Avengers: Doomsday Spotlights, Part 27 — Sentry

Knowing what I did about “Marvel’s Superman” before watching the “Thunderbolts” movie, I was not only surprised that they were bringing in someone so powerful, but I was also utterly confused about how that ragtag lineup was going to defeat him. For anyone new to Marvel, or at least not familiar with the Sentry’s comic book history, however, I’ll bet they didn’t expect such power from a guy who vomited as he woke up in the middle of a confrontation between the future teammates. Later on, we would find out that the man, Robert Reynolds (or Bob), came from an extremely broken and abusive home, became addicted to drugs, and volunteered for Valentina Allegra De Fontaine’s experiments, which transformed him into one of the MCU’s most powerful heroes. However, due to Bob’s unstable psyche, Val lost control of him, and Bob’s darker persona emerged, engulfing all of New York in shadow and trapping everyone in nightmarish shame rooms. Thankfully, the Thunderbolts were able to save Bob from himself, but his status as the Golden Guardian of Good remains unknown, aside from his confirmed appearance in Doomsday later this year. 

Origins

To understand how Robert Reynolds became one of the most powerful beings in Marvel comics, and how this version differs from the MCU, it’s important to lay the groundwork first. Instead of Valentina in the modern day, Project Sentry was spearheaded by a collaboration between the American and Canadian governments in 1947. This union was inspired by the remarkable success of the Super-Soldier Serum that created Captain America, but these guys wanted to make something that far exceeded the original serum. And with the only person who truly understood the first serum—Dr. Erskine—dead, they had to get creative. Therefore, they brought in former Nazi and Weapon X scientists to work on the project. However, things came to a screeching halt when the Cold War began. Due to the convoluted politics, the whole group was whittled down and separated into different sub-factions with their own projects (some of which led to the creation of characters like Man-Thing or Nuke). Decades later, we finally see the completed serum in the hands of a man known as Professor Cornelius. But there’s a huge problem: Cornelius just happened to be Robert’s former high school science professor. 

While the comics don’t explicitly mention what kind of childhood Bob had, as the “Thunderbolts” movie did, they did reveal Bob’s deteriorating state. Throughout his whole life, Bob suffered from schizophrenia, an anxiety disorder, and a strong drug addiction. He would also draw about a fictional criminal that he called the Blue Buffoon, foreshadowing his dark side taking shape later on. To make matters worse, Bob also had a friend named Howard Bliss, who had his own drug addiction and also helped Bob get his own fix. This is where Howard heard about some unknown substance in the research lab at their school, where, little did they know, Cornelius stored what remained of the Golden Sentry Serum. Thinking and hoping it was some new drug, Howard told Bob, and they schemed to break in and get some. But once Bob found and drank the serum, he’d get way more kick than he bargained for. 

After ingesting the serum’s contents, Bob instantly gained what marvel.com describes as “remarkable solar-powered superhuman abilities,” which is a huge understatement (more on that later). However, with such power, Bob also inherited great danger and extremely detrimental consequences. The serum also reacted to Bob’s unstable mental state, drawing on the darkest and most violent aspects of him and transforming it into an evil persona that every superhero on Earth would one day fear the most: the Void. Not long after Bob’s sudden transformation, he subconsciously separated the Void from his body, unknowingly giving the evil entity a body of its own while still somehow connected to Bob. Although Bob was unaware of it, the Void assumed the identity of the Blue Buffoon and terrorized his crush, Lindy Lee. Donning his own heroic persona, Bob stopped him and somehow (and again, unknowingly) reabsorbed Void back into himself. From then on, Bob fully embraced his role as a superhero, adopting the iconic name of the Sentry. Things seemed to go up for Bob as he built his own headquarters (the Watchtower), designed and programmed his own AI (Centrally Located Organic Computer, or CLOC), married Lindy, and even teamed up with other superhero teams. But of course, things wouldn’t stay this way for long, especially after Bob caught on to a devastating truth. 

