The MCU's most powerful hero is hiding in plain sight in Thunderbolts*. Marvel Studios recently unveiled its first teaser trailer for the upcoming Thunderbolts*, granting a closer look at the secretive team-up movie. It reveals the titular team in various states of mental disrepair in the wake of their most recent MCU appearances, with their paths crossing violently at first. This presumably early scene pits several antiheroes and reformed villains against one another before Valentina Allegra De Fontaine, who has assumed control of Avengers Tower, rallies them together.
Custom image by Ollie Bradley
From this teaser and other promotional material, including the newly released poster, it is plain to see that the team's relationship will be fraught at first. Bucky Barnes, who has become a congressman since his last appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is seen violently pursuing members of the Thunderbolts-to-be while a four-way brawl between Ghost, Taskmaster, US Agent, and Yelena Belova's Black Widow breaks out in their first meeting before they ascertain that a clandestine figure wants them "Gone." It is during this scene that a new character emerges - and his arrival changes everything.
"Bob" Is Really Sentry, One Of Marvel's Most Powerful Heroes
Bob Is Most Likely Robert Reynolds From Marvel Comics
The Thunderbolts* teaser finally delivered the first look at Lewis Pullman's "Bob," a character that has long been speculated to be an adaptation of Marvel Comics' Robert Reynolds. The trailer also shows a familiar yellow S-symbol belt buckle in one shot and a scene in which Bob seemingly endures a barrage of gunfire without displaying so much as a scratch, save for the bullet holes that pepper his clothing. With all of this evidence, the teaser seems to confirm that Bob is, in fact, Sentry - one of Marvel Comics' most powerful characters and its answer to DC's Superman.
It has been five years since the original Avengers first assembled and six by the time Thunderbolts* releases on May 2, 2025. Since then, the only team-up movies to speak of have been Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Marvels, with both starring teams of just three similarly-powered superheroes. Thunderbolts* will therefore be the closest the MCU has gotten to debuting a replacement team in the Multiverse Saga, though the power levels of its members are practically incomparable to the MCU's flagship team. Sentry's involvement, however, drastically changes things.
How The Sentry's Powers Compare To The Avengers'
Earth Has A New Mightiest Hero
Earth's Mightiest Heroes truly lived up to their name during their earliest outings, with their combined power being second to none in the MCU. The Avengers' most powerful members are arguably Thor and Hulk - although Iron Man still gave the latter a run for his money - while Black Widow and Hawkeye were practically auxiliary members, to put it harshly. Nevertheless, the fact that the Thunderbolts comprise three super-soldiers akin to Captain America, two super-assassins akin to Natasha Romanoff, and one member with entirely original quantum phasing abilities makes them a subdued imitation of the original team.
|
Thunderbolts Member |
Main Powers |
|---|---|
|
Yelena Belova/Black Widow |
Super Assassin |
|
Bucky Barnes/White Wolf/Winter Soldier |
Super Soldier |
|
Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian |
Super Soldier |
|
John Walker/US Agent |
Super Soldier |
|
Antonia Dreykov/Taskmasker |
Super-Assassin and perfect mimicry |
|
Ava Starr/Ghost |
Quantum phasing |
Sentry's power levels, meanwhile, are godlike. While this is arguably counterbalanced by Thor's actual godhood - which is more accurately alien physiology - Marvel Comics has seen Sentry lay waste to Asgard single-handedly and tear another "God," Ares, in half with his bare hands. His comic book battles with Hulk, meanwhile, ended with no clear winner. Suffice it to say, Sentry's involvement in a movie that features a markedly less powerful team of Avengers lookalikes is particularly glaring and significantly contradicts the tone the Thunderbolts would otherwise strike.
Marvel's Sentry Means Thunderbolts Isn't Quite As Grounded As It Seems
Sentry Brings Cosmic Themes To An Otherwise Earthly Movie
The Thunderbolts* teaser makes it look like the MCU's next answer to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a movie that remains a firm favorite for its grounded tones (among many other reasons). The Thunderbolts' more muted power sets are conducive to this atmosphere, paving the way for some visceral action sequences instead of sci-fi-heavy airborne fights complete with photon blasts and lightning. Sentry quite literally flies in the face of this with his power set, which includes such things as flight, superhuman physiology, near-invulnerability, teleportation, energy manipulation, and molecular manipulation on par with Molecule Man.
Marvel Studios may be marketing Thunderbolts* as a more cerebral take on the team-up formula, but the mere presence of Sentry runs counter to that notion. Sentry is a cosmic hero tantamount to Captain Marvel, only far more powerful. Sentry is evidently an outlier in Thunderbolts*, making it more apparent that he will instead embody the role of the insurmountable challenge that the titular team will have to face despite the painfully obvious gulf in their powers - which is an incredibly exciting prospect.
