Soon to enter the MCU inThunderbolts*, the Golden Guardian of Good known as theSentryis Marvel’s most powerful - and most troubled - hero. The hero’s backstory involves being removed from human memory multiple times, which makes it somewhat ironic that the hero was originally conceived with a totally different codename. Releasing May 1,Thunderbolts*stars Lewis Pullman as ‘Bob’ - the civilian identity of the Sentry andhis dark reflection the Void.
In a recent interview withPopverse, Sentry co-creator Rick Veitch bemoans his treatment by Marvel, branding the publisher"the House of Stolen Ideas"for allegedly erasing his credit for the character, conceived with Paul Jenkins and introduced inSentry #1by Jenkins and artist Jae Lee. However, while discussing his history with the character,Veitch also reveals the character’s original codename.
Custom Image by Milica Djordjevic
Veitch reveals that Sentry was developed to give Marvel its own"Superman class hero,“with the key idea that the forgotten do-gooder had been erased from reality and existed with various different designs across the years. Sentry was intended to have a whole parallel history alongside Marvel’s heroes that had been forgotten, including different depictions of the character as characterized by real-world comic-book eras. Veitch reveals:
I think it was Paul who came up with the Sentry. I think we both realized that the name he brought to it, and I can’t remember what it was, it was like Crusader or something, it wasn’t really good. And then he came up with the idea of Sentry, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s great.’ We were really surprised that no one had ever done a superhero called the Sentry, so that was a really cool thing.
As part of the marketing around Sentry, Marvel initially pretended the character had been created and subsequently forgotten by Stan Lee.
Sentry Was Almost The Crusader
The Hero’s Name Nailed the Idea of a Long-Lost Character
Sentry is indeed the perfect name for a time-lost hero, striking the perfect balance between something that sounds genuinely cool in the modern day while also being tinged with the ‘gee whiz’ spirit of the 30s-50s,known as the Golden Age of comics.It’s also unique, unlike the original suggestion of"Crusader.“Over the years, Marvel has had several characters who use the codename ‘Crusader,’ including:
Sadly, while Veitch, Jenkins and Lee came up with a unique name and character, the former now feels disconnected from his alleged creation, confirming that he hasn’t kept up with his character, and that beyond the initial miniseries,“I haven’t really read those comics.“Sadly, this is the latest in a long line of creators expressingfrustration at their treatment by Marvel, raising the question of how much longer writers will risk taking their characters to the pulisher, no matter what their codename.
Thunderbolts*
Cast
Thunderbolts follows seven disillusioned individuals who find themselves trapped in a perilous situation. Tasked with a daunting mission, they must face the most shadowy aspects of their histories in order to survive and achieve their goals.
