By all accounts, The Golden Guardian of Good is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The House of Ideas’ answer to Superman is set to make his live-action debut in Thunderbolts, likely serving as the initial antagonist against Marvel’s ragtag group of antiheroes. At one point, the character was going to be played by The Walking Dead alumnus Steven Yeun, only for the actor to subsequently drop out of the project because of scheduling issues.
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Now that the role is once again open, there are a few actors we feel can play the character at a moment’s notice…
Antony Starr
Not only does Starr look the part, but his Hollywood star is at an all-time high because if his position in Prime Video’s The Boys. While Sentry is a far cry from the villainous Homelander, Starr has shown us he has the range to play an antagonist as well. Though this choice errs on the side of typecasting a little too much, the actor likely doesn’t have but more than a season or two left in the can for The Boys and might be looking for his next career adventure.
Henry Cavill
Speaking of Superman castings, it feels it’s only a matter of time before Cavill lands in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor is no longer playing the Last Son of Krypton for DC, and given Sentry’s similarities to Superman, Marvel’s casting of Cavill of Sentry would be a welcome change with most fans of the MCU.
Ryan Gosling
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has said the studio would love to work with Ryan Gosling, and Sentry could be a role the two sides work on. With some upheaval just ahead of principal photography, the studio could be wanting to get one of the biggest names possible. For that, why look past Ryan Gosling? The actor could pull it off and if it’s only one movie, it’s hard to imagine Gosling would be against it.
Why did Steven Yeun leave Thunderbolts?
According to Yeun itself, his departure involved nothing more than scheduling issues with other commitments. The actor has since said he’d love appearing in another role at Marvel Studios should they have him back.
“I think for me, time passing and things shifting kind of pulled me out of it,” Yeun explained to Variety earlier this year. “But [director] Jake [Schreier], I know, is going to do an incredible job.”
“I think it’s too early to say that,” Yeun added, when asked what other Marvel project he would like to join. “I probably pissed off too many people leaving, so I’m just gonna say, ‘Thank you for having me.’ I have some ideas. But I heard if you put it out there, you’ll never get it, so I’ll keep it close to my chest.”
Thunderbolts is set to be released exclusively in theaters on July 25, 2025.
