With Marvel all set with its Thunderbolts movie, it looks like the rumored villain of the film is sure to pack a huge punch. With the rumor mill saying that Sentry might appear as the villain of the upcoming anti-hero team-up film, we will probably get one of Marvel's strongest heroes to be featured in live-action.
Thunderbolts currently has a line-up of mainly Super Soldiers, and with Sentry essentially being Marvel's version of Superman, the film will surely take liberties with his portrayal. However, the character is still relatively unknown. So, with the rumors floating around, let's look at who Sentry is and why he might fit in as a villain for the Thunderbolts.
Exploring Sentry's origins amidst rumors of him appearing in Thunderbolts
In the comic books, Sentry has a traumatic past. Going by the name of Robert Reynolds, he was created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee and made his first appearance in Sentry #1 in July 2000.
According to Fandom, the story would take us all the way back to March 1947, when the remaining members of the United States' Operation: Rebirth would move to Canada and start their own Department K, which would see them try to recreate the Super Soldier Serum. With World War II just ending, the countries of the world would try their best to recreate it.
With the project being lost to time thirty years later, as it was divided into many sections, many of its details would end up being misplaced and becoming unknown to those involved.
Ten years later, Robert Reynolds, a junkie addicted to meth, would break into a lab and find the Golden Sentry Serum. He would take the serum with him and consume it, leading him to get his own superpowers, which felt like a million exploding suns. This, unfortunately, would result in the death of his partner.
Robert would then be pursued by the people behind the project, which would lead him to want to use his powers for good. He would sew up a suit and confront one of his childhood bullies, leading him to debut as the superhero Sentry. However, Sentry also has a darkness to him called The Void, which is his own suppressed dark persona and has acted as his arch-nemesis many times.
With Thunderbolts being rumored to have him, Sentry could fit into that scenario really well, as most of the team seems to be Super Soldiers for now. Including the likes of the Winter Soldier, the Red Guardian, the U.S. Agent, and more, every team member has been betrayed by their country in some way.
With the involvement of Sentry, perhaps Marvel could take a different approach with his Super Soldier origins, which could make for a more sympathetic villain in Thunderbolts. Here is hoping we get to see the character on screen when Thunderbolts releases in theaters on July 26, 2024.