After many MCU fan favorites showed up in the recent Thunderbolts* teaser, fans wonder who the mysterious character, Bob, is since he found himself in a room with some of the film's main characters.
Thunderbolts* (which will act as a sequel to Black Widow) has been on many fans' radars for a while now; it was put on the upcoming MCU slate when it was announced in 2022 at Disney's D23 expo.
While Thunderbolts* will focus on the team-up of Marvel antiheroes, past rumors suggested that Sentry would make his debut in the film, and he was seemingly officially seen in the movie's teaser.
Who Is Bob in the Thunderbolts* Trailer?
The new Thunderbolts* teaser revealed many important in-universe revelations, but none may rival the introduction of a new character.
In the teaser, Yelena, John Walker, Ghost, and Taskmaster are all seemingly sent to an undisclosed location. After they show off their skills to one another in a bit of a scuffle, it is revealed that someone else is in the room with them—a man wearing hospital scrubs who identifies as Bob.
Bob doesn't have a major role in the trailer, but he is played by Top Gun: Maverick's Lewis Pullman.
However, Yelena makes a comment that teases there is more than meets the eye regarding Bob, specifically saying that "everyone [there] has done bad things."
The only other appearance Bob makes in the trailer is standing somewhere outside but surrounded by extreme law enforcement or the military.
It is important to note that his clothes have bullet holes and are damaged in other ways, but he seems completely unharmed.
However, the most important shot involving Bob comes seconds later when it seems as though the enforcement officers or military members open fire on Bob, and the bullets do not even leave a mark on him.
Bob may have only been featured in a handful of shots in the trailer, but his character will become one of the most powerful seen in an MCU project.
The name Bob is short for Robert Reynolds, who can transform into an all-powerful entity known as Sentry, a Superman-like figure who got his powers from a super soldier-like serum.
Past rumors suggested that Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Val would be the one to use the serum on Bob to create Sentry. When Bob "powers up" in the comics and becomes Sentry, he is somewhat of an unstoppable force but still not evil.
However, he does have an alter ego/personality called the Void, which is disconnected from his Sentry personality and is almost the embodiment of evil. It is as dark and destructive as one can imagine.
So, it is possible that Bob was sent to the same location as the other characters because of his actions as the Void or simply because, if the rumors are true, Val created him to oppose the Thunderbolts.
How Sentry's Thunderbolts* Character Connects to the Comics
As mentioned, when Bob first shows up in the Thunderbolts* trailer, he seems to have no idea where he is or how he got there and is confused as to why the others say that someone sent them.
This is most likely due to Bob's mental state when he is Sentry or the Void, which were fleshed out in the comics.
In the source material, he didn't initially realize he was both a powerful hero and a devastating villain because he had a split personality.
At multiple points, he had his memories wiped to keep the Void at bay and also (with the help of Doctor Strange and Reed Richards) had the entire world forget who he was (similar to Peter Parker's actions in Spider-Man: No Way Home). However, his memories eventually began returning to him, ultimately leading to Sentry and the Void being at war with one another.
The same basic process of the Void being defeated and coming back continued in a bit of a cycle until Sentry was eventually thrown into the sun, resulting in the death of both he and the Void.
Due to Bob's confusion in the trailer, it is possible that, similar to the comics, his mind will be wiped in the film to make him forget all of his actions as Sentry and the Void. Of course, one would have to assume that he will be unable to control his personalities and that both Sentry and the Void will be on full display at some point in Thunderbolts*.
If true, the past rumors that a Sentry solo project may be in development at some point would have more credibility.
Thunderbolts* will be released in theaters on May 2, 2025.