Every hero has an arch-nemesis, and the Void more than earned the title after many run-ins with Bob over the years. But eventually, Bob caught on that there might be more to him than that. No matter how many lives Sentry saved, the Void killed an equal number. No matter how much damage Sentry prevented, Void would make up for it. But the strangest part was how Void only ever appeared whenever Sentry was around, which might not seem unusual at first, but even a designated hero’s rogues’ gallery tangos with other heroes. That’s when Bob finally realized that the Void wasn’t just his greatest enemy; the Void was him. Horrified and traumatized by what the Void had done, Bob turned to Dr. Strange and Mr. Fantastic for help, and they all agreed on one solution. The Void was way too powerful for anyone to defeat, and he would always come back as long as he remained a part of Bob; so if Bob couldn’t remember the Void, he wouldn’t ever manifest again. Therefore, Strange and Richards made the whole world, including Bob and themselves, forget about both the Sentry and the Void for many years. 

Although there have been cases where Bob remembered who he was and then forgot all over again, Sentry still served as a powerful ally to his friends, but mostly at arm’s length thanks to an evil he can’t control. 

Powers, Abilities, and Weaknesses

Before diving into the vast powers Sentry possesses, we first need to establish how any of them are even possible. It’s not just the serum that gave Bob his powers, because it also gave him the key necessary to access them. In this case, as previously mentioned, Bob’s powers come from absorbing and harnessing solar radiation, similar to DC’s Superman. And just like Superman, the solar radiation allows Bob to reach levels of strength, senses, invulnerability, and speed that not even Marvel has been able to measure. It also gives Bob the ability to fly and even survive in space without a suit or mask. However, these Superman-like abilities are only scratching the surface of what this guy is capable of. This is where Bob differs from our blue boy scout, because Sentry can also alter anyone’s memories or shield himself from psychic invasion. While Marvel hints that his psionic powers can grow far beyond that, the potential apparently hasn’t been explored very much. He can also release massive amounts of energy as devastating beams, shockwaves, or even explosions. As if that weren’t enough, Bob can also manipulate molecules and matter to a level that borders on reality manipulation. Even then, that’s still not enough for the Sentry, as he is essentially immortal. Not only can he regenerate any injury, but he can also resurrect himself (the guy got torn in half by Knull once and still came back somehow) and even resurrect others (which he discovered by accident). Overall, Marvel compares this unbelievable level of power to that of a million exploding suns. But with how often Bob surpasses it, that might not be fully accurate anymore. 

And if you think all of this makes the Sentry way too overpowered, wait until you hear what the Void can do. Naturally, being a part of Bob, Void already has the same (if not similar) powers and abilities as Sentry, but it also possesses brand-new or lethally altered ones. For instance, the Void takes Sentry’s psionic powers and hones them into weapons of terror. Able to manipulate darkness itself, Void can access the deepest, darkest memories and impulses of anyone he chooses. Afterwards, he uses that darkness to psychologically torture his victims by forcing them to experience the worst parts of their lives (past, present, or even future), or otherwise drive them to the point of severe trauma. To further add to this fear effect, Void can also shapeshift and change his size at will, meaning that he could turn into whatever his victims fear most or whatever else will give him the advantage. But of course, while psychological warfare is extremely effective, beings like the Void need more than that to verify themselves as a threat. Therefore, the Void also resorts to more physical measures, such as manipulating the weather and creating violent storms, altering the environment or even reality itself to his liking, and forcibly changing someone’s biology. In other words, he can accelerate another person’s age, give them cancer, or do any number of unspeakable horrors to them. Honestly, with a rap sheet like that, everyone has a right to fear Bob (including Bob himself). 

