Spider-Man: No Way Home Secretly Set Thunderbolts * Most Exciting Debut: Thrilling MCU Theory Explained

thunderbolts* One of the MCU’s most exciting new characters is about to debut, and his arrival may have been secretly established and explained by Spider-Man: No Way Home, According to one interesting theory. thunderbolts* is scheduled to release on May 2, 2025, starring a team of down-and-out anti-heroes and reformed villains brought together by Valentina Allegra De Fontaine for an as-yet unstated goal. Although they were seemingly thrown together under duress, thunderbolts* Will be the biggest team-up movie ever Avengers: EndgameMaking it feel like a particularly consequential MCU installment.

Compounding this is the fact that it will also star Sentry, a character so powerful that it’s hard to imagine a fully assembled team of Avengers holding their own against him, let alone the comparatively weak Thunderbolts members. Sentry’s involvement was all but confirmed in the latest trailer for thunderbolts*In which Louis Pullman’s “BobOne can be seen breaking away from a hail of gunfire, while another shot depicts Sentry’s distinctive belt buckle. His arrival raises several questions, with one significant answer possibly stemming from Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home revealed it is possible for magic to erase memories worldwide

The Runes of Kof-Kol is an incredibly powerful spell

Spider-Man: No Way Home Co-starring Doctor Strange in addition to a litany of Spider-Man characters from yesteryear that helped make the movie Marvel Studios’ third-most successful ever. It was thanks to Strange that the likes of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus made their way to the MCU’s Earth-616 reality after his botched use of the runes of Kof-Kol tore a rift between their realities. In his attempt to make the inhabitants of Earth-616 forget Peter Parker, he instead brought people from different realities who knew of their Spider-Man’s true identity.

While tearing a rift between realities is a monumental power in itself, the intended purpose of the spell also cannot be understated. In the climax of the movie, Strange re-casts the runes of Kof-Kol to maximum effect, Rendering everyone on Earth-616 clueless about Peter Parker, and making the MCU’s Spider-Man entirely anonymous – Even to his loved ones. The implications of the results are vast, and will likely be addressed in Spider-Man 4. Regardless, Spider-Man: No Way Home Proved that it is possible to erase the memories of the global population with one powerful spell.

In the comics, Sentry is forgotten by the entire world

Sentry causes everyone to forget him to help shake the void

Sentry’s Marvel Comics stories repeatedly hinge on his suppressed memories. In fact, his comic book debut came as Robert Reynolds – the man behind the cloak – suddenly remembered his past as the godlike entity that is Sentry. With the help of Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic, Reynolds asserts that his memory along with that of every person on Earth has been suppressed due to Sentry’s cataclysmic alter egoThe cave, whose near-unprecedented upheavals caused the death of millions. Suppressing the memory of his powers was therefore a necessary step in order to prevent the rot from happening again.

In Marvel Comics, the world’s collective memory is suppressed again by Sentry when he learns about his catastrophic past and alter ego. This is achieved through Sentry’s own immense psychic abilities with the help of Reed Richards and Doctor Strange. Since Sentry’s incredible powers amount to near-omnipotence, it seems something similar has happened ready for his live-action debut in thunderbolts* Because it would be impossible for the MCU to explain how Sentry has gone under the radar until now. comfortable, Spider-Man: No Way Home laid the foundation for how it happened.

Is Doctor Strange (or another sorcerer) responsible for the MCU’s Forgotten Guardians?

The runes of Kof-Kol is the perfect way to explain Sentry’s anonymity

Sentry is capable of incredible psychic feats himself, although he still enlists the help of the world’s smartest man, Reed Richards, and the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, to achieve memory-wiping on a global and possibly universal scale. Spider-Man: No Way Home But proved that Strange is able to achieve the same results alone. There are also parallels to be drawn in the fact that Strange can include himself as a target of the spell, removing Peter Parker from his own memory after casting the runes of Kop-Kul.

If Marvel is about to adapt Sentry’s comic book debut closely, It makes sense for the MCU to revisit the powerful memory-wiping process established in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Explaining that all of Sentry’s memories were wiped by some other means, like Sentry’s own powers, would only serve to over-stuff that particular MacGuffin into an already lore-rich cinematic universe. Besides, Sentry rarely uses his psychic powers other than to wipe memories in Marvel comics, and stripping him of those in his live-action debut should help streamline the character for the big screen without going too far.

Should Marvel follow this thread, Doctor Strange or another sorcerer must be responsible for the MCU’s collective amnesiaWith the other two most likely candidates being the Ancient One or Wong. This would trace the origins of Sentry Marvel Comics when he enlists Strange to wipe memories for the second time anyway. If that’s the case, Doctor Strange’s MCU story will be much more consequential than it already is.

What would be the consequences of Strange’s spell?

Doctor Strange can repeatedly risk reality itself

When Doctor Strange suggested the runes of Kof-Kol as a solution for Peter in Spider-Man: No Way HomeWong emphatically repudiated the concept, stating “That spell travels the dark borders between known and unknown reality. It is too dangerous.“Doctor Strange replied that he had already turned the regimen on Wong and other wizards, seemingly without too much fuss, as proof that Wong could overreact. Nevertheless, Wong’s fears were vindicated moments later, as Strange’s mishandling of the Spell caused the near destruction of the universe if the rules surrounding incursions are any indication.

If Strange also uses this spell to help Sentry, he is characteristically playing with fire. It suggests that he is quite cavalier in his use, threatening to break reality every time. 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, however The damage may already be done. In fact, his blasé use of the spell may have even contributed to the incursion Clea accuses him of causing.

Regardless of the fact that String evoked the runes of Kop-Kul without incident with Sentry, his interference could have other consequences. In Marvel Comics, The Sentry’s erasure of everyone’s memories led to Stark Tower being built in the exact same location as the Sentry’s headquartersThe Watchtower. Although this would not adhere to the timeline of Strange acquiring his powers in the MCU, since Stark Tower is already built, it could be that the Ancient One removed all knowledge from the Watchtower instead.

Which is obvious thunderbolts* Will directly address the consequences of Sentry’s existence is wiped from the world’s memories, if this is what Marvel is adapting. Trailer footage implies that the CIA Under the direction of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, is aware of Sentry, which already departs from the details of his comic book debut. Still, if Sentry is as powerful as he is in Marvel Comics, his MCU debut could provide a satisfying tie-in to Spider-Man: No Way Home and the wider MCU and make him feel more integrated from the jump.