Marvel’s Sentry Gets a New Superhero Name

Not only has Marvel introduced a new wielder of the Sentry powers, but this character has also taken on a new superhero codename. All of this and more has unfolded in Marvel’s new Sentry series, which featured six random individuals gaining Sentry’s amazing abilities. The story quickly unfolded into an unsolved mystery as these individuals started turning up dead one by one, with Misty Knight and Jessica Jones investigating the case. Disabled journalist Mallory Gibbs walked away as the sole possessor of the Sentry powers, defeating the person who had also gained Sentry’s abilities and used them to hunt down his equals, Ryan Topper. However, it seems Mallory wants to step out of the Sentry’s shadow as her own brand of hero.

*WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Sentry #4. Continue reading at your own risk!

Mallory, with the help of the deceased Sentries, was able to stop Ryan’s rampage before he could gain the full power of one million exploding suns. However, since Mallory felt responsible for putting people in danger, she turned herself over to Misty Knight and the Aberrant Crimes Division. As a fellow disabled hero, Misty agrees to train Mallory to use her new powers. Wanting to forge her own path, Mallory decides to call herself Solarus instead of Sentry.

Meet Marvel’s Sentry replacement, Solarus

This allows Marvel to fill the Sentry void (pun not intended) left behind by the original, Bob Reynolds, while also creating a new hero that doesn’t have all of the Sentry’s baggage. Solarus’ debut comes as Marvel Studios is prepping for Thunderbolts, a movie that will reportedly see Lewis Pullman play Sentry, replacing Steve Yeun, who had to step down from the role because of a scheduling conflict.

Where Solarus goes from here is a mystery. Marvel is getting ready for its first crossover event of 2024, the vampire-centric Blood Hunt. She hasn’t been marketed as participating in Blood Hunt, and with it coming so soon after went from a disabled journalist to an upcoming hero, it’s probably wise for her to sit this one out until she’s had proper training. 

ComicBook.com spoke to Sentry writer Jason Loo ahead of the series launch, where he talked about crafting the backstories for the six possible Sentry replacements.

“It was exactly that! When I had the opportunity to introduce new characters into the Marvel Universe, I looked at what Stan and Jack did back in the day and imagined what stories they would tell of today’s everyday people,” Loo said. “Characters with their own struggles that are just trying to get by. Some of the inspiration comes from the people I interact with at my day job in a public library to even people on my work commute on the transit. One of our characters has cerebral palsy, so there was a lot of research that went into that. We also have disability rights activist Cara Liebowitz as our sensitivity reader to make sure Mallory, our character with CP, comes off as authentic as possible. I just want to give this opportunity to other people who normally don’t see themselves in this genre to finally feel excited to be represented.”

The Sentry #4 is on sale now. Make sure to let us know your thoughts on Sentry and Solarus in the comments!