Summary
2025 is a big year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Jake Schreier’sThunderboltsfinally expected to make its long-awaited arrival. Billed as the MCU’s answer to Warner Bros.’Suicide Squadmovies,Thunderboltsbrings together a crack team of expendable bad guys (and girls) against a coming threat. The question is, when the evildoers are called in, who’s the one that they’re fighting?
While the return ofJulia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontainepitches her as the big bad, the latest trailer confirms someone else is waiting in the wings. There’s been plenty of intrigue surrounding Lewis Pullman’s ‘Bob,’ and although it was already confirmed he was playing the heroic Sentry, fans weren’t sure whether his villainous alter ego of the Void would make his mark.
Who is The Void in Marvel Comics?
Introduced in 2000’sThe Sentry#1,Robert “Bob” Reynoldswas an overweight and middle-aged nobody who eventually unlocked his past memories. While it’s dumbing it down a little, Reynolds is effectively Marvel’s answer to Superman, and boasts “the power of a million exploding suns” after consuming a variant of the Super Soldier serum. Tying this toThunderbolts*, this origin story could easily play out in the government facility that’s featured frequently in the trailers. While Sentry is the ‘good’ side of Bob, he also battles some serious demons, with his villainous side referred to as the Void.
Due to the threat of the void, Bob had himself erased from the memories of nearly everyone in the world, including adventures helping the likes of Mister Fantastic, X-Men’s Angel, and the Incredible Hulk. Doctor Strange was then involved in a second incident where Sentry had to be plucked from people’s memories, but given thatSpider-Man: No Way Homealready pulled this shtick withDoctor Strange’s spell to forget Peter Parker, things will likely play out differently inThunderbolts*.
The Void is more of a force than a physical entity, taking any form it likes, but typically appearing as humanoid when taunting Sentry. It appears every time Bob uses his Sentry powers, suggesting the Void will be a =regular presence inThunderbolts*. Of course, the movie could go down the route where Sentry appears for the majority of it, and then breaks bad to turn into the Void in the second half. There’s only a fleeting glimpse of theVoid’s powers in theThunderbolts*’s Super Bowl trailer, but with a dark cloud swirling above New York, it seems like a visual representation of the Void’s ability to manifest in Bob’s worst fears and things he’s repressed. If this is the case, Bob might be in his heroic Sentry mode until this point in the movie.
Worryingly for the Thunderbolts, Val, and the citizens of New York, the Void possesses all the powers of the Sentry…and more. In terms of how dangerous the Void is, Bob’s darker side can possess others, impale them with his infini-tendrils to make them experience traumatic events, and once used molecularkinesis to trap the Avengers in a shroud of darkness. Even throwing him into the Sun only works as a temporary fix, so it’s hard to see how a relatively grounded team like the Thunderbolts will be able to stand against him. Considering Reynolds was a drug addict who broke into a lab and consumed theGolden Sentry Serum, there are even theories that the Void was born from this darker side, with Sentry being a byproduct to combat his guilt for what he’s become.
The Void Looks Like Thunderbolts*’ ‘Real’ Villain
The whole modus operandi of what brings the Thunderbolts together remains a mystery, but it looks like things will go down in the strange facility where they first encounter Bob. As well as being a possible setup by someone like Valentina to kill off these rogue agents, it seems the movie isn’t even trying to hide the fact that this is whereOlga Kurylenko’s Taskmasterwill meet her maker. The trailer also shows the team originally at odds with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, suggesting they’ll have to come together against a common foe like Sentry/the Void.
Later scenes appear to show the Thunderbolts (minus Taskmaster) confronting Valentina at the old Avengers Tower, finally confirming her as its new owner. Given that Bob’s Void powers are seen circling the former headquarters of Earth’s Mightiest heroes, the pieces all fit together with this being a final act fight against the Void. The addition of Sentry was always supposed to be a big deal, with plenty of hype aboutThe Walking Dead’s Steven Yeunsupposedly being cast in the role before he had to drop out due to scheduling issues.
Thunderboltsis the last mainline MCU movie before heading into the alternate reality ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, with both having hopeful setups ofAvengers: Doomsday. It’s also the final outing for Phase 5, with some billing it as something of a non-AvengersAvengersmovie. Even though Sentry isn’t typically associated withSecret Wars, the fact at least some of the Thunderbolts are confirmed as part of the growingDoomsdaycastmeans he could be slotted into the next twoAvengersmovies. Then again, there are already fears that one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful characters could be killed off before theThunderboltscredits roll.
It’s also possible that the iconic scene from Marvel Comics where the Sentry’s watchtower appears atop Stark Tower will be brought into live-action. This would at least explain why things look like they go down at Val’s new residence. The problem is, none of the Thunderbolts appear to have the powers that could take on the Void, meaning they’ll have to use cunning to take him down.
More likely, there will be an emotional message about how this group’s own downtrodden villains can come together to redeem themselves and save the day asMarvel’s answer for the Breakfast Club. While fans can bet that Sentry will live up to his moniker as the Golden Guardian of Good, the Thunderbolts and the wider Avengers should be terrified about the looming presence of the Void will bring to the party.
