As upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows continue to come down the pipeline, new characters are being introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's the case for the forthcoming Thunderbolts*, which will mark the debut of Lewis Pullman's Bob. While yet to be officially confirmed, it seems very likely that Bob is actually Robert Reynolds - the ultra-powerful superhuman known as Sentry. As fans continue to pore over what little information they have on Bob at the moment, a new report suggests the character has a long history in the MCU.
Jake Schreier's upcoming MCU flick centers on familiar faces like Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes and John Walker, as they're tasked with completing covert missions alongside other antiheroes. At some point during the 2025 movie release, the unlikely team stumbles upon Bob, who seems relatively harmless at first glance. Another shot from the Thurnderbolts* trailer, however, shows the supposedly meek man surrounded by a team of armed individuals and sporting bullet holes in his attire. So there's clearly more to him than meets the eye.
Insider Alex Perez recently fielded questions about Bob's MCU debut during a Q&A and was specifically asked whether the character's exploits pre-date the events of the aforementioned movie. If the comments Perez shared with The Cosmic Circus' readers are to be believed, Lewis Pullman's character hasn't exactly been twiddling his thumbs up to this point:
What seems to be suggested by Alex Perez here is the possibility that fans are going to retroactively learn that Bob has been involved in superhuman-related activities for some time now. As mentioned, that wouldn't be too dissimilar from Bucky Barnes' HYDRA missions, which took place between Captain America: The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier. One could also mention how fans eventually learned that Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne were active as Ant-Man and Wasp in the '60s and how Carol Danvers arrived on Earth in the '90s. The assertion about Bob should be taken with a grain of salt, for right now, but the idea of him having been flying around (figuratively or literally) around for a while now isn't far-fetched given what we know about this massive continuity.
MCU actors are sworn to secrecy when it comes to upcoming productions. So it's not all that surprising that Lewis Pullman has been careful whenever he's discussed his role. He did reveal, however, that he was convinced to join the Marvel family by his Top Gun: Maverick co-star, Danny Ramirez, who plays Joaquin Torres a.k.a. Falcon in the cinematic universe. Pullman also humorously addressed the Thunderbolts* poster, shooting down claims that it showed Bob with six fingers.
Like so many fans, I'm curious as to how Bob will be firmly established within the MCU and whether he'll have been active within this world of heroes and villains for a while. We'll just have to wait and see but, in the meantime, keep those speculation hats on.