Thunderbolts* is about to debut one of the MCU’s most exciting new characters, and his arrival may have been secretly set up and explained by Spider-Man: No Way Home, according to one compelling theory. Thunderbolts* is slated to release on May 2, 2025, starring a team of down-and-out antiheroes and reformed villains brought together by Valentina Allegra De Fontaine for an as-yet-unstated purpose. Though they are seemingly thrown together under duress, Thunderbolts* will be the biggest team-up movie since Avengers: Endgame, making it feel like a particularly consequential MCU installment.
Compounding this is the fact that it will also star Sentry, a character so powerful that it’s hard to imagine a fully assembled team of Avengers holding their own against him, let alone the comparatively weak Thunderbolts members. Sentry’s involvement was all but confirmed in the latest trailer for Thunderbolts*, in which Lewis Pullman’s “Bob” can be seen shrugging off a hail of gunfire while another shot depicts Sentry’s distinctive belt buckle. His arrival raises several questions, with one significant answer possibly stemming from Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Revealed It’s Possible For Magic To Erase Memories Worldwide
The Runes Of Kof-Kol Is An Incredibly Powerful Spell
Spider-Man: No Way Home co-starred Doctor Strange in addition to a litany of Spider-Man characters of yesteryear that helped to make the movie Marvel Studios’ third-most-successful ever. It was thanks to Strange that the likes of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus made their way to the MCU’s Earth-616 reality after his botched use of the Runes of Kof-Kol tore a rift between their realities. In his attempt to make the denizens of Earth-616 forget Peter Parker, he instead brought across people from different realities who knew of their Spider-Man’s true identity.
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Every Spell Doctor Strange Has Used In The MCU
Doctor Strange has used a wide variety of spells over the course of his Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances, demonstrating his arcane skill.
While tearing a rift between realities is a monumental power in itself, the intended purpose of the spell also cannot be understated. By the movie’s climax, Strange re-casts the Runes of Kof-Kol to maximum effect, rendering everybody on Earth-616 clueless about Peter Parker, and making the MCU’s Spider-Man entirely anonymous – even to his loved ones. The implications of these results are vast, and will likely be addressed in Spider-Man 4. Regardless, Spider-Man: No Way Home proved that it is possible to nullify the memories of the global population with one powerful spell.
In The Comics, Sentry Has Been Forgotten By The Entire World
Sentry Causes Everyone To Forget Him To Help Quell The Void
Sentry’s Marvel Comics stories repeatedly hinge on his suppressed memories. In fact, his comic book debut came as Robert Reynolds – the man behind the mantle – suddenly remembered his past as the godlike entity that is Sentry. With the help of Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic, Reynolds ascertains that his memory along with that of every person on Earth was suppressed due to Sentry’s cataclysmic alter-ego, the Void, whose near-unstoppable rampages caused the death of millions. Suppressing the memory of his powers was therefore a necessary step to prevent the Void from breaking free once more.
Given Sentry’s incredible powers are tantamount to near-omnipotence, it seems as though something similar has happened ready for his live-action debut in Thunderbolts* as it would be impossible for the MCU to explain how Sentry has gone under the radar so far.
In Marvel Comics, the world’s collective memory is suppressed once again by Sentry upon learning of his catastrophic past and alter ego. This is achieved through Sentry’s own immense psychic abilities with the help of Reed Richards and Doctor Strange. Given Sentry’s incredible powers are tantamount to near-omnipotence, it seems as though something similar has happened ready for his live-action debut in Thunderbolts* as it would be impossible for the MCU to explain how Sentry has gone under the radar so far. Conveniently, Spider-Man: No Way Home laid the groundwork for how this occurred.
Is Doctor Strange (Or Another Sorcerer) Responsible For The MCU Forgetting Sentry?
The Runes Of Kof-Kol Is The Perfect Way To Explain Sentry’s Anonymity
Sentry is himself capable of incredible psychic feats, though he still enlists the help of the world’s smartest man, Reed Richards, and the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, to achieve memory-wiping on a global and possibly universal scale. Spider-Man: No Way Home proved, however, that Strange is capable of achieving the same results on his own. There are parallels to be drawn also in the fact that Strange can include himself as a target of the spell, removing Peter Parker from his own memory after casting the Runes of Kof-Kol.
Wong remains the Sorcerer Supreme instead of Doctor Strange in the MCU.
If Marvel is about to adapt Sentry’s comic book debut closely, it makes sense for the MCU to revisit the powerful memory-wiping process established in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Explaining that all memories of Sentry were wiped through some other means, like Sentry’s own powers, would only serve to over-stuff this particular MacGuffin in an already lore-rich cinematic universe. Besides, Sentry rarely uses his psychic powers other than to wipe memories in Marvel Comics, and stripping him of those in his live-action debut should help to streamline the character for the big screen without going too far.
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How Powerful Sentry Is Compared To The MCU’s Avengers
The MCU is about to introduce one of Marvel’s most powerful superheroes ever. Sentry is a hero so powerful he could go to-to-toe with the Avengers.
Should Marvel pursue this thread, Doctor Strange or another sorcerer must be responsible for the MCU’s collective amnesia, with the other two most likely candidates being the Ancient One or Wong. This would track with Sentry’s Marvel Comics origins as he enlists Strange to wipe memories for the second time anyway. If that is the case, then Doctor Strange’s MCU story will be far more consequential than it has been already.
What Would The Consequences Of Strange’s Spell Be?
Doctor Strange Could Be Repeatedly Risking Reality Itself
When Doctor Strange suggested the Runes of Kof-Kol as a solution for Peter in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Wong emphatically repudiated the concept, stating “That spell travels the dark borders between known and unknown reality. It’s too dangerous.” Doctor Strange retorted that he had already deployed the spell on Wong and other sorcerers, seemingly without too much upheaval, as evidence that Wong may be overreacting. Nevertheless, Wong’s fears were vindicated moments later as Strange’s mishandling of the spell caused the near-destruction of the universe if the rules surrounding incursions are any evidence.
If Strange also used this spell to help Sentry, then he is characteristically playing with fire. It suggests that he is rather cavalier in its usage, threatening to fracture reality each time. Between Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange may have finally learned his lesson when it comes to reality-altering spells, but the damage may already be done. In fact, his blasé use of this spell may have even contributed to the incursion that Clea accuses him of causing.
Regardless, presuming Strange pulled off the Runes of Kof-Kol without a hitch with Sentry, his interference may have other consequences. In Marvel Comics, the wiping of Sentry from everyone’s memories led to Stark Tower being built in the exact same location as Sentry’s headquarters, the Watchtower. While this wouldn’t adhere to the timeline of Strange acquiring his powers in the MCU, as Stark Tower was already built, it could be that the Ancient One removed all knowledge of the Watchtower instead.
Stark Tower was converted out of an already-existing skyscraper in the MCU, further stretching the timeline of events.
What appears clearer is that Thunderbolts* will directly address the consequences of Sentry’s existence being wiped from the world’s memories, if that is what Marvel is adapting. Trailer footage implies that the CIA, under the direction of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, is aware of Sentry, which already departs from the details of his comic book debut. Still, if Sentry is as powerful as he is in Marvel Comics, his MCU debut could provide a satisfying tie-in to Spider-Man: No Way Home and the wider MCU and make him feel more integrated from the jump.
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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* is a superhero movie based on the comic team of the same name. The movie acts as a part of the MCU’s fifth phase of films. The film sees the likes of Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell, the Red Guardian, and more as an unlikely group of heroes and villains brought together to fight for good.
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For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can’t run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.
