The Thunderbolts* trailers suggest the тιтular team’s main antagonist, Sentry, will be different from most MCU villains in one key way. The MCU’s Thunderbolts team is composed of three anti-heroes and their former enemies, plus an Avenger’s former antagonist and an unexpected ally-turned-villain. Bucky Barnes fought John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova and Alexei Shostakovich fought Taskmaster in Black Widow, and Ghost was Ant-Man’s main antagonist in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Lewis Pullman’s “Bob” character seems to be a regular human at first, but he’s bound to become one of the most powerful MCU characters when he transforms into Sentry in Thunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts*‘ trailers and promotional material have teased Sentry’s full power. As suggested by the trailers, Sentry will attack the Thunderbolts atop Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s tower and then proceed to attack innocent civilians on the street. Sentry possesses telekinesis, super strength, and flight powers, as well as a form of umbrakinesis — the ability to manipulate shadows and darkness. Stopping Sentry will be an incredibly difficult challenge for the MCU’s Thunderbolts, not only because of Sentry’s unparalleled power, but also because the villain will attack them directly, unlike other powerful MCU villains.
The Thunderbolts Probably Won’t Fight An Army Of Disposable Secondary Villains Before Facing The Main Antagonist
Sentry Seems To Be The Thunderbolts’ Sole Enemy In Their Movie’s Third Act
According to Thunderbolts*‘ trailers, the Thunderbolts will fight a rampaging Sentry in Manhattan, where Sentry will use his umbrakinesis to turn pedestrians into shadows. Notably, Sentry appears to be the only antagonist in Thunderbolts*‘ main battle. Sentry doesn’t have any henchmen or lackeys to distract the Thunderbolts, and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine seems to be allowing Sentry to go rogue without giving him any kind of support.
Marvel villains usually have an army or a group of underlings who serve as the heroes’ warm-up before the тιтle fight. Loki had the Chitauri during the Battle of New York in The Avengers, Ultron had his Ultron Sentries in the Battle of Sokovia in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and Thanos had the Black Order in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Other powerful villains like Malekith, Kaecilius, Gorr the God Butcher, Namor, and Kang the Conqueror have led armies, or at least a posse, of unnamed acolytes who inevitably become cannon fodder for the heroes.
Thunderbolts*’ Lack Of Secondary Villains Highlights Sentry’s Incredible Power
Sentry Doesn’t Need Any Followers To Be A Huge Threat To Make The Thunderbolts
Sentry is usually a very independent hero and villain in the comics. Robert Reynolds sometimes keeps his power under control long enough to earn himself a spot in the Avengers, and sometimes he leans on his dark alter ego long enough to find himself under the command of villains like Norman Osborn and Apocalypse. But on his own, Sentry is powerful enough to defeat heroes as powerful as Hulk, Thor, Ares, and Carnage. The MCU’s Thunderbolts are no match for Sentry. Adding an army of secondary villains would be overkill.
With no army to turn against Sentry and seemingly no world-ending device to sabotage, it seems virtually impossible for the Thunderbolts to harm him, let alone capture him or kill him.
Sentry’s unmatched power poses a question, however. With no army to turn against Sentry and seemingly no world-ending device to sabotage, it seems virtually impossible for the Thunderbolts to harm him, let alone capture him or kill him. The Avengers neutralized Loki’s Chitauri army by blowing up their mothership, stopped Ultron by destroying every Ultron Sentry, and defeated Thanos by performing a second Snap. Doctor Strange defeated Kaecilius by convincing Dormammu to take him to the Dark Dimension, and Cᴀssie Lang turned the tide against Kang by convincing MODOK to rebel against his boss. The Thunderbolts apparently have nothing to use against Sentry.
Thunderbolts* May Have A Secret Antagonist The Trailers Still Haven’t Showed
The Thunderbolts May Have To Fight The Void Too
Robert Reynolds actually has two alter egos: the dangerous but rather kind-hearted Sentry and the Dark Sentry — the latter of which is a Void-possessed Sentry driven by the evil enтιтy’s wrath. The Void is an immortal and indestructible force bonded to Robert Reynolds. When Robert isn’t able to keep it at bay, the Void uses Sentry’s power to wreak havoc, often turning the heroic Sentry into a killing machine, but sometimes exiting his body to show its true appearance. In Thunderbolts*, the тιтular team might struggle to fight Sentry, only for the Void to come out of Sentry’s body afterward.
Sentry’s powers in the Thunderbolts* trailers suggest the Void is holding a тιԍнт grip on Sentry’s mind during the events of the movie, but whether the enтιтy will appear in its real form or not is unknown. If the MCU’s Sentry already seems like an unstoppable villain, the Void’s surprise appearance in Thunderbolts* would likely be a guaranteed death sentence for the anti-hero team. While the MCU’s first Thunderbolts could die in their first team-up movie, they still need to stop Sentry or the Void before their demise. How exactly they’ll achieve it will only be answered when Thunderbolts* hits theaters.
Upcoming MCU Movies
-
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
-
May 2, 2025
Powered by
-
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
-
July 25, 2025
Powered by
-
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Powered by
-
Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
-
July 24, 2026
Powered by
-
Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
-
May 7, 2027
Powered by
