Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
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- For other comicbook characters by the same name of Sentry, visit Sentry (comics).
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The Sentry (Robert Reynolds) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who lives in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee for the Marvel Knights line, the character starred in a successful 2000 limited series whose promotion included a hoax that claimed the Sentry to be a forgotten pre-Fantastic Four creation of Stan Lee. Writer Brian Michael Bendis returned the character to print in 2004 when he re-introduced the Sentry as a member of the Avengers.
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[edit] Publication history
[edit] Hoax
Marvel promoted The Sentry limited series as the first appearance of an unknown Stan Lee Silver Age hero; the publisher, however, fabricated the story. Comic book magazine Wizard: The Guide to Comics participated in the hoax, reporting that Marvel had discovered sketches by a forgotten artist named Artie Rosen of a superhero created by Stan Lee that dated to before the Fantastic Four's creation.
When the Sentry returned in New Avengers there were some rumors that he was actually Thor, however, writer Brian Michael Bendis said he had not considered the idea, otherwise he would have added some red herrings to further mislead people.[citation needed]
[edit] A "Superman" for Marvel?
The very design and powers of the Sentry are very untraditional for the editorial style of the modern Marvel. Thematically, the concept is much closer to the style employed by rival DC Comics. The "Golden Guardian of Good" has been portrayed as one of the few heroes that are popular among citizens of the Marvel Universe.
This has led to the controversial thought that the Sentry might be Marvel's newest stab at creating a "Marvelized Superman", one less cynical than the Squadron Supreme's Hyperion.[1] This dovetails with Marvel's recent initiatives to create new characters (e.g., Araña, Scorpion, Young Avengers) and revitalize broken and old concepts (such as Moon Knight and Ghost Rider). Furthermore, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada's statement upon the launch of New Avengers that "the Sentry's time has come" suggests that, at least as long as Brian Bendis is a major player at Marvel, the Sentry is being nurtured into one of Marvel's first major new characters of the 21st century.
There have also been fan comparisons made of the Sentry to two (preexisting) non-Marvel characters whose own stories strongly mirror major aspects of the Sentry's basic concepts - much more strongly than does Superman. DC's Triumph is a retconned Silver Age superhero who "existed" at the beginning of DC's Silver Age and was a founding member of the JLA until an act of self-sacrifice removes him from everyone's memory (and continuity itself) until his reappearance over a decade later. Alan Moore's Miracleman (nee Marvelman) has a middle-aged married man suddenly remembering that he used to be a Silver Age-era superhero that no one else seems to recall ever existing - despite his own memories to the contrary.
[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Sentry and the Marvel Universe
In the 2000 limited series The Sentry and its related one-shots, Bob Reynolds remembers that he is the Sentry, a superhero whose "power of one million exploding suns" derives from a special serum. Realizing that his arch-nemesis the Void is returning, Reynolds seeks out several prominent Marvel characters to warn them and to discover why no one remembers the Sentry.
The characters' memories of the Sentry and the Void resurface when Reynolds talks with them. The Sentry had taught Angel how to conquer his fear of falling. Peter Parker's photograph of the Sentry earned him a Pulitzer Prize and fame. The Hulk had never forgotten the Sentry, whom he called "Golden Man". Under the Sentry's influence, the Hulk had been a force for good who had redeemed his violent actions and won the adoration of the public. Reed Richards remembers the Sentry was his best friend and that the Fantastic Four had teamed up with him on many adventures.
During the course of his investigation, Reynolds and Reed Richards discover what had happened: as the Void had threatened the Earth, the heroes learned that the Sentry and the Void were two halves of the same person, and in order to save the world, Robert Reynolds erased his memory from the mind of nearly every person on Earth. As the heroes stand along the United States' East Coast, united against the coming Void, Reynolds realizes that he must make the sacrifice again, and with the help of his mechanical servant C.L.O.C., Richards, and Dr. Strange, Reynolds erases the Sentry from the world's memories once more.
In 2004's New Avengers #1, Reynolds re-appears inside the supervillain prison the Raft, voluntarily imprisoned for murdering his wife Lindy. During a massive jail break in which several Marvel superheroes are caught, the Sentry defends several other characters from Carnage, whom he flies to space and rips in half.
Eventually, the Avengers learn that Mastermind, under the direction of Sentry villain the Crazed General, implanted a virus in Reynolds' mind that created delusions and the existence of the Void, which is actually Reynolds' repressed persona. The mental virus impaired Reynolds' ability to remember life, and, as a cry for help, he subconsciously implanted his memories into the mind of comic book writer Paul Jenkins, who then transferred those memories to comic books. Emma Frost releases Reynolds from the virus, and the Sentry joins the Avengers (though the world no longer remembers him or the Void) and discovers that he had never killed his wife. Additionally, the Sentry's Watchtower appears atop the Stark Tower, where it had been all along.
