Thunderbolts* is a film that fans have increasingly become more excited about with each successive trailer. Given that the film brings back a slew of fan-favorite characters like Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, the film is shaping up to be quite the spectacle, with a few characters that usually wouldn’t be front and center in other MCU films.
One of the characters that is going to make an appearance in the film is Bob, largely considered to be Robert Reynolds or The Sentry. While probably not a one-to-one adaptation from the comics, there might be one big change that the character might adhere to in the films, that might be in line with something that Marvel had been doing in the MCU with other characters.
Robert Reynolds could be a mutant in the MCU
Ms. Marvel was an integral part of the Inhumans storyline in the comics. Being one of its most prominent members in modern Marvel, the character served as a gateway for a lot of people into the wider world of the Inhumans, who were first introduced in Fantastic Four No. 45. However, the MCU saw it fit to turn the character into a mutant, perhaps in a bid to integrate the concept into the MCU as soon as possible, a move that was followed in the comics as well.
Given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be trying to do away with origin stories for the multiple heroes that will be working on making their debut in the MCU, it could make sense that the studio decides to write off some of the more confusing origin stories as just being mutant powers, which could be the case for the Sentry as well.
While being linked to the super soldier serum puts the characters in the right company with the Red Guardian, The White Wolf, Black Widow, US Agent, Taskmaster, and Ghost, it might be in Marvel’s best interest to introduce The Sentry as a mutant in a bid to integrate the population into the wider MCU before it moves on to more recognizable characters like Cyclops, Wolverine and Jean Grey.
Why would the Sentry be a mutant in the MCU?
The Sentry is one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe, having fought the likes of Hulk to a standstill and even stalemated heavy hitters like Galactus. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe might not be ready for a character that strong, and perhaps also find his origin story a little confusing. In the comics, the Sentry is billed as a hero that has existed from the very beginning of Marvel comics, being a part of some key events that did not include the character when they were initially written.
It was retconned that the character was actually forgotten, as a self-sacrifice from The Sentry himself to stave off The Void. However, given that a version of this story has already been done with Peter Parker, Marvel might not be keen on rehashing the storyline in the Thunderbolts*. Further, the story of The Sentry requires the making of a Super Soldier serum that is a lot more potent than the one given to Steve Rogers, essentially making Robert the most extreme form of a super soldier.
However, this would open up the Marvel Cinematic Universe for implications that could create a slew of plotholes that could further dilute the faith that Marvel Studios is trying to restore in the MCU. However, making Robert Reynolds a mutant, whose powers could be enhanced using a normal super soldier serum, could be a great solution to solve both these issues, making the character’s origin much more straightforward in the MCU. Marvel has also set a precedent when it comes to enhancing mutants (such as Wolverine), while also giving the super soldier serum to a mutant who would go on to become Captain America (on Earth 1298).
Thunderbolts* hits theatres on 2 May 2025.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
