Merge:Sentry (Robert Reynolds)


 * For other comicbook characters by the same name of Sentry, visit Sentry.

The Sentry (Robert Reynolds) is a 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.

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 industry 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 rumours 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.

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 renown. 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.

During the course of his investigation, Reynolds, as well as his best friend 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. and 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.

In New Avengers #7-10, the Avengers learn that Mastermind, under the direction of Sentry villain the 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 he saw 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. 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, appear to 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 enters the vault and finds only a chair and a mirror. when Cornelius confronts Reynolds with this, Reynolds becomes confused and jumps out a window.

In a fight with the Void at the fairgrounds where Rob first got his powers, the Void claims that Reynolds transforms into the Void rather than the Sentry, and that the the Sentry is merely a guilt-borne byproduct of that transformation. Now with only half of Robert Reynolds' memories, the Sentry isn't sure the Void is wrong. The Sentry visits Dr. Strange to make sense of everything. After Strange reads his mind, he tells the Sentry to never ever go back to the place where he got his powers. The Sentry disregards the warning and goes after a brief talk with Dr. Cornelious. Soon after he arrives at the abandoned building, he suffers a mental collapse.

In a subsequent issue of the series, the Sentry awakens and is depicted as a patient in a mental hospital, John Victor Williams, who had been arrested for killing his neighbor Melinda Jensen. His belief that he was a super-hero, in fact, the whole Marvel Universe, was merely an aspect of his schizophrenic delusion. However, this is quickly revealed as a fabrication concocted by the professor who originally created the serum that gave him his powers, Doctor Stephen Strange and Nick Fury. Unfortunately, before the professor can reveal the secret behind the Sentry's existence, a nuclear device is set off inside him, and the Sentry is forced to take the professor outside the atmosphere. The professors last word's are that the Void is waiting for the Sentry "under the world", in Antarctica.

In the final issue of the mini-series, the Sentry confronts the Void in Antarctica, where the Void claims that Reynolds ingested a super-saturated, exponentially more potent version of the Super-soldier formula that created Captain America. This was considered too much power by the government, since the Sentry's blood could be used to create more of the serum, enough for the entire world and several attempts were made to kill him, attempts which were complete failures. Enraged by this relevation, the Sentry throws the Void into the Sun, with his dark aspect promising that he will return. Whether the Void's claims about their mutual origins are correct is unknown.

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. Whether the Sentry can do this is unknown because the relationship between Reynolds, Sentry and the Void is still unclear.

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.

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 similarly to those of DC's Superman, including super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, flight and enhanced senses. According to the Sentry, while in New York City, he can "hear a butterfly's heartbeat in Africa," though this could be a hyperbole. He can project energy fields and control light, and he has vast mental powers used primarily for holding his physical form together. Additionally, he was able to implant his memories inside another person's mind. He is also shown twice (Sentry #8 and Avengers #20) throwing enemies into the sun.

A "Superman" for Marvel?
The very design and powers of the Sentry are very untraditional for Marvel. DC has long been home of the "capes" and the superheroes who hold press conferences. Marvel, with its focus on New York City, has always had few caped characters, and ones whose powers always came from tragedy of some kind that haunts the hero for the rest of his career. The Sentry is different. 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. 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.

Alternate versions of the Sentry
A version of the Sentry is apparently responsible for the outbreak of Marvel Zombies: on that Earth, a version of the Sentry (from another alternate universe) appeared looking for food. The zombie virus quickly spread to every superpowered character on that world.

Action figures
Toy Biz has released a Marvel Legends Sentry action figure, exclusive to Wal-Mart.

Sentry is also featured in the 12th wave of Marvel Minimates.