolds constantly struggles against his inner darkness, fighting a losing battle to maintain his sanity. Yet, when a crisis demands a hero of unmatched strength, no one is more capable than The Sentry.

The Sentry is quite possibly the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Universe. He’s also the most dangerous.

The Sentry’s Powers and Abilities

The Sentry acquired his abilities from an experimental serum, one of several developed after World War II as a potential successor to the Super Soldier Serum. This formula reportedly accelerates his molecules an instant forward in time. In practical terms, The Sentry is an immensely strong hero with a near-limitless range of powers.

As The Sentry, Bob possesses strength on the level of the Hulk and Thor. He can fly at incredible speeds, has heightened senses, and is virtually invulnerable. He also wields energy manipulation, enabling feats like energy projection, teleportation, and pacifying a raging Hulk. In terms of abilities, The Sentry is clearly Marvel’s counterpart to Superman.

As The Void, Bob becomes even more formidable and dangerous. This shape-shifting, demonic entity can control the weather, invade minds, and more. The Void has withstood the combined assault of the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four; even hurling it into the sun proved only a temporary fix.

The Sentry’s Secret Origin

Created by Paul Jenkins, Rick Veitch, and Jae Lee, The Sentry debuted in his self-titled 2000 miniseries. The series introduced him as a forgotten hero from Marvel’s past—even Bob Reynolds, a middle-aged, overweight family man, couldn’t recall his former life as the “Golden Guardian of Good.”

After regaining his memories, Bob reemerges as The Sentry, only to find his archenemy, The Void, has returned as well. Throughout the series, The Sentry’s history with figures like the Hulk and the Fantastic Four was firmly established, integrating him retroactively into Marvel lore.

Ultimately, we learn that The Sentry and The Void are two halves of one being. The world was made to forget The Sentry to protect it from The Void’s rage. Realizing he must repeat this measure, Bob again erases the world’s collective memory—though it’s left ambiguous whether he himself truly forgets his superhuman existence.

The Sentry As an Avenger

The first Sentry miniseries was a self-contained story, but the character later became a recurring figure. The Sentry officially became an Avenger in 2004’s New Avengers, joining a freshly assembled lineup including Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Luke Cage.

In New Avengers, The Sentry appears as a self-imposed prisoner in The Raft. He intervenes during a mass supervillain breakout and hesitantly joins the team afterward. Though a powerful ally, he constantly battles to preserve his sanity and contain The Void.

During 2006’s Civil War, The Sentry sides with Iron Man’s pro-registration faction, painfully aware of the havoc unchecked power can cause. He also proves essential during 2007’s World War Hulk, helping shield the world from Hulk’s vengeance.

But The Sentry’s downfall begins in Marvel’s 2009 Dark Reign storyline. As Norman Osborn takes charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s replacement, H.A.M.M.E.R., he recruits Bob Reynolds into his “Dark Avengers.” Manipulated into serving alongside villains like Bullseye, Venom, and Ares, The Sentry becomes a tool in Osborn’s arsenal—a bet that his own experience wrestling with the Green Goblin persona will let him control the volatile hero, which ultimately fails.

The Void is fully unleashed in 2010’s Siege, in which Osborn leads an assault on Asgard. Steve Rogers, recently returned, rallies the true Avengers and saves the day—but at the cost of The Sentry’s life.

In later years, The Sentry has been resurrected and killed again, while new stories probe the true nature of his powers and whether The Sentry or The Void is the “real” entity. He met his end once more in 2020’s King in Black. The 2023 Sentry series explores what happens when his powers seek a new host. Who will become the next Sentry, and will they inherit The Void’s curse? Only time will tell.

How The Sentry Fits Into the Thunderbolts* Movie

Until now, The Sentry has mostly stayed within Marvel’s comics, aside from appearances in mobile titles like Marvel Puzzle Quest, Marvel Future Fight, and Marvel Snap. That changes soon, as Lewis Pullman has been cast as the Golden Guardian of Good in the MCU.

The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun was originally cast as Sentry, but scheduling conflicts forced Yeun to exit the Thunderbolts lineup after the film was pushed from its 2024 release slot amid post-strike reshuffles, leaving Deadpool & Wolverine as the sole MCU movie in 2024.

Pullman won’t headline a standalone Sentry film or series (at least not yet). Instead, he debuts in 2025’s Thunderbolts*, appearing alongside familiar MCU faces like Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and David Harbour’s Red Guardian.

At this point, The Sentry’s precise role in Thunderbolts remains unclear. Still, given the character’s comic history, we can expect the film to explore his dual status as both mighty hero and fearsome villain. Will he start as a Thunderbolts member, only to become their worst enemy when his control slips? Given the team’s relative lack of superpowers, confronting The Sentry would be a monumental challenge.

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We may see Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine adopt a role similar to Norman Osborn’s in the Dark Avengers comics. The Contessa might see Bob Reynolds as a powerful weapon to exploit—only to find her grip on this dangerously unstable hero evaporate. If Thunderbolts serves as Marvel’s take on Suicide Squad, then The Sentry could be its Enchantress equivalent.

It’s also uncertain whether the MCU will explore the idea of The Sentry as a forgotten hero with deep connections to other superheroes. Will he be retroactively established as a once-active figure in the MCU? And to what extent will the film lean into The Sentry as a dark parallel to DC’s Superman? We’ll learn more as Thunderbolts* nears its May 2025 premiere.

For further MCU updates, read our complete breakdown of Deadpool & Wolverine’s ending and explore all upcoming Marvel movies and shows in development.

Note: this article was originally published on November 17, 2023 and updated on September 23, 2024 with the latest information about Thunderbolts*.