In the 2005 Sentry limited series by Paul Jenkins and John Romita, Jr., the Sentry has captured the hearts of the public, newspapers refer to him as "the Golden Guardian", and he saves hundreds of lives on a daily basis; Reynolds' psychological problems, however, have worsened. Unable to reconcile that Robert Reynolds, the Sentry and the Void are the same being, the Sentry contained the Void in a vault in the Watchtower At C.L.O.C.'s urging, Reynolds' psychiatrist Dr. Cornelius Worth enters the vault and finds only a chair and a mirror. When Cornelius confronts Reynolds with this, Reynolds becomes confused and runs to the fairgrounds where he first gained his powers.
Cornelius follows Reynolds to the fairgrounds where the Sentry and the Void have been fighting. The Void claims that Reynolds transforms into the Void rather than the Sentry, and that the Sentry is merely a guilt-borne byproduct of that transformation. With only half of Robert Reynolds' memories (the Void possessing the other half), the Sentry isn't sure the Void is wrong. The Sentry chases the Void away and then explains to Cornelius why Reynolds had hired him in the first place. Reynolds subconsciously wanted someone to reveal the Void's existence to the world so he would no longer have to hide that aspect of himself. The Sentry then tells Cornelius how Reynolds really gained his powers as a teenager: by stealing the Professor's serum and ingesting it to get high. He also tells Cornelius that he knew all along that the Void was never in the Watchtower's vault. He knew that if Reynolds believed he believed the Void to be in the Watchtower, the Void would be. This kept the world safe from the Void for as long as the Sentry could keep up the charade.
The Sentry then visits Dr. Strange to determine if he is real or not. Strange tricks the Sentry into traveling to his old Professor's research facility where the two men confine the Sentry in an illusionary realm where he is a mental patient and superheroes do not exist in an attempt to prevent any further destruction. The Sentry breaks free of the illusion and after confronting the Professor, who made the original serum, he travels to Antarctica to confront the Void and discover what memories of Reynolds the Void has in his mind.
The Void claims that Reynolds had actually ingested a super-saturated, exponentially more potent version of the Super-Soldier formula that created Captain America. This was considered dangerous by the government because the Sentry's blood could be used to create more of the serum, enough for the entire world. Several failed attempts were made to kill him. Enraged by this revelation, the Sentry throws the Void into the Sun, telling his enemy that he no longer needs him to balance his own actions of good. The Void promises to return.
In New Avengers Annual #1, Yelena Belova attacks the Avengers and absorbs the Sentry's powers. After Belova defeats each of the Avengers, she is defeated by the manifestation of the Void, which envelops and incapacitates her. The Sentry tells Belova that absorbing his powers has exposed her to the Void, but if she answers his questions, he can send the Void away.
The Sentry continues to be troubled by his psychological issues, including his fear of the Void. In New Avengers #17, Captain America has to give the Sentry a pep talk before he could work up the nerve to join a fight.
In Iron Man (vol.4) #9-10, the Sentry fights Iron Man. During the course of the battle, Iron Man yells "C.L.O.C." - the name of the Sentry's robot prioritizing system - which then feeds all kinds of emergencies into the Sentry's head, leaving him incapacitated and unable to finish Iron Man.
[edit] Civil War
In Marvel Comics' 2006 Civil War storyline, the Sentry sides with Iron Man's Pro-Registration program. He has been seen in a promotional poster labeled "Civil War: The Final Battle," again on Iron Man's side. In Wolverine #47, he accompanies a S.H.I.E.L.D. squad to battle Wolverine and tells him that he doesn't want to get involved but sees no choice - he claims he has to stop the ugly business even if that means becoming part of it for a while. He then knocks Wolverine unconscious and hands him over to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Trying to escape from the battle in New Avengers #24, believing that every path he could choose would ultimately lead to the death of people he knew—Sentry was confronted by the Inhumans. Believed a threat, he was ordered to follow them to Black Bolt's presence. Then, after a discussion of the Civil War events with the (still unaware) Inhumans, he rekindled his friendship with them and almost resumed his past relationship with Crystal. He was then confronted by Iron Man himself, who finally convinced a still reluctant Sentry to join him.
In Civil War: Front Line #11, it is stated that the Sentry publically announces his support of the Registration Act three days after the climactic battle of the Civil War limited series. Additionally, he has been recruited by Tony Stark to be part of the Mighty Avengers, the newest incarnation of the Avengers team.
