Movies

You Won’t Believe What Happens When You Mix Super Soldier Serum with a Troubled Mind

BBG News

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thunderbolts presents one of its subtly menacing antagonists – an individual casually strolling about in his nightwear and without shoes, known simply as “Bob”.

In this storyline, it’s not only Bob who’s involved. Portrayed by Lewis Pullman, Bob finds himself under the supervision of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who is a CIA director. Her aim is to manufacture and govern her own superhuman being. She selects susceptible test subjects to replicate the supersoldier serum that transformed weak Steve Rogers into powerful Captain America.

However, in the movie, one of Val’s associates notes that transforming an individual like Steve Rogers, who is good and reliable, with a mysterious serum results in the creation of the ultimate super-soldier. Conversely, applying the same serum to an unstable person yields less predictable outcomes. Here’s what you should know about Bob and his two personas: Sentry and the Void.

How does Bob become Sentry/the Void in Thunderbolts*?

Val’s questionable researchers are not limited to experimenting on Bob alone; he was merely the sole survivor of their experiments. Val discards what she believes to be Bob’s lifeless body, along with other incriminating evidence, into a bunker for destruction as part of her efforts to conceal her misdeeds.

In the event that my beloved character finds herself under scrutiny by Congress, I, Val, devise a daring plan. I decide to set fire to the bunker, with my trusted team of assassins – Florence Pugh’s Yelena, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, and Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost – inside. However, our path crosses with an enigmatic figure named Bob. As we soon discover, this man has an extraordinary immunity to bullets, the ability to fly, and a unique power: when he touches others, he can uncover their deepest, darkest memories.

Through the movie, it becomes clear that Bob grapples with mental health challenges. His father was physically abusive, he had a past addiction to meth, and he often entertains disturbing thoughts. He confides in Florence Pugh’s character, Yelena, that he experiences intense highs followed by deep depressions, often losing consciousness and discovering upon waking that he has done something regrettable. The serum appears to intensify Bob’s conditions, causing him to exhibit two separate personalities.

Val intends to showcase Sentry as her personal triumph to the world, meticulously designing aspects like his costume, hairstyle, and name. Initially, Sentry embraces his new role as a superhero, which Val portrays as more powerful than any collective of the Avengers. He becomes enamored with extravagant ideas, referring to himself as a divine entity. (To be fair, one of the Avengers is indeed a god, so according to Val’s reasoning, Sentry should also be considered a deity.)

When Val discovers she’s no longer in command of Sentry, her team attempts to deactivate the new superhero using a ‘kill switch’. Instead, they inadvertently create a villain known as The Void. At first glance, The Void seems to be erasing people off the streets of New York with a casual wave of his hand, transforming them into shadows. However, he’s actually transporting these individuals into a labyrinthine realm constructed from their most horrific memories, along with remnants of his own traumatic past. In the end, Yelena manages to navigate through this space and assists Bob in escaping his sinister counterpart, thereby saving the city.

In the upcoming superhero team, initially referred to as the Thunderbolts due to its connection with Yelena’s old soccer squad, and later renamed the New Avengers by Valentina, Sentry is now an official member. Future films will likely see him teaming up with Yelena, her father Red Guardian (portrayed by David Harbour), veteran Avenger Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker, who aspires to be Captain America, and the Ant-Man adversary Ghost (played by John-Kamen).

What is the origin of Sentry and the Void in the comics?

In the comic books, Robert Reynolds, also known as Bob, struggles with schizophrenia and anxiety. He plans to get a thrill from what he thinks are drugs by stealing an experimental potion from his high school science teacher. However, unbeknownst to him, the mixture turns out to be a serum that transforms him into a super soldier.

In this rephrased version: Bob assumes dual roles, being hailed as a hero under the identity of Sentry, while his sinister persona goes by the name the Void. The Void possesses the power to annihilate its victims with a swift burst of darkness.

What will Sentry’s role be in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars?

In an extra scene after the credits of Thunderbolts, the freshly assembled super-team, now referred to as the New Avengers, express their concerns about being mostly composed of individuals with less extraordinary abilities, more akin to fighters who punch and shoot. Bob, lounging comfortably in a corner with a burger and milkshake, offers his apologies for not being able to display his remarkable powers. He is still struggling to master them, and worries that the Void could be unleashed if he attempts to battle invading aliens, HYDRA agents, or other perils facing Earth, as Sentry.

It’s possible that Bob will have to find a way to control his powers before long. At the end of the scene, Yelena reveals satellite images showing an inter-dimensional spaceship entering Earth’s atmosphere, bearing the symbol of the Fantastic Four. As we know, this movie is set in an alternate universe, so their appearance in the New Avengers world might signal ominous events ahead.

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2025-05-02 11:06

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