Recent reports that Marvel’s Thunderbolts movie originally ended with the death of the team hint at what could have been an extremely exciting ending, especially for upcoming MCU character Sentry. Reports of the original ending come from The Hollywood Reporter, which states that The Bear’s showrunner, Joanna Calo, has been brought on by Marvel to change the film’s original script. This change is good news for fans who don’t want to say goodbye to major MCU characters like Bucky Barnes and Yelena Belova, but it might be robbing Marvel of a major opportunity.
Thunderbolts will also reportedly be introducing Sentry, who is basically Marvel’s Superman. Sentry is a big deal in Marvel Comics, and he could easily be the next big MCU threat to replace Kang. By softening the Thunderbolts story, Marvel may also be forced to lessen the impact of this hero/villain’s introduction. Marvel is also showing that it might be trying to play things safe, which could be the wrong move.
Thunderbolts’ Suicide Mission Could Explain Sentry In The MCU
In Marvel Comics, Sentry is both a hero and a villain, because he has an evil side known as The Void, which can sometimes take over. The Void is a major threat, and has even effortlessly ripped a god in half in the past. If the Thunderbolts were going to be sent up against a threat that would likely kill them, it is very possible the initial plan for Thunderbolts was to pit the team against this villainous side of Sentry.
No member of the Thunderbolts in the MCU seems like they could stand up to Sentry. This means it would make sense that the original Thunderbolts story would be described as sending the team on a mission that would likely end in their deaths. Having the Thunderbolts be sent after Sentry when he is still a hero, then having him flip to The Void and kill team members would have been a very impactful way to show the difference between his two sides.
Sentry Killing The Thunderbolts Would Make Him A Bigger MCU Threat
While the Thunderbolts are far from the Avengers in terms of power, that doesn’t mean they are completely helpless. Bucky, John Walker, and Red Guardian are all super soldiers, Yelena and Taskmaster are both highly skilled fighters, and Ghost has unique powers that can make her a major threat. Seeing a team of established heroes and former villains get taken down by Sentry alone would show audiences just how big of a threat he really is.
Only Thanos has ever killed multiple heroes on a team before in the MCU. If Sentry made his debut by killing an entire team, he would set himself up as one of the biggest threats yet. This would also be a refreshing contrast from some of Marvel’s recent decisions when it comes to introducing big villains in the MCU.
Thunderbolts’ Original Plan Is Braver Than Marvel Has Been In Years
Marvel’s attempt to introduce Kang as a major villain to the MCU failed even before Jonathan Majors was fired. Kang felt somewhat toothless, especially because versions of him got killed off by both Sylvie and Ant-Man and the Wasp somewhat easily. Ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there were rumors that Kang would kill Scott Lang, but it seems like Marvel decided to play it safe instead. Introducing Sentry and allowing him to kill off major characters would have been a huge risk, but one that would have felt bold and exciting.
Marvel rarely kills major characters, so killing both Bucky and Yelena in a single movie would have been unprecedented for an MCU entry that wasn’t also a major event like Avengers: Infinity War. It would also have been the only other time Marvel allowed one of their movies to end with the total defeat of its main heroes besides Infinity War. A bold move like this from Marvel could have gone a long way to reivigorating interest in the MCU. Hopefully, even after the script changes, Thunderbolts can still deliver a story that is just as exciting.
