Thunderbolts* is just a few days away from arriving in theaters, and The Sentry's MCU debut continues to generate excitement among fans.
While he's been featured in merchandise, neither he nor The Void have been fully revealed in trailers for the movie. That alone has built intrigue, but ever since we first learned of plans for "Bob," fans have wondered the same thing: how can this team possibly contend with Marvel's version of Superman?
U.S. Agent, Bucky Barnes, and Red Guardians are Super Soldiers, and Ghost has a pretty impressive power set. Yelena Belova is a regular human, though, and Taskmaster...well, we don't expect her to make it to the final battle.
The comic book Sentry has God-like powers, as does The Void. Talking to Screen Rant, Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier shared his take on making this clash work on screen.
"I think it more just came from the endemic story that we had to tell. When you have Sentry and the Void - and people have said it online, 'How are they supposed to beat that guy?' - we know it's always going to have to be a more internal version."
"I think what we tried to do is have that be more than a talking-down, and really find a visual action narrative way to dramatize what that internality looks like. And I hope it resonates."
"The good thing is, in this world, there's a lot of trauma to be mined. They've gone through a lot. When you have a character like Bob, The Sentry and The Void, you know that's part of the story, and that's such a rich character. We talked to Paul Jenkins, who created it, and it always was meant to be a parable for mental health."
"So, we have to do something that plays in that world if we're going to be honest about who that character is. And then it becomes about, 'How do we tie the arcs of the other characters to be such that they fit with that antagonist?'"
It's an intriguing approach, and while it likely means we won't get some huge fight scene between the Thunderbolts and The Sentry, Schreier has set out to explore these characters in a way that differs from the norm.
That could explain why the movie is receiving so much praise and being hailed as unlike anything we've seen in the MCU before now. Remember, the review embargo lifts tomorrow at 12pm PT.
In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes - Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?
The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.