Along with the rest of the main cast of Thunderbolts* (with one notable exception), Lewis Pullman is set to return for Avengers: Doomsday, and the actor has now teased Bob/Sentry's role in the next major Marvel Studios event movie.
Spoilers for Thunderbolts* follow.
At the end of the antihero team-up film, Bob joins his new allies as a member of The New Avengers, but he makes it very clear in the post-credits scene that he doesn't want to risk becoming the Sentry again in case the Void takes over.
During a new interview with Men's Health, Pullman revealed that his teammates are going to be keeping a very close eye on Bob in Doomsday, while also trying to figure out a way to harness the "power of a thousand exploding suns" without unleashing his inner darkness upon the world.
"The Thunderbolts don’t want to let him out of their sight, because they realize that if he’s caught in the wrong hands, or if he’s not being supported enough by the right people, he might be dangerous. But they also want to keep him close in case they can figure out a way to use him. He’s a very good asset. It’s a hard situation they’re in. With all the other characters that are going to be in Avengers: Doomsday, there will be so many opportunities to figure out how each might come into play—and how Bob might come into play with any of them."
We don't anticipate the Sentry playing too big a role in the events of Doomsday (nobody is lasting very long against such a powerful foe, not even Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom), so expect Pullman to stay in "Bob mode" for most of the movie.
Pullman also spoke about landing the role after Steven Yeun was forced to drop out due to a scheduling conflict.
"They were in a bit of a scramble to find a guy. Obviously, knowing that, it was a big pair of shoes to try to step into. And in that massive world, it’s hard to remember that you have your own things that you can bring into it. Your job is to fit into the world and assimilate into it, but it’s also to enhance it and bring any sort of relatability you might have to the character. That was something [director] Jake Schreier constantly reminded me of, which was beautiful. He empowered me in that way. He was asking how I related to Bob, and there was much to relate to in that sense. I really found a kinship with this character."
Doomsday is now filming, but several members of the sprawling cast have admitted to not even seeing a script. There are rumors that Chris Hemsworth is currently shooting scenes in costume as Thor, but we don't have any photographic evidence to back this up just yet.
What would you like to see from Sentry in the movie? Let us know in the comments section.
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?
Returning to their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles are Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The cast also includes newcomers to the MCU—Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce.
Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek and Jason Tamez serve as executive producers.