The newest comments about Thunderbolts* make the story of one seemingly crucial but still mysterious character in the MCU movie look all the more promising. The MCU’s 2025 releases are a varied selection, with Captain America: Brave New World having brought the Captain America тιтle back into the limelight now headed by Sam Wilson, Thunderbolts* about to bring a group of more morally questionable characters into their own hero story, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps set to tie up the year with some multiversal sci-fi fun.
While Thunderbolts* appears similar to Captain America: Brave New World in terms of leaning more into the Captain America: The Winter Soldier approach of looking at the espionage in the MCU and how it affects the wider world via figures like Yelena and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the movie stands out as unusual for 2025 and for the wider MCU for a range of reasons. One of those is that it seems set to bring one of the more powerful Marvel heroes into the MCU timeline and then also make them a villain – a concept that the newest updates about the story of Thunderbolts* make even more interesting.
Thunderbolts*’s “Bob” Is The MCU Movie’s Most Mysterious & Most Important Character
The Thunderbolts* Character Appears To Be The MCU’s Version Of Sentry
Thus far, the Thunderbolts* cast each individually hold a lot of promise for the MCU – be that the more focal Marvel figures like Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, or figures who previously seemed a little more cast to the wayside like Ghost. However, Lewis Pullman’s “Bob” stands out in the roster for a few reasons, and not just because of his lack of any officially given superhero or supervillain name.
Pullman’s character has been believed to be Sentry since long before he was cast in the movie – as his role was initially set to be played by Steven Yeun, before the actor dropped out of the film in 2024 due to scheduling issues. Prior to this, people already had the impression the MCU character in question that Yeun had signed on for was that of Sentry – particularly after comic creator Robert Kirkman discussed the Thunderbolts* Sentry role in a 2023 interview where he stated that Yeun “called me and he said, ‘I just came back from a costume fitting for the Sentry.’“
The Thunderbolts* trailers have supported the idea that Lewis Pullman will be debuting as one of Marvel’s strongest and most volatile superheroes, with sH๏τs showing “Bob” in clothing covered in bullet holes but unharmed, and other scenes seemingly depicting The Void, who is the villainous alter ego of the character. With all of this said, though, there has been no official word confirming that Sentry will appear in the movie – though the newest comments about Pullman’s role in the movie make the mysterious figure seem all the more crucial to its story.
The Latest Comments About Lewis Pullman’s MCU Character Make Him Even More Interesting
Bob’s Story With Yelena Makes His Upcoming Debut Seem Doubly Interesting
In an interview with Empire, Lewis Pullman and Yelena actor Florence Pugh discussed their roles in Thunderbolts* alongside other members of the crew. Interestingly, both actors referenced the bond between their characters, with Pullman stating “I have quite a bit of the movie that I spend with Florence,” and Pugh mentioning that “Bob is going through what all of them are probably, secretly, going through…Yelena sees parts of herself in him. She’s always been someone that wants to look after people. She has a sweet spot for him, and essentially likes looking after him because he’s useless. He’s absolutely useless.“
Based on promotional material for Thunderbolts* – and her being a focal presence in the trailers – it seems that Yelena will ostensibly be the main character of the movie, albeit in a way that shares the spotlight with the rest of her motley team. Since Bob has a far more limited presence in the trailers and teasers, it’s all the more interesting to hear both actors tease that their characters spend a not inconsiderable amount of the story alongside one another, especially with the context that Yelena considers him “absolutely useless” despite Bob appearing to be both a powerful hero and villain.
With this context in mind, it seems the connection between Yelena and Bob may end up being a crucial part of the upcoming story, particularly if he ends up being Sentry. Yelena first looking after Bob but thinking of him as basically a useless liability makes the idea of her realizing he’s far more than he appears fascinating, and their bond could well end up being what pushes Sentry to defeat The Void or seal it away again in order to protect potentially the only person who’s ever also tried to look out for him too.
The Bond Between Bob & Yelena In Thunderbolts* Makes The Movie Even More Promising
The MCU’s Success Has Hinged On Making Strong Connections Between Their Characters That Audiences Emotionally Engage With
While epic stories that put the fate of the world or even multiverse at stake are Marvel’s bread and ʙuттer in both the comics and on-screen, these stories are at their best when they focus on the emotional motivations of their characters and the bonds that often lead them to do the impossible. With Sentry being such a phenomenally powerful character – and so much more powerful than the rest of the Thunderbolts team appear to be – giving him this human connection helps him fit a little more naturally into the group, at least before his other idenтιтies are known.
This could also helps potentially deal with the power imbalance between the team and both Sentry and The Void. While Sentry is immensely powerful, his emotions are often easily his biggest weakness – and as such, Sentry potentially developing his own soft spot for Yelena and the Thunderbolts themselves could easily make him vulnerable to specific situations in a way the rest of the group simply aren’t. In effect, this could mean he works as the Thunderbolts’ own sort of Hulk, who poses big risks to the team, but who is also a welcome and considerable boon to the group.
Given the main time I’ve seen Yelena and Sentry interact in the comics was her stealing his powers in 2006’s New Avengers Annual #1 before her employers flipped a kill switch and exploded her in brutal and gruesome fashion, I’m fascinated at the idea of how the MCU might handle the dynamic between the two characters in Thunderbolts* based on this tease of what’s to come, especially given the franchise’s drastically different circumstances. Hopefully, Sentry’s prospective MCU debut can effectively build not just his story, but also the arcs of the characters he comes into contact with, like Yelena, too.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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