It’s not easy being The Sentry. Bob Reynolds may be the most powerful hero in the Marvel Universe, but he’s also got a dark side that cancels out every good deed The Sentry does. To make matters worse, Bob has spent more time dead than alive over the past 15 years. But things are finally looking up for the Golden Guardian of Good in 2026. Not only is he returning to the big screen in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, The Sentry is also starring in a brand new series written by none other than co-creator Paul Jenkins.
IGN had the chance to speak with Jenkins via email to learn more about the new book and his thoughts on The Sentry’s MCU debut. First, check out an exclusive preview of the first issue in the slideshow gallery below, then read on to learn more:
The new volume of The Sentry is significant not just because it revives the popular hero after his death in 2020’s King in Black, but because it’s Jenkins’ first Marvel project in well over a decade. In fact, one of his last Marvel assignments was exploring the fallout of The Sentry’s first death in 2010’s Sentry: Fallen Sun. We asked the writer what made now the right time to finally return to the Marvel fold.
“Well, there’s certainly never a bad time to return,” Jenkins tells IGN. “But in all seriousness, I had consulted on the Thunderbolts* movie, and that led directly to me reconnecting with C.B. [Cebulski] and some of the folks at Marvel. Sentry was gaining an entirely new set of fans, and it seemed like a good time to explore a new series. It feels wonderful to be back working with a publisher who has meant so much to my career. I love to write comics, and I really missed working with so many of my friends in this business. While I’m here, I should definitely give a shout-out to our editors, Mark Paniccia and Lauren Amaro – people don’t realize just how difficult this job really is. I was an editor for maybe five or so years before I became a freelance writer. So, huge thanks to those guys for being amazing. It’s great to be back.”
As for Thunderbolts*, we were curious how Jenkins felt about seeing one of his most famous creations come to life on the big screen. Jenkins reveals that the film captured the most important element of the character – his vulnerability.
“I was lucky enough to interact with the director and actor, and I was so thrilled by the way Jake Schreier and Lewis Pullman handled the character,” Jenkins says. “Jake truly understood the point of Sentry – it has never been about how powerful he is, it has always been about how vulnerable he is. Jake was very gracious to chat with me at the premiere’s after party, and I had a chance to talk with Lewis as well. He’s so perfect for this role because he brings the right amount of vulnerability to Bob. In both cases, Lewis and Jake knew this was all about Bob, and the Sentry and Void are sort of side-effects.”
The announcement of this new series is a bit of a surprise, given that Marvel seemed to be moving in a different direction with the character post-King in Black. 2024’s The Sentry dealt with a new group of characters inheriting Bob’s powers, ultimately ending with the creation of a new heroine called Solarus. But with this latest series from Jenkins and artist Christian Rosado, Marvel is shifting back to a more familiar status quo for The Sentry.
“We’re not tying into that story,” Jenkins reveals. “When we began the project, C.B. suggested that I go back to the approach that I had used previously. Not to cast that story aside, but more to play to my strengths with Sentry. I think that’s the right approach – it allows us to tell a more focused, evergreen story (as opposed to trying to tie up pieces of existing continuity). If we are successful and people want Sentry books, then hopefully we can look at that stuff in future.”
Instead, the new series digs directly into the core dilemma of the character. How can Bob Reynolds be a hero when he knows that every act of good he carries out as The Sentry is matched by a corresponding act of evil from The Void? Jenkins teases a very emotionally charged story here, to the point that many readers may be in tears before the end.
“Void and Sentry are an essential part of Bob Reynolds,” Jenkins says. “This time, we are exploring the internal conflict that Bob faces, how he cannot become the Sentry and save 100 people from a plane crash without the Void equaling things out and killing 100 people in return. The central question for Bob is going to be, ‘How can I get past that? What good am I if I can’t help people?'”
Jenkins continues, “However, the main teaser I am going to give is this: readers are going to be mad with me because I’m almost certain we are going to make a lot of people cry. This story is very, very emotional – it hits right in the heart, and it hurts. I’ve now seen the art for issue #3 and I can tell you, people are going to be very moved by what happens in this story. It’s about how and why Bob wants to save everybody – there is a core reason that goes back to his childhood. For me, it is personal. When I was a little boy, I was affected greatly by this one thing in my life, and we’re bringing that story to life. I’m not kidding; I expect to meet a lot of fans at conventions who will be very emotional about this story. And if that happens to be the case, then we have done our job.”
“Readers are going to be mad with me because I’m almost certain we are going to make a lot of people cry.”
Part of the fun with The Sentry is that, despite debuting in 2000, he’s a character who’s been retconned into the fabric of the Marvel Universe. He’s been there from the beginning; the world just doesn’t remember.
The original series and subsequent stories have explored how Bob has developed relationships with many key Marvel characters. He’s BFFs with Reed Richards and Hulk. He helped Peter Parker win a photography Pulitzer. Jenkins confirms that the new series will continue to flesh out those relationships, particularly Bob’s connections to Hulk and the Fantastic Four.
“For me, it has always been the Hulk and the Fantastic Four,” Jenkins says. “Our scenes with the Hulk are some of the most emotional ones. I will admit that when I got the art, I was a little choked up by it. And Bob’s dynamic with Reed as his best friend means a lot to me. Reed knows that Bob struggles, and he’s there, trying to help Bob. For what it’s worth, I think the payoff with Hulk in issue #4 is going to be absolutely worth it.”
“Christian has been just brilliant – a true collaborator,” Jenkins adds about the art. “Christian gets it. He understand the way the smaller, quieter moments frame the bigger action scenes. And he is absolutely nailing it. I could not be more pleased.”
The Sentry #1 will be released on March 18. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
In other comic book news, find out which series was selected as IGN’s best comic book of 2025, and see which comics we’re most excited for in 2026.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
