Sentry Appreciation 2024 - The Man with the Power of a Million Exploding Suns

[Anthony W]

That said, it's really too bad that the Montessi Formula stopped working. I really hoped that we'd finally moved beyond the vampire craze in pop culture. They ruined a good thing with so many entertainment platforms having their own version of a bloodsucker apocalypse.

I have no issues with vampires. I just want the dumb zombie craze to end. Zombies are the lowest rung on the horror ladder. Doing a zombie story is the creative equivalent of wearing sweatpants. Doing a zombie story is admitting that you're not doing anything of merit today so the sweatpants will work. At least you have to try with vampires.

[Oberon]

I've lurked here a bit, not many comments.

I may be a fair-weather Sentry fan. I generally like the real/original Sentry but admit to not following the complicated run of stories or re-imaginings.

I liked the original concept, as clever, but didn't notice Sentry to much until the Avengers, after AD. I don't think he made much of an impression, good or bad, mostly because I really hated what the B person did to Scarlet Witch prior to that.

Anyway, the next time I noticed Sentry he was in the Uncanny Avengers and though I don't remember the whole tale I was very engrossed in it, various aspects. Sentry came across as rather detached from most things. Somber, sober, mysterious as I remember.

Not much since then but I've recently, very recently wondered

Has Sentry ever met/fought/etc Adam Warlock?

Certainly their other/evil/opposite selves have never met either perhaps.

It would need a complex plot and maybe involve some deeper reflections on the nature of persona and comic/serialized characters.

[MasterDebater1]

Did I miss something?

Jed MacKay who wrote a bald, salivating zombie Sentry and mentioned how Sentry was powerful and that he deserved more than being a manipulated corpse?

Even if you want to read something meta into it: as Jed implying the mistreatment of the Sentry in the last few years prior to that... that's still not enough. There is nothing there to go off of.

I don't know who the perfect writer for the Sentry would be. IMO maybe Alan Moore if you begged him to not forget about the superhero aspects of the Sentry. When Paul Jenkins wrote Sentry VOL 1 he was already heavily inspired by Alan Moores work in Miracleman. Rightfully so. Alan Moore is a genius who thrives when it comes to complex characters and he also happens to love Lovecraft, where I personally see the Sentry.

If you want someone who actually likes the Sentry you get Donnie Cates. He would be able to put Sentry into interesting (visual and thematical) situations for sure and push him as a character. But at the same time you have to ask him to dial back on the "cutsieness" he used on Cosmic Ghost Rider and at times even Venom.

I think Al Ewing did a great job on Immortal Hulk. Or at least early on.

I've made the argument... and I'm willing to die on that hill and take that argument to the grave: I've made the argument that when it comes to lesser known / popular superheroes you absolutely, positiviely need a strong and distinct sub-genre to attract an audience. Superman, Spider-Man and Batman can be just superheroes. Their name sells. Hulk sells as well but even Immortal Hulk was superhero + horror and I would argue that it was better because of it.

What would Sentry be? Superhero + ??? And is Jed MacKay the writer who can pull off an effective sub-genre? I don't know.

And that was handled a lot better than Jason Loo's Vol 4, plus Jed has experience writing mentally ill characters like Moonknight and making bangers out of it. If I hadd to trust anyone out of Marvel to write the Sentry and do right by the character, It would be him.

Sentry's genre should be Superhero + Eldritch Horror + Psychological Thriller.

[Wildling]

I agree MacKay seems to be at the top of Marvel's current talent to write Sentry because while Alan Moore's body or work speaks for itself it might be more likely for him to run for President than go back to write for DC or Marvel ever again, we can only rely on his influence.

The Sentry Legacy comic was short and underdeveloped (it only showed in one panel the abusive relationship I immediately assumed Ryan had with his parents) but I think planted the seeds for Bob's eventual return. Beyond the Greatest Hits fights Mallory learned Sentry was at odds with his worst Void nature, and Ryan learned Sentry was at odds with the ACD and the Avengers before he died, which is the thread all over Man of Two Worlds. Bob could eventually be summoned back to Earth by her as much as she did Farhad and company, only permanently. It shouldn't be hard to write.

