Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
- For other comicbook characters by the same name of Sentry, visit Sentry (comics).
| The Sentry | |
|---|---|
| File:The Sentry.jpg The Sentry. Art by Adi Granov. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Sentry #1 (September 2000) |
| Created by | Paul Jenkins Jae Lee |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Robert Reynolds |
| Species | Human (empowered) |
| Team affiliations | Avengers |
| Notable aliases | The Void |
| Abilities | As the Sentry: Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, flight and durability Superhuman Senses Flight Radiation and light manipulation Telepathy. As the Void: Superhuman strength, durability, weather manipulation, shape shifting (with powers that can be unique to a certain form), emotion manipulation (in the form of infini-tendrils), shadow manipulation |
The Sentry (Robert "Bob" 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.
Publication history
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.
Fictional character biography
Sentry and the Marvel Universe
Art by Jae Lee.
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. Meanwhile the general public themselves gradually come to remember the Sentry as does Reynolds' old sidekick, Billy Turner, formerly known as the Scout.
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 Lee. 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.
Art by John Romita Jr.
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 U.S. government sends Sentry to apprehend Iron Man, who had been mind-controlled to assassinate a number of high-profile former terrorists. Iron Man scanned Sentry's body and could not discover any physical weaknesses. Despite Iron Man's speed and firepower, Sentry was always one step ahead due to his even greater speed. Iron Man realized that Sentry's mind was his only weak point. Iron Man then remotely hacked Sentry's computer C.L.O.C., ordering the computer to warn Sentry about multiple devastating disasters occurring simultaneously throughout the world. Unable to prioritize which (false) alarm to deal with first, Sentry collapsed to the ground in tears, utterly incapacitated. Iron Man orders C.L.O.C. to recycle the program for a few hours so that Iron Man can race off to clear his good name.
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 (one of his thoughts at this point consisted of himself and Hulk triumphantly returning to Earth and 'ending' the war via killing all the heroes) 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 publicly 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. While at first there was some dispute between the Sentry and his wife, Robert joins the team while Tony Stark and Ms. Marvel offer him assistance to battle his mental issues. He's described to be the most powerful of the team, but lacks proper training on how to use his abilities, usually apologizing for his mistakes.
During the first issue, the Sentry apologizes for causing damage to the city building and then apologizes again when he's thrown into a blimp. When Iron Man morphs into the new female Ultron, she analyzes the Sentry and states his high power level and being very difficult to terminate. He has yet to demonstrate said power, but so far he's managed to brush off any attacks from Ultron. He battles Ultron, with neither one seeming to be able to win, until Stark's helicarrier falls due to a computer virus from Ultron.
Robert has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic book Avengers: The Initiative #1. [1]
World War Hulk
Because of his friendship with the Hulk, it seems that the Sentry will play a part within the World War Hulk event.
In the first issue of World War Hulk, the Sentry is shown talking to Reed Richards and Tony Stark. As both men were able to convince Robert to fight off the Hulk upon his return to Earth, but not before the Sentry had a talk with Iron Man.
A confrontation with the Hulk ends up dropping Sentry's Watchtower straight down through Stark Tower/Avengers headquarters, destroying it.
In the second issue of World War Hulk, Reed Richards tries to build a machine that will cast a projection of the Sentry and recreates his calming aura, hoping that it would calm the Hulk, but the Hulk doesn't fall for it.
Later in a confrontation between the Hulk and the Fantastic Four, Sue Storm tries to call the real Sentry for help, but he does not answer the call and is sitting in his aparment watching television.
In the third installment of World War Hulk the president of the United States tries to convince the Sentry to fight against his longtime friend the Hulk. It is still unclear in this issue whether or not he will take the call.
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. Even though most of his powers and their limits are unknown, he displays several abilities including vast superhuman strength, superhumanly acute senses, superspeed, durability and the power of flight. The professor in Sentry Reborn states that his powers are virtually limitless and the sentry has been called a living god.
The Sentry has been shown to be able to easily lift tremendous weights, but was unable to stop the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier from crashing without the help of Wonder Man and Miss Marvel. His speed is great enough to catch bullets, and through flight he can travel to the sun and back in a matter of minutes. Nick Fury has stated that S.H.I.E.L.D. has not yet found a way to kill the Sentry, and Iron Man's scanners have found no physical weaknesses in his body. His strength and invulnerability have officially been listed at the same level as Thor, and Hercules.[2]
The Sentry also has superhuman senses as he once told an opponent that he can see his nerve centers and claimed to be able to "hear a butterfly's heartbeat in Africa" from New York City. He can project energy fields and control light, and he uses his mental powers in his daily life, although they are primarily used for holding his physical form together. He was once able to implant his memories inside another person's mind. He can also emit a radiation that pacifies the Hulk, severely limiting the latter's rage-fueled power. His main weakness may be that he's been shown as susceptible to mental manipulation.
During World War Hulk' Spider-Man and a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent separately state that they consider the Sentry as the most powerful superhero on the planet, with the Hulk as second, and Black Bolt as third. In the comic Sentry: Reborn Reynolds told one of his opponents that he has never shown the full measure of his power. He has also boasted, in New Avengers #24 and again in Civil War - The Return, that he has the "power of a million exploding suns". The serum he drank was stated as being a hundred thousand times stronger than the original used on Captain America, and was modified by Weapon X.
His Void 'counterpart'/nemesis possesses the ability to shapeshift, and through its' control over the weather and darkness it can create destructive storms and deadly "infini-tendrils" attacking the mind. Victims impaled on the tendrils experience traumatic visions of the past, present, and future. Its' regular appearance varies between a shadowy, trenchcoat-wearing villain to a massive hurricane of darkness. It can also assume powers dependent on shape, like a flame form that breathes fire, alternately an armored monster with super strength and toughness. It is at its' strongest during the night and in the Negative Zone. Coincidentally, Sentry is at his weakest in the negative zone, although he can still withstand blasts of N-Zone energy.
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 which was blown off from Ash Williams' shotgun. The ultimate fate of the zombified superhero is not discussed in either series.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
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,and J. Jonah Jameson, to name a few.
Sentry in other media
Action figures
Toy Biz has released 2 Marvel Legends Sentry action figures, exclusive to Wal-Mart. The normal figure is clean shaven and has short hair, while the chase figure has long hair and a beard, similar to his appearance in New Avengers #1.
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.
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.
Trading Card Games
Sentry is a card from the newest set of the VS system trading card game, Marvel Team up.
Bibliography
- The Sentry vol. 1 #1-5
- Five one-shots: Sentry & 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, 24
- 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 #1-4
- World War Hulk #1-3
See also
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
References
- ^ Avengers: The Initiative #1 Character Map
- ^ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. 4, Avengers 2005.