Thunderbolts Concept Art Reveals Invincible's Steven Yeun As The Sentry

This probably won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention, but Marvel movies like "Thunderbolts*" tend to undergo quite a bit of change during their development. Sometimes, that comes in the form of massive reshoots, like this year's "Captain America: Brave New World" unfortunately experienced to its detriment. Other times, it can be a result of a creative team trying to find the best possible ideas on the fly. And then there's that secret third option, where actors' schedules simply get in the way of the original plan. That's what happened with Steven Yeun's original casting as Bob/Sentry/the Void in "Thunderbolts*," a parting of ways that became necessary as a result of the duel WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 and the delaying of Marvel's latest team-up movie to 2025. That role ultimately went to Lewis Pullman, and it's safe to say things worked out for the best, based on the critical and audience reactions to his performance and the overall character.

Now, however, we're finally getting our first look at how Yeun would've appeared as Sentry, fully suited up and showing off the nifty-looking costume in all its glory. That comes courtesy of a leaked and awfully blurry image of official concept art posted by a fan account on X (formerly known as Twitter), which /Film can independently confirm to be the real deal. You'll have to click the link above since we can't actually reproduce the artwork here without getting caught in the crossfire of those infamous Marvel snipers. But for those curious about catching a glimpse into the alternate universe where studios didn't choose to usher in a completely unnecessary industry shutdown over pennies and the "Mickey 17," "Beef," and "Nope" star actually stayed on board the project, well, today's your lucky day!

Two things can be true at once: Lewis Pullman did an excellent job as Bob, the much more normal-looking alter ego to the super-powered Sentry/the Void, and it would've been mighty interesting to see what Steven Yeun could've done in the same role. Social media isn't necessarily known for its nuance so, naturally, superhero movie fans have been busy pitting both actors against each other in a purely hypothetical debate over which version of the film would've been better. This is why we can't have nice things, people!

In all seriousness, this is a fascinating glimpse into the what-ifs behind "Thunderbolts*" (to use the film's non-spoiler-y title) and the ripple effects that Yeun's original casting could've had on the rest of the movie. Would director Jake Schreier and screenwriters Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo have played up Bob's dorkiness in the early going if it weren't for Pullman's portrayal, which channels a very similar energy to his performance in "Top Gun: Maverick"? Would audiences have even bought that coming from an actor like Yeun, who has established himself as a dramatic force with movies such as "Minari" and "Burning"? (Granted, he was pretty silly in "Okja.") What's certain is that we would've definitely missed out on fun social media posts like this one by Paramount Pictures, poking some light fun at his coincidentally-named character Bob in the "Top Gun" sequel:

That's our Bob. pic.twitter.com/8kApcZGPUL

— Paramount Pictures (@ParamountPics) May 2, 2025

Either way, it's safe to say that things are working out just fine for both actors. Yeun has already appeared in a superhero series earlier this year as the voice of Mark Grayson in "Invincible" season 3, while the "Thunderbolts*" end-credits scene sets up Pullman's future as Bob in the MCU. "Thunderbolts*" is currently playing in theaters.