Who is Sentry? Hero, villain, or something far worse
What's the story
The latest trailer for Marvel Studios's Thunderbolts, unveiled during Sunday's Super Bowl, introduced a formidable new supervillain: Sentry.
Portrayed by Lewis Pullman, this character is also known as Bob Reynolds and the Void.
The trailer showcases Sentry's immense power as he dismantles Winter Soldier's (Sebastian Stan) indestructible vibranium arm and hurls Red Guardian (played by David Harbour) from a window atop Avengers Tower.
Here's everything about Sentry.
Origin story
Sentry: The forgotten superhero of Marvel's Silver Age
Sentry, created by writer Paul Jenkins and artist Jae Lee, first appeared in 2000's Sentry #1 as a forgotten superhero from Marvel's Silver Age.
His backstory reveals that high school freshman "Robby" Reynolds obtained superhuman abilities after consuming an experimental chemical serum.
This gave him the "power of a million exploding suns," prompting him to take on the moniker Sentry and vow to protect the world.
Dual identity
Sentry and the Void: Two sides of the same coin
The comics later revealed that Reynolds and his arch-nemesis, a dark entity called the Void, are actually the same person.
This came after Reynolds warned other superheroes about the return of this malevolent force.
The Thunderbolts trailer hints at this connection, showing a black shroud engulfing New York City—symbolizing the Void—and a shadowy figure "blipping" people out of existence in an instant—representing Reynolds.
Dark persona
The Void: A villain born from mental illness
The comics also revealed that Reynolds, who is mentally ill, accidentally created two personas after consuming the Golden Sentry Serum: the heroic Sentry and his evil twin, the Void.
As the Void, he subconsciously wiped out a million people in an attack that obliterated half a city.
To stop the Void from causing more destruction, Reynolds asked Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four and sorcerer Doctor Strange to erase everyone's memory of Sentry's existence.
Imprisonment
Sentry's imprisonment and return
After his identity as Sentry was erased, Reynolds was imprisoned in a S.H.I.E.L.D. maximum security prison for supervillains.
But when Sentry returned—so did the Void.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that Reynolds's true persona is the evil Void and Sentry is the false identity.
This twist stemmed from a retcon of Sentry's origins where the serum that gave him his superpowers was actually developed by "Project Sentry"—a government initiative to replicate the super-soldier serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America.
Rising threat
'Thunderbolts' face an Avengers-level threat
The trailer also hints Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) team, built to take on Earth's mightiest heroes, is now facing an Avengers-level threat.
A scene shows CIA Director Val testifying, "The Avengers are not coming. Who will keep the American people safe?"
Later, a bruised Black Widow (Florence Pugh) confesses to her team—ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and disgraced super-soldier John Walker (Wyatt Russell)—"We can't do this. No one here is a hero."