Could Marvel’s The Sentry Beat Thanos With No Help?

Thunderbolts* introduced a powerful villain in the form of Sentry (Lewis Pullman), a character whose abilities are connected to his emotional state. Besides having the strength to hold his own against the entire Thunderbolts team with ease, Sentry can take his victims to The Void. This extension of Bob allows people to confront their worst nightmares, and the only way to escape is to push through and conquer their greatest fears. The movie established that it would be hard to fight someone as powerful as Sentry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, there is someone who might be able to take on Sentry and live to tell the tale. Thanos (Josh Brolin) traumatized the entire universe when he made half of the population disappear. For five years, billions of people from across the universe missed their loved ones thanks to the villains’ disgusting plan. Thanos proved that he was the biggest threat in the franchise. But could the Mad Titan defeat Sentry without any help? There are several factors that must be considered before answering this question. The potential battle between the two characters would be remembered for a very long time if it actually happened.

The Infinity Gauntlet

In order to win in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos needed to gather the six Infinity Stones that could manipulate reality. The premise of the entire movie saw the Avengers trying to stop the villain from getting the Stones. The team’s failure led to half of the universe’s population disappearing for five years. If Thanos had the Infinity Gauntlet at full capacity when fighting against Sentry, there is an argument to be made regarding a victory for the Mad Titan. The Stones can define what is real and what isn’t. While Sentry is one of the most powerful beings in the entire MCU, there’s not much to do against reality itself. Previous battles depicted in the franchise support this theory.

The Avengers weren’t going to let anyone kill billions of people at once. Avengers: Infinity War took place during Phase Three of the MCU. This means that a second generation of heroes was already in the field, including Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Vision (Paul Bettany). The entire Guardians of the Galaxy team and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) wanted to stop Thanos and his allies. That still wasn’t enough. Sentry is very powerful, but if the Mad Titan has control of the Infinity Stones during their fight, there won’t be much for Bob to do.

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The Void

Sentry changed the game in Thunderbolts* when he came back from the dead as The Void. The darker side of Bob took over, plunging New York City into complete darkness. People were also forced to face their greatest fears thanks to Sentry’s powers. Could Thanos survive against the darkness of The Void? It’s likely. The villain of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame was nothing but firm in his goals. He killed his own daughter to fulfill his quest of exterminating half of all life in the universe. Even if Thanos had to live through that moment again thanks to The Void, chances are that he won’t care that much about it. The Mad Titan would return to the fight in no time.

The only people who might have a problem with The Void would be Thanos’ Black Order. Cull Obsidian (Terry Notary), Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), Proxima Midnight (Carrie Coon) and Corvus Glaive (Michael James Shaw) have demons of their own. The team would be vulnerable against The Void and wherever he sends his victims. But Thanos himself? He would escape from The Void faster than anyone else. If John Walker (Wyatt Russell) could get out of there, the most dangerous enemy of the Avengers certainly can. It’s time to answer the question of whether Thanos could defeat Sentry on his own.

Thanos’ Chances Against Sentry

Thanos, on his own, could not defeat Sentry from Thunderbolts*. There are a few ways in which the Mad Titan could take on Bob, but it would require the antagonist to get some help. A version of Thanos with a fully armed Infinity Gauntlet could definitely take on Sentry. Even if Thanos couldn’t get his hands on the magical device, he would stand a chance against Bob if he could count on the support of the Black Order and his army. Sentry is indeed very resourceful, but the army seen in Avengers: Endgame is nothing to mess around with. If Thanos truly wanted to take Bob out of the picture, he would need all the help he could get from across the galaxy. The villain defeated the MCU’s original Avengers, but projects that deal with alternate dimensions, such as What If…? and Loki, demonstrated that he isn’t successful in every timeline. Thanos has been vulnerable to powerful threats.

This leaves Sentry in a very interesting position for the future of the MCU. If an argument can be made for someone to take on Thanos, that character would be putting the rest of the MCU on notice. Marvel Studios confirmed that Lewis Pullman will reprise his role as Bob in next summer’s Avengers: Doomsday. Robert Downey Jr. will return to the franchise as the evil Doctor Doom. But how will this antagonist from Latveria move forward against someone as powerful as Sentry? This is taking into account how Doom will face several heroes at the same time when he makes his debut in the franchise. If it would be hard for Thanos to defeat Sentry, Doctor Doom has to be careful with his strategy to fight against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Thunderbolts* is currently playing in theaters.