Could the longstanding rumors of Sentry getting a movie finally be coming to fruition? While nothing is official, my theory is that he could not only join the onscreen Dark Avengers, but he could foreshadow the arrival of Galactus.
Dear Kevin Feige:
If you are going to add Sentry to the MCU, for the love of all that is good and holy, please don't make him the comic relief. There's too much of that as it is.
Thank you,
Matt Tuck, Humble Blogger
Now that I have that out of my system, on with the show.
For years, Internet, the Great and Powerful, has produced many rumors of Sentry entering the MCU. A few years ago, my friend and I had the chance to meet Sentry co-creator Paul Jenkins at a comic convention, and, to paraphrase, he told us that Kevin Feige thought Sentry would be a great addition. Jenkins didn't say, but it's been theorized that Sentry is a mature character with a complicated history that mainstream fans of the light-hearted, family-friendly MCU may not appreciate.
Although Endgame steered the MCU back in the action-comedy direction, Infinity War proved that Mavel Studios can make a dark and serious movie. That's what it would take to truly bring Sentry to life without ruining what makes him unique.
As I wrote in "Stay Ahead of the Curve," Sentry is a flawed Superman. His alter ego, Bob Reynolds, suffers from mental illness. While he has the physical powers of a god, his internal struggles ground him and make him a very human superhero.
As stated on Marvel's official site, after taking the secret formula that gave him his powers "Robert Reynolds instantly became the Void, a creature of evil and malice, while another entity was created to counter him, the Sentry. The Void and the Sentry are linked, as they are technically the same person. No matter how many people Sentry saves, the Void will kill the same number."
From Sentry's point of view, the Void is a separate entity when it's actually another facet to himself. That in itself makes Sentry one of the most complex characters in comics, and he could help reshape the MCU, but he is a character who can't be taken lightly and turned into comic relief, like Thor. Here's why.
Let's say Marvel commits to bringing Sentry to the MCU. This could be the best story arc in a Dark Avengers movie. In the comics, Norman Osborn manipulates Bob Reynolds into joining the team, convincing him that they're on the side of good. When Bob's wife, Lindy, gets in the way, he has Bullseye murder her. Meanwhile, Bob's mental state becomes increasingly unstable, leading to the Void taking control and going on a rampage in which he destroys Asgard and rips Ares in half.
Obviously that story is too dark for a Disney movie. While it could be sanitized and adapted fora family-friendly MCU, there's just no way it could work as a slapstick action-comedy without making light of Sentry's mental illness, which would be a travesty.
All this takes us back to my lead question: Could Sentry introduce the MCU to Galactus? Yes, he could, and that would be amazing.
In Dark Avengers #13, Lindy Reyonds raised the question of where did the power come from? The Void responded, "I am Galactus...Devourer of Worlds." Having those words uttered on a movie screen would instantly establish a new threat greater than any the MCU has seen before, including Thanos and the Black Order.
First we are introduced to Bob Reynolds as he gains unfathomable power and his psyche breaks down into two forms: the Sentry and the Void. Then to have the Void say that he is Galactus would cause massive ripples. From there the MCU could pull in the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer, and the Heralds of Galactus as Earth's heroes ready for this new galactic threat whose name alone inspires death and destruction on a cosmic level. This would make Galactus downright scary, and that's the kind of Galactus the MCU needs.
