The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is always expanding and introducing new faces, especially now as it progresses through Marvel’s Phase 4. New characters are dropping in at a fast rate, and there’s a lot of handing over of batons—as many older heroes make way for the next generation of heroes. As a result, with every upcoming MCU project comes the potential to introduce new characters.
One character who we are hoping will appear soon is Sentry. For one, this hero has a completely bizarre and zany story in the comic books. He is a middle-aged meth addict who becomes a superhero with the power of a thousand suns. Sometimes, the entire world doesn’t remember him. When it does remember him, it holds him in high esteem as the Golden Guardian. However, while Sentry is a hero who has saved thousands, he’s also simultaneously a supervillain who has killed thousands. With his powers, he is one of the world’s biggest threats, and while he’s both a hero and villain, he generally causes more damage than he does good.
Needless to say, Sentry is a very unconventional character who could strongly shake up the MCU. Not only that, but he has strong ties to Mister Fantastic, The Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Thor. This means there are plenty of potential entry points for him in Marvel’s upcoming projects. Also, the MCU did actually kind of introduce him already in the form of the Void in Loki. Here’s everything you need to know about Sentry and whether he’ll officially appear in the MCU.
Who is Sentry in Marvel Comics?
In the Marvel comics, Sentry is a man named Robert Reynolds. When he is first introduced, he’s a middle-aged, overweight man struggling with addiction. One day, he suddenly recalls that he is the hero Sentry and that no one remembers him. He senses the return of his archenemy, the Void, and seeks out a number of heroes to warn them. As he speaks with them, they start to recall Sentry, too. For example, Mister Fantastic remembers that the Sentry was his best friend and had fought alongside the Fantastic Four. Together, the heroes seek to find the truth about why Sentry isn’t remembered.
This is when they discover that Reynolds is both Sentry and the Void. The Void is an entity that Reynolds projects as a dark side effect of his powers. In order to save the world, Reynolds wiped away everyone’s memory of Sentry, including his own. As the Void threatens to return, he makes the same sacrifice and again erases the memory of Sentry. However, his memory continued to resurface and the Void returned with him each time. Despite this, Sentry still attempted to be a hero and even worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. They mainly took him on as a means of keeping an eye on him, as he remained one of the Earth’s biggest threats.
Reynolds could never quite come to terms with the fact that he was both Sentry and the Void. He tried many times to rid himself of the Void, but never succeeded. This resulted in his mental state deteriorating. He begged many different heroes, including Strange and Mister Fantastic to kill him or separate him from the Void. He also attempted to fly into the sun. It was all to no avail.
Sentry’s origin and powers
Sentry’s story is a tragic one from beginning to end. He first gained his powers when he broke into a professor’s laboratory, looking to get high. Instead of getting high, he injected himself with the Golden Sentry Serum and gained his powers. The serum was part of Project: Sentry, an effort from scientists to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum, but to magnify its effects over a thousand times. However, the scientists were truly horrified by what they created when they found there was no suppressing or curbing the Sentry’s powers, and the project was disbanded.
The full scale of Sentry’s abilities is unknown, as he is largely considered omnipotent. He has superhuman strength, speed, and the power of flight. He can travel from earth to the sun in a matter of minutes. Sentry is also telepathic and can recreate himself after bodily destruction. As the Void, he has the power to nearly decimate all of Asgard, kill Loki in a matter of seconds, and tear the god of war, Ares, in half.
Ultimately, Sentry is killed (for a second time) by Knull, who then assimilates the Void. It is only in death that Sentry is finally free from the Void.
Will Sentry be in the MCU?
As mentioned before, while Sentry has not appeared in the MCU, the Void has. However, the Void in the MCU does not appear to be the same as in the comics. For one, the Void is a place rather than a person or entity. In Loki, the Void is a place that exists at the end of time. Everything that is pruned by the TVA is sent to the Void, which holds the entity Alioth. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is sent here and meets other variants of himself, including Kid Loki (Jack Veal).
So, the MCU’s Void is very different from the comic book’s Void. The fact that it was introduced, though, could mean that Marvel is setting the stage to introduce Sentry. Also, it is very interesting that Kid Loki appeared in the episode of the Void. In the comic books, when the Void kills Loki, he is reborn as Kid Loki. Hence, there are definitely some interesting connections between the MCU and the comic book Void.
So far, there is no confirmation that the Sentry will officially be in the MCU. However, there is plenty of room for him to appear. His connections to Marvel heroes and villains are numerous, meaning he could easily fit into most of Marvel’s upcoming projects. With Loki season 2 coming, that might be the best entry point for Sentry, as they’ve already introduced the Void.
If Sentry debuted in Marvel he would encompass both a new hero and new supervillain. His appearance would also give Marvel numerous themes to explore, particularly the battle between good and evil within superheroes.
(Featured image: Marvel Comics)
