Sentry – AKA Bob – is a standout of Thunderbolts*, but, as it turns out, he couldn't have a more comic-accurate MCU debut thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home.
In Marvel comics, the character is introduced as an amnesiac with superpowers. Ultimately, we learn that Sentry erased himself from everyone's memory to try and stop the Void.
"It's interesting reading that run," Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier told Marvel.com. "When we talked to [Sentry creator] Paul Jenkins, he would talk about it as a parable for mental health and this idea of an equal amount of good and evil. But when I read Sentry in those comics, there is this level of hubris that he has, and it feels like people around him are getting a little concerned about it. I thought it was so resonant."
But, as Schreier acknowledges, the plot is pretty similar to the Spider-Man: No Way Home ending, which sees Peter Parker erased via a spell from Doctor Strange to prevent the multiverse from breaking open. Jon Watts directed that Marvel Phase 4 movie.
"Obviously, we couldn't tell that same story because of Spider-Man: No Way Home," Schreier added. "Thanks, Jon."
In the Thunderbolts* ending, Sentry becomes a member of the New Avengers after he's able to overcome the Void.
But, Sam Wilson isn't so happy with a rival super-team emerging when he's assembling his own Avengers squad, and it looks like a legal battle might be about to break out.
That's even spilling into the real world, with Marvel's Avenger's social media accounts adding a copyright symbol to their names.
Thunderbolts* is in theaters now. For more, check out our Thunderbolts* review for our verdict on the film, or see our guide to the Thunderbolts* post-credits scenes for our spoilery breakdown of both moments.
