Florence Pugh’s Thunderbolts has been riddled with production issues, and the film is facing a major problem in casting its central villain, Sentry. Beef star Steven Yeun recently backed out of the role due to scheduling conflicts, and Marvel has been on a search for perfect casting. While Top Gun: Maverick‘s Lewis Pullman is the new favorite for the role, one rumored Sentry arc is stirring some controversy among fans.
Marvel Studios may replace Sentry with one of his gender-swapped versions at the end of the movie, and many fans are not happy with this rumored development. According to rumors, a relatively new comic book arc is used to develop the film’s storyline where Mallory Gibbs, a young journalist with cerebral palsy who gets the powers of the Sentry.
Florence Pugh’s Thunderbolts Allegedly Sidelines Sentry For A Female Character
Thunderbolts is yet to start its filming after it saw several production issues, majorly in its writing and casting department. Steven Yeun, the earlier choice for Sentry, left the film soon after the strikes ended due to scheduling conflicts. While Lewis Pullman is reportedly confirmed as the new Sentry by several news outlets (Deadline), fans believe that the film may resort to another controversial Sentry arc from the comics.
Besides Yeun, The Bear star Ayo Edebiri also left a role in the film due to its delayed schedule. Edebiri is being replaced by Hala actress Geraldine Viswanathan. On paper, the role is a comedic supporting character who’s the assistant of Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. However, the casting of these acclaimed actresses has started some speculations about the role and the potential Sentry arc the film is taking (via /u/roguefrogger | Reddit).
Many fans believe that Bob Reynolds’ Sentry will be a one-time appearance in the film and will meet with his death at the end of the movie. According to one comic book arc, his power will be split between six ordinary individuals after his death. One of the recipients of these powers will be the female journalist, Mallory Gibbs, who is suffering from cerebral palsy. Speculations suggest that Viswanathan is cast in the role of Gibbs in the film.
However, the comic-accurate Sentry has decades-long character development in the comics with his portraying both a hero and a villain. According to the comics, Sentry helps the Avengers on several missions until his mental health is disturbed by The Void, and he turns into a maniacal villain. Fans will be pretty disappointed if Marvel Studios just decides to skip the character development of such a major character.
Thunderbolts Will Struggle To Meet Its Release Date At Its Current Progress
The planning for Thunderbolts movie began in 2022 when Jake Schreier was attached to direct the film from a screenplay by Black Widow writer Eric Pearson. In early 2023, The Beef creator Lee Sung Jin revealed that he had joined the film to rewrite the script as a favor to Schreier, who directed several episodes of the show. Pearson’s earlier script focused too much on her Black Widow characters, but the studio wanted to explore the other characters with equal significance.
The filming was delayed due to the WGA strikes, and the film’s release date was twice pushed back during this time. In February, the film swapped release dates with The Fantastic Four. However, the filming is yet to begin due to another round of script rewriting. This time, Joanna Calo, who served as writer and director on The Bear, joined the project to rewrite the script.
Thunderbolts is scheduled to be released in theatres on May 2, 2025.
