Thunderbolts* Trailer Hints at Big Multiverse Connection

by

Quick Links

  • The Sentry’s Void Is Tied to The Void at the End of Time.
  • Is The Sentry Alioth and Was He a Multiversal Weapon?
  • How ‘Thunderbolts*’ Could Set Up ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and The Multiverse Saga

As a die-hard Marvel fan, I can’t help but get excited about the latest trailer for “Thunderbolts” that made a splash during Super Bowl LIX. Although “Captain America: Brave New World” is the next Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film on the schedule, “Thunderbolts” is hot on its heels and promises to kick off the summer movie season. This film serves as a sequel to “Black Widow,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” with a dash of continuation from “Ant-Man and the Wasp” for good measure. The film appears to be a classic team-up, showcasing the diverse personalities from different corners of the MCU – a winning formula we’ve seen in movies like “The Avengers,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “Avengers: Infinity War.

It seems unusual to some fans that Marvel Studios has chosen to focus on “Thunderbolts” for Phase 5’s finale, given that “Ironheart” appears to be a more fitting conclusion. However, the question arises as to why they would prioritize “Thunderbolts” over a long-developing concept like The Young Avengers within the Multiverse Saga. This film features a team of larger anti-heroes and less familiar characters in what appears to be an espionage story, situated between the unfolding tale of the multiverse saga involving prominent figures such as Deadpool, The Fantastic Four, and Captain America.

In the teaser for the movie titled Thunderbolts*, viewers got a brief look at the main antagonist, The Sentry, portrayed by Lewis Pullman. Although his full appearance was not revealed, a glimpse of his powers and the mention of his name could suggest links to Loki, Deadpool & Wolverine, as well as upcoming movies like Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This means Thunderbolts* is subtly a Multiverse film and plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Sentry and The Void in ‘Thunderbolts*’

2000 saw the creation of The Sentry, a character conceived by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, with additional conceptual ideas from Rick Veitch. This superhero made his debut in issue #1 of The Sentry. In the Marvel Universe, Robert “Bob” Reynolds is the identity of this immensely powerful being, who possesses the might of a hundred exploding suns.

In a fascinating twist, it’s uncovered that The Sentry, who is deeply intertwined with the entire Marvel Universe timeline, intentionally made people forget about him to combat his nemesis, The Void. Here’s the shocking revelation: The Sentry and The Void are one and the same. To save the world from destruction, The Sentry suppressed his own memory from the minds of almost every Earth inhabitant, including himself, effectively vanquishing The Void.

In the comics, various theories have been proposed about the true nature of the Void and why it appears. One theory suggests that the Void represents Robert Reynolds’s true self, while the Sentry is a fictitious persona. Another idea is that the Void is a manifestation of the emotional void left in Bob Reynolds after years of being a superhero eroded his humanity. A simpler explanation posits that everyone has both good and bad aspects, with the Sentry and the Void representing these two sides. However, we think there might be a fusion of concepts: The Void that overtakes the Sentry could be connected to the Void at the End of Time.

The Sentry’s Void Is Tied to The Void at the End of Time.

The “Empty Realm at the End of Existence,” commonly known as “The Void,” is initially seen in Loki and serves as the main backdrop for Deadpool and Wolverine. This mystical scrapyard holds all remnants that the Time Variance Authority (TVA) has ever removed. As it seems somewhat coincidental that the Sentry’s malevolent counterpart shares the same name with the multiversal wasteland introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this could be a potential source of confusion for general viewers. To avoid such confusion, the MCU might choose to intertwine these two concepts, rather than having two distinct Voids.

It appears that the trailer for Thunderbolts suggests a link between the empty space left by The Sentry’s Void form and the MCU’s Void as a physical location. In the brief glimpses we see of The Sentry, he’s shown waving his hand, causing people to vanish, leaving behind a black mark where they once stood. This reminds us of the Human Shadow Etched in Stone exhibit at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which showcases the shadow cast by a person when the atomic bomb was detonated over Hiroshima. Similarly, the Extremis soldiers’ explosions in Iron Man 3 left nothing but shadows behind. The way The Sentry uses this visual effect, along with New York being consumed by shadow, gives off an ominous feeling of people and places disappearing from existence entirely.

It’s plausible that The Sentry, similar to his comic book character, may be connected to the Super Soldier program, hinted at by the presence of super-soldiers like The Winter Soldier, Red Guardian, and U.S. Agent in Thunderbolts. Yet, an intriguing twist could be that The Sentry transforms into The Void because he serves as a vessel for multiversal powers. Instead of the rift of an incursion occurring at a specific location in the multiverse, what if this event takes place within a person?

As a passionate movie buff, I can’t help but marvel at the raw intensity that Bob Reynolds harnesses, pushing him to create an alter ego named The Void, reminiscent of the mysterious dimension he is linked with. It seems that much like Marc Spector who draws strength from Khonshu to transform into Moon Knight, Bob taps into The Void as a source of power. This link firmly roots the narrative of Thunderbolts and its ominous antagonist within the broader Multiverse Saga, echoing the recent successes of shows like Loki and the dynamic duo of Deadpool & Wolverine. These tales, still resonating in the minds of viewers, add another layer to the intrigue surrounding Thunderbolts.

Is The Sentry Alioth and Was He a Multiversal Weapon?