[Tendrin]

Honestly, between MacKay, Hickman and Ewing, I'm not really sure who has the hottest pen in marvel right now but I'm loving all three. Immortal Hulk and Thor have been delightful, I've absolutely loved Moon Knight and MacKay's Avengers, and Hickman is, well ... Hickman.

[Wildling]

Hickman and Ewing are reliable for high concepts stories that could fit a Sentry comic but I've had the impression Hickman was never interested in Sentry at all, maybe that could change with a good enough pitch.

[MasterDebater1]

my reaction to pretty much everything Sentry-related since KiB

https://youtu.be/b6xoL76TbnQ?si=m3vhDv-7nxQH42u5

[numberthirty]

my reaction to pretty much everything Sentry-related since KiB

https://youtu.be/b6xoL76TbnQ?si=m3vhDv-7nxQH42u5

Just to point this out...

This feels kind of like some of what I have seen during the current stretch of "X.." titles. Same with the "New52..." era of the "Wonder Woman..." IP.

Sometimes, there will be a stretch where there just will not be a single thing for you happening in the title/titles of an IP that is really close to your heart.

There's just times when you need to be able to step away while keeping enough of an eye on what is happening to be able to know when it might be time for you to come back for a bit.

[MasterDebater1]

Honestly what was even the point of introducing him into the New Ultimate Universe if hes going to also remain dead there as well

https://imgur.com/gallery/pjeaXn6


it's so freaking stupid, he's dead in the main universe and now he's dead in the new universe, far out

[Tendrin]

Nice that he was acknowledged by Hickman, however. In fairness, most heroes are dead. Sentry is followed by Wolverine, for example there in your page, who is definitely a lot more popular than Bob is. xD

[MasterDebater1]

Nice that he was acknowledged by Hickman, however. In fairness, most heroes are dead. Sentry is followed by Wolverine, for example there in your page, who is definitely a lot more popular than Bob is. xD

I was really digging this new universe man, especially reading through the new Ultimate Spider-Man issues whixh were bangers, but I always wondered what Sentry's situation in this new universe was in the back of my mind, but this is just the status quo

Wolverine being dead is true, maybe sentry has a chance of coming back?

[Wildling]

Looks like Sentry being dead is in vogue in general. I think it'd be funny if Thunderbolts (which hardly looks like a faithful adaptation of the original Thunderbolts) turned out to be a more faithful Bob adaptation than recent comics.

[ENTRYS]

Looks like Sentry being dead is in vogue in general. I think it'd be funny if Thunderbolts (which hardly looks like a faithful adaptation of the original Thunderbolts) turned out to be a more faithful Bob adaptation than recent comics.

Can you do justice to a complex character like the Sentry in a two hour long movie? And how much screen time will the Sentry have in Thunderbolts*? We're not talking about two hours but rather maybe 20-25 minutes at the very max in a movie with so many characters.

According to rumors the Thunderbolts will face him at the end of the first act and lose.

Which means that they will lick their wounds in the second act. Maybe get closer together as a team? But at the same time we should always switch over to the Sentry to see what he is doing. He CAN'T be a one-and-done Marvel villain like so many other evil characters in the MCU have been so far. I don't think that's a winning formula once you are already familiar with the heroes. Ronan in GOTG 1 could be bland because we were learning about the Guardians. Ego in GOTG2 had to be a good villain. Look at Thor 2. Malekith had no right being as bland as he was. That hurt the movie big time.

I'm very interested to see what they will do with the Sentry in Thunderbolts*. Obviously-biasly I'm hoping for a breakout performance and hit. I want Sentry to be the next MCU Loki in terms of fan admiration and support for a villain / anti-hero character who steals every scene he is in.

I hope that the entire plot is centered around the Sentry and Vals evil machinations. That way we immediately get going and start the search. The Thunderbolts find and upset him. He beats them up. And then they fight in the third act again. The story would have to be finding and retrieving a weapon (Sentry) but then realizing that behind that weapon is a troubled man who is being taken advantage of for the power he wields. And then some additional layers on depth on top of that.

Act 1: Search for the Sentry. Background information on him maybe. I don't think he will be kept a secret for too long.

Act 2: Character bonding. Suspicious rising. Audience getting familiar with the Sentry who is doing his own thing.

Act 3: Plot twist drop? Val has been evil all along, whaaat? Madam Hydra??? Sentry isn't even that bad actually but is being manipulated into running amok? Noooo.

