Summary

Thunderbolts* is set to debut in 2025 as MCU's answer to Suicide Squad.
Lewis Pullman's character, Bob, may transform into villainous Void.
Void's dark powers pose a major threat to Thunderbolts team.

2025 is a big year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* finally expected to make its long-awaited arrival. Billed as the MCU’s answer to Warner Bros.’ Suicide Squad movies, Thunderbolts* brings together a crack team of expendable bad guys (and girls) against a coming threat. The question is, when the evildoers are called in, who's the one that they’re fighting?

While the return of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine pitches her as the big bad, the latest trailer confirms someone else is waiting in the wings. There’s been plenty of intrigue surrounding Lewis Pullman’s ‘Bob,’ and although it was already confirmed he was playing the heroic Sentry, fans weren’t sure whether his villainous alter ego of the Void would make his mark.

thunderbolts mcu poster, asterisk in title

New Thunderbolts* Posters May Have Spoiled The Film's Biggest Mystery

Fans have been more engrossed in the Thunderbolts* title than the film's plot, but some answers might have finally surfaced from an unlikely source.

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By Ademilade Shodipe-Dosunmu

Who is The Void in Marvel Comics?

Introduced in 2000’s The Sentry #1, Robert “Bob” Reynolds was an overweight and middle-aged nobody who eventually unlocked his past memories. While it’s dumbing it down a little, Reynolds is effectively Marvel’s answer to Superman, and boasts “the power of a million exploding suns” after consuming a variant of the Super Soldier serum. Tying this to Thunderbolts*, this origin story could easily play out in the government facility that’s featured frequently in the trailers. While Sentry is the ‘good’ side of Bob, he also battles some serious demons, with his villainous side referred to as the Void.

Due to the threat of the void, Bob had himself erased from the memories of nearly everyone in the world, including adventures helping the likes of Mister Fantastic, X-Men’s Angel, and the Incredible Hulk. Doctor Strange was then involved in a second incident where Sentry had to be plucked from people’s memories, but given that Spider-Man: No Way Home already pulled this shtick with Doctor Strange’s spell to forget Peter Parker, things will likely play out differently in Thunderbolts*.

The Void is more of a force than a physical entity, taking any form it likes, but typically appearing as humanoid when taunting Sentry. It appears every time Bob uses his Sentry powers, suggesting the Void will be a =regular presence in Thunderbolts*. Of course, the movie could go down the route where Sentry appears for the majority of it, and then breaks bad to turn into the Void in the second half. There’s only a fleeting glimpse of the Void’s powers in the Thunderbolts*’s Super Bowl trailer, but with a dark cloud swirling above New York, it seems like a visual representation of the Void’s ability to manifest in Bob’s worst fears and things he's repressed. If this is the case, Bob might be in his heroic Sentry mode until this point in the movie.

Worryingly for the Thunderbolts, Val, and the citizens of New York, the Void possesses all the powers of the Sentry…and more. In terms of how dangerous the Void is, Bob’s darker side can possess others, impale them with his infini-tendrils to make them experience traumatic events, and once used molecularkinesis to trap the Avengers in a shroud of darkness. Even throwing him into the Sun only works as a temporary fix, so it’s hard to see how a relatively grounded team like the Thunderbolts will be able to stand against him. Considering Reynolds was a drug addict who broke into a lab and consumed the Golden Sentry Serum, there are even theories that the Void was born from this darker side, with Sentry being a byproduct to combat his guilt for what he’s become.

Thunderbolts* Has One Big Question It Must Answer

The latest Thunderbolts* trailer raises a rather massive question that pops up in the MCU a bit too often.

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By Oliver VanDervoort

The Void Looks Like Thunderbolts*’ ‘Real’ Villain

The whole modus operandi of what brings the Thunderbolts together remains a mystery, but it looks like things will go down in the strange facility where they first encounter Bob. As well as being a possible setup by someone like Valentina to kill off these rogue agents, it seems the movie isn’t even trying to hide the fact that this is where Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster will meet her maker. The trailer also shows the team originally at odds with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, suggesting they’ll have to come together against a common foe like Sentry/the Void.

Later scenes appear to show the Thunderbolts (minus Taskmaster) confronting Valentina at the old Avengers Tower, finally confirming her as its new owner. Given that Bob’s Void powers are seen circling the former headquarters of Earth’s Mightiest heroes, the pieces all fit together with this being a final act fight against the Void. The addition of Sentry was always supposed to be a big deal, with plenty of hype about The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun supposedly being cast in the role before he had to drop out due to scheduling issues.

Thunderbolts* is the last mainline MCU movie before heading into the alternate reality of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, with both having hopeful setups of Avengers: Doomsday. It’s also the final outing for Phase 5, with some billing it as something of a non-Avengers Avengers movie. Even though Sentry isn’t typically associated with Secret Wars, the fact at least some of the Thunderbolts are confirmed as part of the growing Doomsday cast means he could be slotted into the next two Avengers movies. Then again, there are already fears that one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful characters could be killed off before the Thunderbolts* credits roll.

It’s also possible that the iconic scene from Marvel Comics where the Sentry’s watchtower appears atop Stark Tower will be brought into live-action. This would at least explain why things look like they go down at Val’s new residence. The problem is, none of the Thunderbolts appear to have the powers that could take on the Void, meaning they’ll have to use cunning to take him down.

More likely, there will be an emotional message about how this group's own downtrodden villains can come together to redeem themselves and save the day as Marvel’s answer for the Breakfast Club. While fans can bet that Sentry will live up to his moniker as the Golden Guardian of Good, the Thunderbolts and the wider Avengers should be terrified about the looming presence of the Void will bring to the party.

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