However, if powerful beings like Thor or Loki can’t escape drawbacks, then neither can someone with the power of a million exploding suns. The first of such caveats is, of course, the Void. As mentioned previously, the Void can do as much evil as Sentry’s good deeds, which makes it extremely difficult and even risky to do any hero work. The Void also torments Bob by exploiting his fears/insecurities, targeting loved ones, and occasionally taking over his body, which all leaves Bob in an unending battle with himself. But it’s not just the Void that holds Bob back; his already damaged mind also greatly affects his powers. For instance, back when he first got his powers, Bob was brought to a place known as The Facility by government officials. Under the guidance of The Professor, Bob took frequent doses of the same serum because he was told it could help control his powers. But in reality, they were actually harmless saline injections, and the damage was already done. By believing he needed more injections, Bob limited himself and his powers based on nothing but a lie. Similarly, whether it’s from manipulation or his own inner struggles, it can greatly decrease his power levels if he doesn’t stay focused. Finally, with all of these covered, there are still a couple of weaknesses left. However, unlike traditional weaknesses, they don’t negate Sentry’s powers or anything, but they can still greatly hinder him all the same. For instance, if you strand Sentry in the Negative Zone—an alternate dimension filled with darkness and antimatter—his powers will weaken because there is no sunlight there. Worse, since the Void is the exact opposite of Sentry in every way, being in the Negative Zone makes Bob’s dark side even stronger. Then there’s the antimatter itself: with Bob’s molecular state out of sync with reality, it leaves him vulnerable to the unusual energy, which is especially bad if he’s facing a villain or environment made of the stuff. Bob maintains his powers and can fight just as strongly, but every factor counts when you have unlimited power. Overall, Bob is very powerful in many respects, but his fractured mind takes “you are your own worst enemy” to a whole new level. 

Greatest Feats

In fact, this unbelievably intense inner struggle can (and has) reached such a level that saving the world could come at a grave cost. There is perhaps no greater example of this, especially as a testament to Bob’s immeasurable power, than the events of “World War Hulk.” After the Illuminati (Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Black Bolt, and Professor X—albeit he wasn’t part of the following decision) shot Hulk into space because they believed he was too dangerous to be on Earth, Hulk returned after the ship he was in exploded on his newly adopted world of Sakaar, killing his wife and many other people. Believing that the Illuminati were responsible, Hulk systematically took out each member of the group one by one (except for Professor X and Namor because they both basically opposed the decision or weren’t present for it), and then forced them to fight in gladiatorial matches to the death. Before Iron Man was kidnapped, he tried to convince Bob to fight the Hulk since he’s realistically the only one who can. At first, Bob refuses because of his own agoraphobia and, of course, his fear of losing control. However, the minute Hulk almost forced Mr. Fantastic to kill Tony, Bob super-sped right into the arena and plowed into the rage monster. The fight that followed remains one of the biggest knock-down, knuckle-dragging fights ever seen in Marvel comics. With both opponents strong and durable enough, they unleashed their full power on each other, absolutely beating the ever-loving breaks off each other. But no matter how hard the Sentry punched him, or how intense his energy blasts or fiery vortices got, the Hulk always met each attack blow for blow. The fight got so intense that most of Manhattan was destroyed, and in the end, the fight only ended because both opponents exhausted each other to the point where they changed back into their mortal forms. While Sentry didn’t specifically win this fight, he did more damage than any of Earth’s mightiest heroes or most brilliant minds could. Hulk one-shotted a guy who can destroy cities with his voice, defeated the Sorcerer Supreme, and also defeated two of the smartest people on the planet, yet Bob was able to stalemate such an opponent. In fact, if the two couldn’t get exhausted, I guarantee Hulk vs. Sentry could’ve cracked the Earth’s crust like an egg. 

