The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t great at keeping secrets. Andrew Garfield’s appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home was leaked before release, despite the star denying it in countless interviews. Sylvie’s name was revealed in Loki’s international dubbing credits before any character uttered it. Even a delay to the next Marvel movie, Captain America: Brave New World, revealed a key costume thanks to McDonald’s toys tied to the earlier release date slipping out.
Sometimes, it’s best to just admit the truth. Thunderbolts, the Marvel movie slated for release next May, has positioned one new character for a mysterious reveal, even though fans generally agree on who they’ll be. Rather than try to play coy, one of the film’s stars has all but confirmed our suspicions.
Marvel fans have known for a year that Thunderbolts will include the MCU debut of Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry, thanks to Invincible creator Robert Kirkman saying in an interview, “My good friend Steven Yeun is playing the Sentry in a movie.” Sentry is an extremely powerful hero who ingested an enhanced version of the super-soldier serum, but is plagued with mental health struggles. He’s one of the darkest characters in the Marvel canon, which makes him the perfect fit for Thunderbolts, a movie full of gritty anti-heroes.
Yeun would later exit the project and be replaced by Lewis Pullman, but when Pullman appeared in the movie’s trailer and claimed to be named Bob, fans knew what was really going on. Sentry’s logo was even shown in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot. It wasn’t exactly the best-kept secret.
Now, the reveal is finally official. According to Comic Book Movie, while speaking at D23 Brazil earlier this month, Thunderbolts star David Harbour said, “I don't think you guys know much about Bob/Sentry yet, so you'll have to see what that becomes in this movie. I don't want to give too much away.”
While this isn’t a shocking announcement, it’s nice to know that the character being teased is exactly what it looks like, and that Marvel isn’t trying to pull a sneaky twist. Sentry officially joining the MCU could usher in a darker tone for the franchise... and Marvel admitting who he is will hopefully begin a new era where they stop trying to deny the blatantly obvious.
