Very soon, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will encounter a brand new universe-breaking presence known as The Sentry, and the only folks who will be able to stop him are the “Thunderbolts*.” The brand new, mismatched team of Marvel B-listers are set to unite to take on Bob Reynolds (Lewis Pullman), and the hope is that they can bring the big guy down. Given the history of The Sentry, however, that’s something that’s undoubtedly easier said than done, when you consider that this character is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe.
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As it stands, only a handful of opponents from both sides of good and evil have been able to incapacitate Bob, with the latest victor being one of comic book history’s most terrifying villains that we’ve actually been introduced to in live-action just last year. However, the real shame is that he ended up becoming one of the worst villains in comic book movie history and one that we’ll likely never see again, given the franchise he appeared in had such a disappointing swansong.
The King in Black, aka Knull, appeared in “Venom: The Last Dance” as this off-world adversary that never really took on Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) like he did in the comics. Debuting in the Marvel universe in 2013, Knull took over the Earth in the “King in Black” event that saw him perform unspeakable acts, including taking on The Sentry which ended in a murderous mic drop moment that saw Bob really torn up during the battle.
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The Sentry was literally ripped apart in a battle we’ll probably never see that on screen
During the “King in Black” event, it was revealed just how unforgiving Knull, god of the symbiotes, was when he took on The Sentry and managed to rip the Superman-like hero in half. Tearing him up like a sheet of paper, the gruesome sight was an homage to a previous battle The Sentry had with Ares, the god of war, who suffered the same fate from the golden guardian. Both were harrowing displays of strength but the demise of Bob meant Marvel’s biggest gun was out for the count, showing just what kind of threat they were dealing with. It’s a shame, then, that we’ll never see this brought to life because of who owns which Marvel characters.
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Given that Knull and every other Spider-Man-related character is owned by Sony, there’s no way that the King in Black can make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is unfortunately bound up by the same issues as Venom, Kraven the Hunter, and Morbius, who all got shocking treatment and no web-slinger to vent their frustrations to. Perhaps in The Sentry’s case, though, that is for the best. We’re only just getting to know Bob Reynolds, so we’d hate to see him suffer such a fate. Of course, following the “Avengers: Doomsday” casting call, we’ll just have to potentially settle for The Sentry vs. Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) which we feel will be a much better battle.