However, even surviving a fight against the Hulk is a feat in and of itself, but this next feat is a huge step up. This is because Bob isn’t fighting a physical embodiment of pure strength this time; he’s fighting someone who can control the very foundations of reality itself. The fight in question occurs a couple of years after “World War Hulk,” where Norman Osborn weaseled his way into becoming head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and reformed it into H.A.M.M.E.R., and also formed his own Dark Avengers (himself as the Iron Patriot, Sentry, Moonstone as Ms. Marvel, Logan’s son Daken as the new Wolverine, Mac Gargan/Venom as Spider-Man, Bullseye as Hawkeye, and even the Greek god of war himself, Ares). The team was called in because people in Dinosaur, Colorado, were disappearing, and they would soon find out it was because of one person: Molecule Man. This is especially bad because Molecule Man (Owen Reece) has complete and total control over molecules, even to the point where he has the potential to destroy the universe (since versions of him across the multiverse were turned into living bombs by the Beyonders), and to make matters worse, Owen was further spiraling into insanity as he became detached from reality. With the rest of his team incapacitated or even destroyed on the molecular level by Owen, Sentry went in to stop him, but Molecule Man utterly disintegrated him as well. However,  crazily enough, that isn’t the end of Sentry. Despite suffering the same molecular destruction as his teammates, Sentry’s regeneration is so cracked that he was able to reform his body fully. Molecule Man even tried again, but Sentry still came back. In fact, Sentry forced Owen to bring back his teammates and undo all his damage by putting the absolute fear of God in this guy. But even after Owen did as he asked, Bob still wasn’t done. After confirming Owen fixed everything, all Sentry said was, “Then go away,” before also destroying Owen on the molecular level. Molecule Man is one of the most powerful beings in all of Marvel, especially when he played a crucial role in “Secret Wars.” But the fact that Sentry both survived and brutally won a fight with said being is incredible beyond description. 

But what’s just as incredible is what Sentry did next during Osborn’s assault on Asgard, which occurred about a year or two after his encounter with Molecule Man. After Osborn convinced everyone that Asgard (which was floating above Oklahoma at the time) was a major threat to national security, he sent in his Dark Avengers to attack the Golden Realm. However, things started to fall apart once Heimdall and Balder told Ares the truth about what was really going on: Norman lied about everything, even manipulating events to justify his campaign. Furious at the treachery and dishonor, Ares went on a warpath against Osborn, only for it to come to a screeching halt once the Sentry was called in. Although Ares is considerably lower in terms of threats like Hulk or Molecule Man, Ares is still an Olympian god with centuries of battlefield experience, so he’s no pushover. Unfortunately, though, Ares isn’t fighting the Sentry; he’s fighting the Void. By this point, the Void had been slowly clawing away at Bob until he gained full control, and Ares was the final key to unlocking it. The battle was fierce but very brief: despite Ares slashing Bob across the chest with his axe, Sentry beat the absolute crap out of this guy, punching him into walls or tossing him into monuments. Ares tanked every punch, but it quickly got too overwhelming for him. In fact, what happened next was so graphic that I’m genuinely surprised this was allowed to be shown in a comic book: Void took Ares and literally tore him in half, with guts, intestines, and everything else spilling out. Even after tearing a literal god in half, Void still wasn’t done yet. After knocking Thor out of the fight, Void went absolutely berserk and knocked Asgard right out of the sky, essentially destroying it. The damage was so bad that Bob, after regaining control when the whole war was over, begged his comrades to kill him. Thor granted his friend that wish, and then carried his corpse into the sun. What makes this whole event so iconic isn’t that Sentry fought god-tier beings or punched his way through a planet or anything; it’s a taste of what could happen if Bob ever lost control. And despite all the times the Void took control, we should all be grateful that the Sentry is always on our side by the end of the day. 

Conclusion

Robert Reynolds is without question one of the most tragic characters in all of Marvel. Poor guy had been struggling with serious problems his whole life, and not even gaining near-unlimited power solved anything. It blessed him with the ability to help people, but also cursed him with just as much potential to hurt them. Thankfully, he’s got reliable friends to keep him in check, but if Lewis Pullman is gonna fight him this December, then he should be allowed to cut loose. However, if Doom can stop an anti-Infinity Gauntlet weapon with only two fingers, then I don’t know how much damage Bob or the Void can do against power on that scale. Regardless, this is one fight I would pay good money to see!