“Alioth is in this thing? From Loki Season 1 Episode 5?”-Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine

In the Void dwells the formidable cross-time entity called Alioth. This powerful being serves under the command of He Who Remains, and has made appearances in both the series Loki and Deadpool & Wolverine. He Who Remains explains that Alioth was born from the tears in time and space resulting from the Multiversal War among his alternate selves. Upon finding Alioth, He Who Remains utilized its power to vanquish his variants and bring the Multiversal war to an end.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, it was revealed that “Thunderbolts” would be released, alongside “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” and “Avengers: Secret Wars”. Throughout its production, “Thunderbolts” has been intended as the concluding film of Phase 5, making it a crucial element in the broader Multiversal saga that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been constructing. The intention may have been to unveil characters like The Sentry and the Void as Alioth, with “Thunderbolts” serving as their origin story, even though it takes place after “Loki”. Due to the complexities of time travel, viewers will be experiencing pieces of this larger narrative in a non-chronological order. The Multiversal conflict that spans across time and space is first manifested within an individual before being uncovered by He Who Remains.

There’s some validity to this idea in the comic books. In New Avengers #9, The Void almost defeats the combined forces of The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Inhumans, and the Illuminati. Given that The Void possesses such immense power, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to speculate he could take on different Kang variants, like Alioth. Alioth is so powerful that even a near-Omega-level mutant like Cassandra Nova is afraid of him. Considering all this evidence, it seems reasonable to entertain the idea that Alioth and The Sentry might be two aspects of the same character.

There seems to be evidence suggesting that The Sentry and The Void could share a link with Alioth, or perhaps they are one and the same. In many Marvel Comics, Alioth, a powerful destructive entity appearing as a monstrous force, bears striking resemblances to various representations of The Void. For instance, in the Thunderbolts* trailer, we see New York City being enveloped by a dark, color-sucking shadow, much like how Alioth moves through and consumes anything in its path as it traverses the void. However, since Kang the Conqueror has been replaced as the main antagonist in the MCU with Doctor Doom, some aspects might have shifted.

Quantumania. If The Sentry doesn’t survive in Thunderbolts, that could pave the way for Doctor Doom’s introduction into the MCU, since there is currently no one with enough power to stand against him. This also suggests that Thunderbolts might be essential for future movies like Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

*Note: The asterisk (*) indicates that “Thunderbolts” and the subsequent Avengers films mentioned are speculative titles or projects as of now, not confirmed by Marvel Studios.

How ‘Thunderbolts*’ Could Set Up ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and The Multiverse Saga

In the concluding scene of the Thunderbolts trailer, the team appears to be entering a dark abyss following their conquest of the city, possibly making a heroic sacrifice to thwart The Sentry. This act could mark the film’s climax, where this group of misunderstood anti-heroes may find redemption by giving their lives for the greater good, ultimately being recognized as heroes. However, it is possible that the movie will take an unexpected turn and reveal that they are actually awake in a strange, timeless void – much like the final scene in Captain America: The First Avenger.

This conclusion, while potentially saddening, could be seen as fitting given the characters’ self-perception. By placing them in a world of discarded items at the end, it may contradict the movie’s message that these characters are valuable. However, it also aligns thematically, as they now have a new realm to safeguard, one which, as depicted in Deadpool & Wolverine, still houses individuals whom the TVA has yet to rescue post-reformation. Moreover, this ending sets up an opportunity for the Thunderbolts team to make their appearance in Avengers: Doomsday.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige confirmed that characters from Captain America: Brave New World, The Thunderbolts, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps will join the cast of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. While it’s clear that Sam Wilson as Captain America will lead a new team of Avengers, and the Fantastic Four might come from another universe, the inclusion of the Thunderbolts may seem puzzling given their penchant for violence. However, in the context of a massive multiverse adventure like Doomsday and Secret Wars, perhaps these characters with combat skills could play an essential role.

In the event that the team finds themselves in the Void, they might encounter other characters from various universes, much like how Thor accidentally joined forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy in “Avengers: Infinity War.” This intersection between the two teams could potentially occur within the storyline reminiscent of Marvel Comics’ Battleworld from “Secret Wars,” where the Thunderbolts are already present and ready to interact with heroes transported to the Void. These interactions can help bring unfamiliar characters up to speed.

If The Sentry’s powers are linked to a dimension known as The Void, it implies that the Thunderbolts are the unique characters within the MCU timeline who have knowledge of this dimension. Characters such as Deadpool, Wolverine, and Loki are engaged elsewhere (on Earth-1005, ruling over reality’s center respectively). In case Doctor Doom poses a threat to the MCU and even potentially destroys it, the Thunderbolts could be the only characters who can inform others like Captain America, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and more about a possible safe haven in the Multiverse: The Void.

Despite the name Thunderbolts* having no known connection to Thunderbolt Ross (a.k.a The Red Hulk from “Captain America: Brave New World”), it appears highly probable that The Sentry’s villainous persona, The Void, will be linked to the Void location hinted at in other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) productions. Given the extensive multiverse connections suggested, it’s plausible that Thunderbolts* being the concluding film of Phase 5 could clarify how this seemingly misplaced movie fits into the broader Multiverse Saga storyline and how this team of assassins and super soldiers will influence “Avengers: Doomsday”. The release date for Thunderbolts* is May 2, 2025.

Read More

2025-02-12 01:02