[MasterDebater1]

Can you do justice to a complex character like the Sentry in a two hour long movie? And how much screen time will the Sentry have in Thunderbolts*? We're not talking about two hours but rather maybe 20-25 minutes at the very max in a movie with so many characters.

According to rumors the Thunderbolts will face him at the end of the first act and lose.

Which means that they will lick their wounds in the second act. Maybe get closer together as a team? But at the same time we should always switch over to the Sentry to see what he is doing. He CAN'T be a one-and-done Marvel villain like so many other evil characters in the MCU have been so far. I don't think that's a winning formula once you are already familiar with the heroes. Ronan in GOTG 1 could be bland because we were learning about the Guardians. Ego in GOTG2 had to be a good villain. Look at Thor 2. Malekith had no right being as bland as he was. That hurt the movie big time.

I'm very interested to see what they will do with the Sentry in Thunderbolts*. Obviously-biasly I'm hoping for a breakout performance and hit. I want Sentry to be the next MCU Loki in terms of fan admiration and support for a villain / anti-hero character who steals every scene he is in.

I hope that the entire plot is centered around the Sentry and Vals evil machinations. That way we immediately get going and start the search. The Thunderbolts find and upset him. He beats them up. And then they fight in the third act again. The story would have to be finding and retrieving a weapon (Sentry) but then realizing that behind that weapon is a troubled man who is being taken advantage of for the power he wields. And then some additional layers on depth on top of that.

Act 1: Search for the Sentry. Background information on him maybe. I don't think he will be kept a secret for too long.

Act 2: Character bonding. Suspicious rising. Audience getting familiar with the Sentry who is doing his own thing.

Act 3: Plot twist drop? Val has been evil all along, whaaat? Madam Hydra??? Sentry isn't even that bad actually but is being manipulated into running amok? Noooo.

The MCU has dropped the ball ever since Endgame, I'm fairly certain none of that was ever on the storyboard, much less in the script which sucks because I am sure this is a 1000x better than whatever Marvel is going to shit out with Thunderbolts.

I am still so depressed about Sentry remaining dead in the Ultimate's Universe, it's an interesting unique universe that was created by a great writer and has an amazing concept, but I am still holding onto hope he's coming back

[Wildling]

Can you do justice to a complex character like the Sentry in a two hour long movie? And how much screen time will the Sentry have in Thunderbolts*? We're not talking about two hours but rather maybe 20-25 minutes at the very max in a movie with so many characters.

According to rumors the Thunderbolts will face him at the end of the first act and lose.

Which means that they will lick their wounds in the second act. Maybe get closer together as a team? But at the same time we should always switch over to the Sentry to see what he is doing. He CAN'T be a one-and-done Marvel villain like so many other evil characters in the MCU have been so far. I don't think that's a winning formula once you are already familiar with the heroes. Ronan in GOTG 1 could be bland because we were learning about the Guardians. Ego in GOTG2 had to be a good villain. Look at Thor 2. Malekith had no right being as bland as he was. That hurt the movie big time.

I'm very interested to see what they will do with the Sentry in Thunderbolts*. Obviously-biasly I'm hoping for a breakout performance and hit. I want Sentry to be the next MCU Loki in terms of fan admiration and support for a villain / anti-hero character who steals every scene he is in.

I hope that the entire plot is centered around the Sentry and Vals evil machinations. That way we immediately get going and start the search. The Thunderbolts find and upset him. He beats them up. And then they fight in the third act again. The story would have to be finding and retrieving a weapon (Sentry) but then realizing that behind that weapon is a troubled man who is being taken advantage of for the power he wields. And then some additional layers on depth on top of that.

Act 1: Search for the Sentry. Background information on him maybe. I don't think he will be kept a secret for too long.

Act 2: Character bonding. Suspicious rising. Audience getting familiar with the Sentry who is doing his own thing.

Act 3: Plot twist drop? Val has been evil all along, whaaat? Madam Hydra??? Sentry isn't even that bad actually but is being manipulated into running amok? Noooo.

My personal hope is Sentry is Godzilla here. Godzilla surprisingly doesn't hog the screen time in his recent movies, can be much less than 30 minutes, and similarly you might not need to have Bob on the screen every time people worry about him. I assume a fully fleshed mid-credits scene would be made if they wanted to keep him around.