Summary

The Thunderbolts* trailer introduces the menacing Void, who is wiping out lives with his dark powers.
The killing effect used for the Void in Thunderbolts* is minimal but truly terrifying, setting up high stakes.
The character of Bob is revealed to be Sentry, the alter ego of the Void, posing a major threat to NYC in the film.

The Superbowl trailer for Thunderbolts* offered the first proper glimpse at the Void, the dreaded villain of the upcoming MCU movie. While the trailer doesn't go into much detail, it uses a simple effect to establish the shadowy supervillain — one that sends shivers down the spine.

Lewis Pullman's character in Thunderbolts* always had an air of mystery, but that seems to be clearing up now. First introduced simply as Bob, the new trailer that aired during Sunday's Super Bowl virtually confirms that he is Sentry, which in turn, means he's also the Void. The dark entity seems to be engulfing all of New York City within its black shroud, wiping out thousands of lives in the process.

Thunderbolts* Trailer Paints A Worrying Picture For One Character

The Thunderbolts* has given a worrying glimpse at the future of one MCU character.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

How Thunderbolts* Sets Up A Terrifying Villain

The Void’s Killing Spree Feels Truly Menacing

The new Thunderbolts* trailer opens with a bleak and alarming question raised by CIA Director Valentina in a courtroom. She asks, “The Avengers are not coming. Who will keep the American people safe?” The question feels threatening as we see visuals of NYC buildings crumbling and being swallowed by darkness. As morbid as it sounds, Marvel appears to have found the perfect balance to portray this on screen, and even teased it in the trailer using an interesting technique that is both minimal and terrifying.

Innocent civilians run away in terror, and a shadowy figure can be seen reducing them to nothing but ashy shadows on the concrete. The supervillain committing mass murder here is the Void, the darker incarnation within Sentry. Despite such a brief glimpse, the Void feels truly menacing, mainly due to the killing effect that Marvel and director Jake Schreier have chosen for him. When a villain can instantly blip groups of people out of existence, that is an Avengers-level threat.

The Void's Killing Effect Sets Up The Stakes For The Movie

A Terrifying Method Without Revealing Too Much

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Marvel's choice to showcase only The Void's killing effect here is a clever move. It establishes that the supervillain is far beyond the Thunderbolts' power level without revealing too much. It also hints that only heroes like Ghost, who has quantum-phasing abilities, might stand a chance against him. However, the team will still need to work together to create an opening for her to attack. Considering the Thunderbolts are supposed to be the MCU's next big team of heroes, they need a formidable enemy like this one, who can only be defeated through their unity and teamwork.

The Void killing people by sucking them into the ground is yet another example of how Marvel avoids R ratings, while still depicting a supervillain committing mass murder in its movies. Despite the absence of explosions or bloodshed, the idea of slipping into complete darkness is terrifying. While it looks like people are being pulled into another dimension through the ground, it also seems as though the Void is vaporizing them, leaving only their charred remains smeared onto the concrete.

The Effect Used In Thunderbolts* Feels Disturbingly Familiar

Echoes of Past MCU & Real-World Tragedies

thanos i am inevitable — avengers endgame thanos snap

Previously, Thanos wiped out half the universe in Infinity War and Endgame. The films portrayed this by showing people turning into dust, a visual that became iconic beyond the franchise. Similarly, something like this ash-to-ground killing effect has appeared before in the MCU — in Iron Man 3, where a similar aftermath was left behind by the Extremis “bombings”.

Moreover, the imagery may have drawn inspiration from a timeless and traumatic piece of real history called the “human shadow etched in stone.” Also known as the “human shadow of death,” this artifact from World War II Hiroshima resembles the silhouette of a person who was killed instantly when the atomic bomb was dropped, and their presence permanently imprinted onto the surface.

Sentry, Void, & Bob In Thunderbolts*, Explained

How Thunderbolts'* Biggest Threat Works

Thunderbolts* revolves around a group of anti-heroes who are forced to team up with Valentina for a dangerous mission. In Marvel Comics, one of the team members, Bob Reynolds, takes on the name Sentry after consuming an experimental super serum. While Bob presents the Void as his archnemesis to other heroes like Doctor Strange and Reed Richards, it is later revealed that Sentry, Bob, and the Void are all the same. In this trailer, The Void is the dark, cloud-like entity, while Bob is the actual person killing people with just the shake of his hand.

The destructive alter ego of Sentry is potentially more powerful than any other Marvel character in existence. In the comics, Bob’s memory had to be erased to sever his mental connection to the Void. Similarly, in Thunderbolts*, the team may have to rely on psychological tactics, as their physical attacks could prove ineffective. Moreover, Sentry gets his powers from a failed Super Soldier Serum experiment, much like other Thunderbolts members such as Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent, and Red Guardian, who all gained their abilities from different variations of the serum.

Sentry’s Future In The MCU

The Void May Not Be Fully Defeated

It makes more sense for the Void's powers to be restricted while keeping Sentry's form intact for the long run, rather than having it completely destroyed. Lewis Pullman's character was first introduced as “Bob” in Thunderbolts*. However, in a July 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor hinted that there was more to him, suggesting the character might have multiple identities:

All I’ll say is that everyone has their own nicknames and Bob is not his only name.

This all but confirmed that Bob was short for Robert Reynolds, meaning his character possessed the dual nature of both Sentry and the Void. The character’s fate will be revealed when Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2, 2025, as the final film of the MCU’s Phase Five.

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