[edit] Powers and abilities
The Sentry's powers derive from a serum that moves his molecules an instant ahead of the current timeline, although he also absorbs solar radiation for strength. Though most of his powers and their limits are unknown, he displays several abilities including super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, flight and enhanced senses. The Sentry has yet to demonstrate the limits of his vast strength. He can move fast enough to catch bullets and far exceed the speed of sound. As for the Sentry's invulnerability, Nick Fury has stated that so far they haven't found a way to kill the Sentry and Iron Man's scanners found no physiological weaknesses in the Sentry's body. Although its displayed multiple times that he is susceptible to mental manipulation. (by the Void, the Crazed General and a villain known as the Hippi who forced him to drink an entire lake of LSD) According to the Sentry, he can "hear a butterfly's heartbeat in Africa" from New York City, though this could be hyperbole. It was stated by Sentry, in New Avengers #24 and again in Civil War - The Return, that he has the "power of a million exploding suns". However, it has been confirmed that in the Negative Zone, he is at his weakest, though he can withstand small blasts of N-Zone energy. His powers and health gradually deteriorate in the zone itself and even worse, the Void rules over the Zone.
He can project energy fields, controls light, and has vast mental powers used primarily for holding his physical form together. He was once able to implant his memories inside another person's mind. He also emits a radiation that pacifies the Hulk. As the Void, Robert possesses the ability to shapeshift, has massive control over the weather and darkness, and can create destructive storms and deadly "infini-tendrils". Those impaled on these tendrils experience traumatic visions of the past, present, and future.
The Sentry's nemesis, the Void, is at his strongest during the night. The appearance of the Void changes, varying from a shadowy, trenchcoat-wearing villain to a massive hurricane of darkness.
[edit] Marvel Zombies
A version of the Sentry is responsible for the zombie outbreak depicted in Ultimate Fantastic Four and Marvel Zombies. A Sentry from another alternate universe appears looking for food, and the zombie virus quickly spreads to every superpowered character in that world. It is explained that the infection started only a few days ago after an unidentified infected superhero similar to Sentry from yet another dimension crashed into New York City looking for more people to eat and infect. He is never called by name and is only distinguishable by his outfit, though other aspects of his appearance are more reminiscent of Superman, including a short, spitcurled hairstyle, (Sentry has long hair), and missing patch of uniform in the approximate shape and location of Superman's "S" shield. The ultimate fate of the zombified superhero is not discussed in either series.
The Zombified Sentry's fate is later to be disclosed in the Pages of Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness#1.[2]
[edit] Trivia
The Sentry was originally drawn with short blonde hair in his first miniseries, yet in nearly all subsequent appearances his hair is much longer. Purportedly this change was done to give the Sentry a more distinct look, particularly to distinguish him from Captain America and Hawkeye, as all three superheros are blonde and blue-eyed.
In keeping with his supposed Silver Age origins and Stan Lee authorship, The Sentry has a civilian name (Robert Reynolds) that alliterates, in keeping with a pattern that holds for the real names of a surprising number of Stan Lee characters: Peter Parker, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Scott Summers, Warren Worthington, Matt Murdock, Bruce Banner, Victor von Doom, J. Jonah Jameson, to name a few.
[edit] Sentry in other media
[edit] Action figures
Toy Biz has released a Marvel Legends Sentry action figure, exclusive to Wal-Mart.
Sentry is a unique figure in the Armor Wars expansion of the collectible figurine game Heroclix.
Sentry is also featured in the 12th wave of Marvel Minimates.
[edit] Music
Post-hardcore band "HORSE the band" wrote a song referencing the Sentry, called "A Million Exploding Suns". This song is not about the hero, but rather the Sentry theme is a metaphor for singer Nathan Winneke's feelings of duality. The song appears on their 2005 album titled "The Mechanical Hand".
Danish band Waking Life wrote two songs called "Sentry" and "Void" about the troubled superhero and his dark alter-ego. Both songs can be heard and lyrics found on the band's MySpace page.
[edit] Trading Card Games
Sentry is a card from the newest set of the VS system trading card game, Marvel Team up.
[edit] Bibliography
- The Sentry vol. 1 #1-5
- Five one-shots: Senty & the Fantastic Four, Sentry & Spider-Man, Sentry & the Hulk, Sentry & the X-Men, Sentry vs. the Void
- New Avengers #1-3, 7-10, 14-15, 18-20
- New Avengers Annual #1
- Sentry vol. 2 #1-8
- Marvel Team-Up vol. 3 #14
- Iron Man vol. 4 #9-12
- Wolverine vol. 3 #47
- Mighty Avengers #1
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Marvel Universe wiki
- MDP: Sentry (Robert Reynolds) (Marvel Database Project)
- An explanation of the hoax and spoilers for the first miniseries
- Paul Jenkins Interview
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with large trivia sections | Fictional Americans in Marvel Comics | Fictional characters with mental illness | Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds | Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength | Marvel Comics characters who can fly
