Many fans were disappointed when the news broke that Steven Yeun had to drop out of Thunderbolts*. The Invincible lead was eventually replaced by Emmy-nominated Lessons in Chemistry star Lewis Pullman, and to say he knocked it out of the park as The Sentry would be an understatement.
Today, we have an official on-set photo of Pullman in full costume. Several behind-the-scenes shots have also been released, one of which highlights the Golden Guardian's impressive get-up.
While some fans have criticised the many lines that have become the norm with MCU superhero suits, it's worth remembering that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine designed The Sentry's look by committee. That means those lines and the somewhat over-designed "S" could have been deliberate choices.
With that in mind, it's likely that when Bob does eventually suit up again, he'll do so in a new costume.
Talking to GQ, Pullman explained how his social work background shaped how he approached this role. "It felt very personal to depict it in an accurate and sensitive way that is also digestible to people all over the world," the actor explained.
"In some ways, I always had this naive dream about blending my social work experience with film, which has been kind of hard to do, but in a lot of ways this character and this film feel like the first time I’ve been able to weld those things together because this character deals with some stuff that I’ve dealt with."
"Once [director Jake Schreier] described the character, I was like, I can’t actually imagine myself being any other Marvel character," Pullman added. "The superhero whose weakness is his depression and trauma — I think there’s a lot to mine there."
Check out these new Thunderbolts* *The New Avengers photos in the Instagram posts below.
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?
"Thunderbolts* redefines superhero storytelling to deliver a moving and powerful story that does for the 'Multiverse Saga' what The Avengers did for the 'Infinity Saga' in 2012," we said in our review. "These heroes have earned their place on a Wheaties box."
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 now playing in theaters.