The Sentry is Marvel’s answer to Superman – just a very broken one
Marvel / John Romita Jr. / Dean White / Mark Morales
Debuting in his own comic in 2000, The Sentry was a superhero who had all the basic but equally brilliant abilities that all standard superheroes have. Blessed with super strength, speed, and the ability to fly, The Sentry felt like Marvel’s answer to DC’s Superman. He was simply unstoppable, and with his transition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, things haven’t changed.
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In the comics, The Sentry has been known to hold his own against some of the most powerful entities in the Marvel universe. Going toe-to-toe with the likes of Thor, Hulk, and Doctor Doom, there was even one brutal and memorable instance where Bob went up against Ares, the god of war, and ripped the deity in half. Over time, The Sentry even discovered new powers that he didn’t initially possess, including molecularization, giving him the power to alter objects down to a molecular level, and psionics, which allow him to manipulate reality itself.
The movie version of the character is described in the movie as being “more powerful than all of the Avengers combined,” and has, so far, developed super strength, speed, the ability to fly, potentially some kind of extra-sensory perception where he can anticipate where Ghost is going to phase in and out of vision, and an apparent invulnerability. But if his comics counterpart points the way toward the live-action version gaining even more powers, he might find himself in a prime place on the battlefield for “Avengers: Doomsday.” The only concern is whether he will be able to maintain control, given that, as powerful as Bob might be, another presence in him poses an even greater threat. Haunting Bob’s subconscious and just itching to get out is Bob’s darker alias, The Void, bent on causing chaos and disaster with a mere thought.
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The Void is The Sentry’s dark half and a force to be reckoned with
Jae Lee / José Villarrubia / Marvel Comics
With characters like Norman Osborn, Bruce Banner, and Marc Spector, the Marvel universe is full of characters with split identities, and one of the most terrifying is Bob Reynolds’ unhinged alter-ego, The Void. The counter personality to The Sentry, The Void taunts Bob when he takes over, luring him on a path of destruction that, if not restrained, can destroy the universe. Its history is equally as dark and mysterious as the threat it poses, given that in the comics, it’s alluded to that The Void may have been present at around 1600 BCE and could very well be the Angel of Death before it latched onto Bob. Such a title is fitting, given that one of The Void’s most despicable acts in the comics was killing over a million civilians in Manhattan.
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As we’ve already seen in the trailer, the black shadow definitely makes an appearance in “Thunderbolts*,” seemingly snapping people out of existence in a way that even Thanos might be impressed with. How will the fallout of Bob’s opposing identities tee up whatever dangers are headed our heroes way when they return for “Avengers: Doomsday?” Let’s hope Victor Von Doom doesn’t find a way to get a hold of them for himself.
“Thunderbolts*” is in theaters now.
