The Truth About Bob in Marvel’s Thunderbolts* (And No, It’s Not His Fingers)

One of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe will soon be introduced into the MCU courtesy of Thunderbolts*, but he might look a bit…unassuming at first glance. Those who have watched the premiere trailer for Thunderbolts will likely recall meeting a man named Bob, and he quickly makes an impression due to how out of place he is in the chaotic proceedings. What lies behind that facade however is someone torn between two parts of himself fighting for control, and both The Sentry and The Void are true forces of nature. We’re diving into the truth about Bob and who he really is, and no, it’s not that he has six fingers (because he actually only has five after all).

Who Is Bob Really?

Bob is actually a man named Robert Reynolds, and Reynolds would gain his powers through an experimental Super-Solider Serum (which was part of Project Sentry). The positives of this event led to Reynolds becoming The Sentry and gaining superhuman abilities that were tied to solar radiation. Reynolds gained superhuman strength, speed, intelligence, enhanced senses, energy projection, flight, and invulnerability, and in a pinch, he’s been described as having the power of a million exploding suns.

Sounds great right? Well, it is…but there was also a severe downside to all that power. Before gaining those powers, Reynolds suffered from schizophrenia, and so when he gained these powerful abilities his subconscious developed two personalities that would balance each other, and that included a dark persona called The Void. When The Void takes over, he has access to the same powers, though he also has the ability to assume different forms and infect people’s minds.

These two sides of Reynolds aren’t aware of each other for a long time, and so try and eliminate the other without realizing they are one and the same. At various times along the way, they would be made aware of each other or made to forget the other existed, and at times Reynolds would be the one lost in that mix as well, but almost always at some point The Sentry would re-emerge and that would be followed by The Void returning as well.

A Million Exploding Suns

Sentry has had some big successes, like when he flew Carnage to space and ripped him in half (though he did actually survive that because, you know, he’s Carnage). He’s also taken a direct hit from a Nuke and walked away just fine, and he was one of the few people to actually go toe to toe with The Hulk (during World War Hulk no less) and fight him to a draw.

Unfortunately, he’s had his share of losses as well, though not in the traditional sense. He won the battle against Ares, ripping the God of War in half, but he was possessed by The Void at the time and on the wrong side. The same goes for when he killed Loki as The Void, who was aiding The Avengers at the time.

So, all that to say, “Bob” is pretty powerful, even if he doesn’t yet realize it. This will likely be a combination of different Sentry stories, but the main approach is the same. Bob doesn’t realize he houses both The Sentry and The Void, or perhaps he doesn’t yet and we see the creation of his new powered form during the movie. He will get there eventually regardless, and when he does, the MCU better prepare for chaos.

Are you excited for Thunderbolts? You can talk all things comics and Marvel with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!