Warning: contains spoilers for X-Men #1
Marvel doubles down on poking fun at their mega-powered and recently deceased hero, the Sentry, in X-Men #1. Fans thus far have seemed to have very few qualms with the hero being kicked while he’s down, likely because he’s never exactly been much of a fan favorite.
Sentry, real name Robert Reynolds, was first introduced a sort of living retcon. The idea was to pretend as though he had actually been around for all of the Marvel universe’s history but everyone, including himself, had forgotten. Reed Richards, Doctor Strange, and Sentry had purposefully caused this collective amnesia to stop the Sentry’s monstrous other half, the Void. Sentry is the heroic persona of Robert Reynolds and the Void is the destructive side. Much like Captain America, Robert Reynolds’ powers simply come from a special serum. However, instead of just becoming a super-soldier, Reynolds gained “the power of one million exploding suns”. He is considered an Omega-Level Threat whose godlike powers seem to have no limit.
The mockery of Sentry started when he was unceremoniously killed off in King in Black #1. The villain Knull tore Sentry in half with ease. The death of Marvel’s most powerful character served the story well as it offered a shocking death and demonstrated Knull’s power. Whether the creative team took joy, however, in gorily killing off the long-derided character is impossible to know. What is for certain is that Marvel has found joy in poking fun at his gutted body and can’t seem to stop.
The entire plot of King In Black: Thunderbolts revolved around the villainous team using Sentry’s dead torso as a bomb to kill Knull (or at least appear to). This leads to a plethora of hilarious and disturbing shenanigans as they lug the two halves of his body around, entrails hanging. They eventually wrap the parts of his body together and place him in lifelike poses in a very Weekend at Bernie’s-esque manner. Marvel returns to the gag in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 where they show a picture of the Thunderbolts posing with Sentry’s body.
The Sentry has proven to be very forgettable, which is ironic considering he was first introduced as a character who was quintessential to the Marvel universe but had been forgotten by all its characters. In X-Men #1, Ben Urich of the Daily Bugle sounds off on the irony while remarking on the odd homes superheroes have built in New York. He writes, “Don’t even get me started on the Sentry’s Watchtower. Remember that guy? Or was his superpower to be forgotten? I don’t know where he is now, but the point of this story is: I do not miss that damn building.”
Ben Urich’s words are especially harsh considering that “where he is now” is dead with his ripped apart body being used as a prop for photos and general hijinks. With how immemorable Sentry generally is, how fans haven’t shouted in protest of his death, and how creators seem to be finding joy in his demise, one wonders if Sentry may truly stay dead this time (like most heroes, he has died before). Either way, Marvel is set to keep having fun kicking Sentry’s body around and maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
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