Thunderbolts* is about to introduce one of the MCU’s most exciting new characters, and his appearance may have been secretly staged and explained Spider-Man: No Way Home according to one compelling theory. Thunderbolts* slated for release on May 2, 2025, it stars a team of desperate anti-heroes and reformed villains assembled by Valentina Allegra De Fontaine for an as-yet unstated purpose. Although it seems they were brought together under duress, Thunderbolts* will be the biggest team film since then Avengers: Endgamemaking it feel like a particularly important part of the MCU.
This is compounded by the fact that it will also star the Sentry, a character so powerful that it’s hard to imagine a fully assembled Avengers team capable of standing up to him, let alone the comparatively weaker members of the Thunderbolts. Sentry’s participation was all but confirmed in the latest trailer Thunderbolts*in which Lewis Pullman”Bean“He can be seen shrugging off a hail of gunfire, while another shot shows the Sentry’s signature belt buckle. His arrival raises several questions, and one important answer may come from Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”: it turned out that magic can erase memories around the world
Kof-Kol runes – an incredibly powerful spell
Spider-Man: No Way Home co-starred in Doctor Strange in addition to a host of past Spider-Man characters that helped make Marvel Studios’ third-most successful film of all time. It was thanks to Strange that characters like Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus made their way into the MCU’s Earth-616 reality after his failed use of the Kof-Cola Runes severed the rift between their realities. While trying to make the people of Earth-616 forget Peter Parker, he instead met people from different realities who knew about their Spider-Man’s true identity.
Connected
While breaking the rift between realities is a powerful force in itself, the purpose of the spell should also not be underestimated. By the film’s climax, Strange reuses the Kof-Kola Runes to maximum effect. make everyone on Earth-616 ignorant of Peter Parker and make the MCU Spider-Man completely anonymous – even to your loved ones. The implications of these results are enormous and will likely be addressed in Spider-Man 4. No matter what, Spider-Man: No Way Home proved that it is possible to nullify the memories of the planet’s population with one powerful spell.
In comics, the whole world forgot about the Sentry
The Sentinel makes everyone forget about him to help quell the emptiness
Sentry’s stories in the Marvel comics are constantly dependent on his repressed memories. In fact, his debut in the comics occurred when Robert Reynolds – the man behind the mantle – suddenly remembered his past as the god-like being that is the Sentry. With the help of Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, Reynolds states that his memory, like that of every person on Earth, has been suppressed due to the Sentinel’s cataclysmic alter ego.An Abyss whose almost uncontrollable rampages have caused the deaths of millions of people. Therefore, suppressing the memory of his powers was a necessary step to prevent the Void from breaking free again.
Considering that the Sentry’s incredible powers amount to near-omnipotence, it seems like something similar happened before his live-action debut in Thunderbolts, since it would be impossible for the MCU to explain how the Sentry has remained under the radar until now.
In the Marvel comics, the world’s collective memory is suppressed again by Chas after he learns of his disastrous past and alter ego. This is achieved through the Sentry’s vast psychic abilities with the help of Reed Richards and Doctor Strange.. Considering that the Sentry’s incredible abilities amount to near-omnipotence, it seems like something similar happened before his live-action debut. Thunderbolts* as it would be impossible for the MCU to explain how Sentry has remained under the radar until now. Comfortable, Spider-Man: No Way Home laid the groundwork for how this happened.
Is Doctor Strange (or another wizard) responsible for the MCU forgetting the Sentry?
Kof-Kola runes are the perfect way to explain Sentry’s anonymity
The Sentry is capable of incredible psychic abilities himself, although he still enlists the help of the world’s smartest man, Reed Richards, and the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, to achieve memory erasure on a global and possibly universal scale. Spider-Man: No Way Home proved, however, that Strange is capable of achieving the same results on his own.. Parallels can also be drawn with the fact that Strange can include himself as the target of the spell by removing Peter Parker from his own memory after casting the Kof-Cola Runes.
If Marvel is going to closely adapt Sentry’s debut comic, It makes sense for the MCU to revert to the powerful memory clearing process installed in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Explaining that all of Sentry’s memories were erased through some other means, such as the Sentry’s own powers, would only serve to oversaturate this particular MacGuffin in an already lore-rich cinematic universe. Additionally, Sentry rarely uses his psychic powers other than to erase memories in the Marvel comics, and stripping him of those powers in his live-action debut should help optimize the character for the big screen without going too far.
Connected
If Marvel continues this theme, Doctor Strange or another sorcerer must be responsible for the MCU’s collective amnesia.and the other two most likely candidates are the Ancient One or Wong. This fits with Sentry’s Marvel Comics origin, as he still hires Strange a second time to erase his memories. If this is the case, then Doctor Strange’s story in the MCU will be much more significant than before.
What will be the consequences of Strange’s spell?
Doctor Strange can repeatedly endanger reality itself
When Doctor Strange suggested the Kof-Cola runes as a solution to Peter’s problem. Spider-Man: No Way HomeWong categorically rejected this concept, stating: “This spell crosses the dark boundaries between known and unknown reality. It’s too dangerous.Doctor Strange countered that he had already cast the spell on Wong and the other sorcerers, seemingly without much shock, as evidence that Wong might be overreacting. However, Wong’s fears were realized moments later, as Strange’s mishandling of the spell resulted in the near-destruction of the universe, if the rules regarding incursions are any indication.
If Strange also used this spell to help the Sentry, then it is typical for him to play with fire. This suggests that he uses it rather unceremoniously, each time threatening to destroy reality. Between Spider-Man: No Way Home And Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Strange may have finally learned his lesson when it comes to reality-altering spells, but the damage may already be done. In fact, his dismissive use of this spell may even have contributed to the intrusion that Clea accuses him of committing.
However, assuming that Strange had no problem dealing with the Kof-Kol Runes with the help of the Sentinel, his intervention could have other consequences. In Marvel comics erasing the Sentry from everyone’s memory resulted in Stark Tower being built in the same location as the Sentry headquarters.Watchtower. While this doesn’t fit with the timeline of Strange acquiring his powers in the MCU, since Stark Tower was already built, it’s possible that the Ancient One removed all knowledge of the Watchtower instead.
What seems clearer is that Thunderbolts* will directly address the consequences of erasing the Sentry’s existence from the world’s memory if that’s what Marvel adapts. Footage from the trailer implies that the CIA, led by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, knows about the Sentry, which already deviates from the details of his debut in the comics. However, if Sentry is as strong as he was in Marvel Comics, his MCU debut could be a satisfying connection to Spider-Man: No Way Home and a broader MCU that makes it feel more integrated from the jump.