Marvel's Thunderbolts Proves The Sentry Could Be The Biggest Threat In Avengers: Doomsday

This post contains spoilers for "Thunderbolts*."

Whenever Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) arrives in the MCU, he will face not just one but two teams of Avengers, but also the Fantastic Four (who appeared in the "Thunderbolts" post-credit scenes). Taking on so many heroes at the same time is nothing new for this guy, though. In the comics, Victor Von Doom is a man of genius intellect with a mastery of magic, making him one of the most formidable adversaries that the MCU's finest may have ever faced (take that, Thanos). However, that shouldn't be the biggest concern. Even with his impressive arsenal, Doom's most dangerous weapon may not be of his own making, but one that is actually on our side. Sure, spells and science will certainly cause some issues, but following the events of "Thunderbolts*" and key events in Marvel comics history, we must ask – what about Bob?

By the end of the latest story from Marvel Studios, Bob (Lewis Pullman), aka The Sentry, had subdued his darker half, the haunting shadow known as The Void. As the post-credits scene revealed, he has gone 14 months without an incident. Chilling at The Watchtower (formerly known as Stark Tower), he hasn't been on missions with the New Avengers and seemingly poses no threat. That could all change, however, when Doom discovers what kind of firepower this team possesses and puts a plan into action that comic book fans will be all too familiar with.

MCU history shows that if you want to rattle Earth's Mightiest Heroes, new or old, it's best to either turn their biggest gun against them or take it out completely. This worked for both Loki and Ultron, who managed to let the Hulk loose, which understandably caused problems for the group. Alternatively, you can take the Thanos approach and take the big guy out immediately like in "Avengers: Infinity War." In the case of The Sentry, however, there's a high chance that Doom could see the potential in the golden guardian of good and put him in a bad way if he got close enough.

It has already been made clear that even with his newfound friends, Bob is a troubled and fragile soul who could easily be corrupted, and who better to do that than the ruler of Latveria, who may or may not have a mind like Tony Stark's? All it could take is some polite negotiation, or bringing out Bob's darker side to throw a spanner in the works of whatever defense our heroes have planned to hold off against Doom. Should their plan fail (and we're guessing it will), Bob could become a very important and reality-bending MacGuffin (much like Vision was sought after in "Avengers: Infinity War") in what comes after, with The Sentry (or The Void, depending on what mood we've caught him in) becoming an even greater threat than he was in "Thunderbolts*." A danger so massive and cleverly manipulated by Doom, that the damage could spill over into the chapter that'll be an even bigger event than "Doomsday."

While very little is known about what "Avengers: Doomsday" involves, even less is confirmed about who will be enlisted in "Avengers: Secret Wars." The Russo Brothers explained to Tech Radar that the sixth "Avengers" film will draw from the pages of the original 1984 event of the same name, as well as the 2015 one written by Jonathan Hickman, which featured Doom as the main villain. Becoming self-proclaimed Emperor Doom, the longtime foe of the Fantastic Four merges several realities into one to create Battleworld. This dimension-altering maneuver occurs when Doom forces Owen Reece, also known as Molecule Man, to do his bidding and use his reality-bending powers to create this new dimension. At the moment, Reece hasn't appeared in the MCU, but Robert Reynolds has and possesses a very similar power set.

With the ability to tap into other people's minds and memories, as well as create realities of his own, there's no reason to suggest that Victor couldn't push Bob to his limits and compel him into using his wild set of powers. It's already been made apparent that, like in the comics, The Sentry, as powerful as he is, is a fragile soul easily manipulated by those around him. Could Doom be cunning enough to bring him to his side and, in the process, build a new world together? The pieces align quite well; all that's left is for the Russos to put them into play when "Avengers: Doomsday" finally arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026.