Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Thunderbolts*’
The inclusion of most of the main cast members of the recently released Marvel Cinematic Universe filmThunderbolts*in the larger ensemble of the currently filmingAvengers: Doomsdaysurprised some fans, providing early evidence that the former film would be more important to the future of the franchise than many had initially suspected. The end of the film itself confirmed that this is the case, but the inclusion of one Thunderbolt in particular still raises a lot of questions.
The movie introduces us to Robert “Bob” Reynolds (Lewis Pullman), a young man who was unknowingly subjected to a scientific testing process intended to create superhuman soldiers. The process was successful in imbuing him with immense physical powers as well as telepathic and reality-altering abilities, leading him to briefly take up the corporate-designed superhero identity of The Sentry that he has in Marvel Comics, but, also like in the source material, Bob’s struggles with mental illness have resulted in the creation of a self-hating,villainous alternate personality known as The Void, which becomes a potentially apocalyptic threat when he gains control of Bob’s body, and, thus, powers.
Bob’s newfound friends on the Thunderbolts,known by the end of the film as “The New Avengers,”successfully stop him from being consumed by The Void, but have not eliminated the latter personality, and may never be able to do so permanently. This makes Bob the biggest wildcard of the confirmedDoomsdaycast members, as depending on which side of him exerts more control over his behavior and powers, he could be either a major help or hindrance to the fight against Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr).However,one of the legacy characters confirmed to appear in the multiverse-hopping crossover film could play a surprising role in helping Bob maintain control, as he has his own history with The Void in the comics.
X-Men Leader Cyclops Once Defeated The Void
In the comics, when Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin is given control of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government-sanctioned Avengers franchise, he manipulates Bob into serving on his corrupt version of the superhero team, commonly referred to asthe Dark Avengers. When Osborn’s forces drastically increase public persecution of the dwindling mutant community, they eventually wind up battling the X-Men, protectors of the mutant race. Although the mutants eventually retreat to the isolated, island nation of Utopia, X-Men leader Scott Summers/Cyclops demonstrates his tactical genius by leading the team in a battle in which they effectively neutralize or outright defeat all the Dark Avengers. His lover, powerful telepathEmma Frost, who had previously used her abilities to help Bob reconcile confused memories and manage The Void, returns to his mind and absorbs a portion of The Voidinto herself. She is able to prevent the dark consciousness from corrupting her by using her other superpower to transform her body into a diamond-like substance. However, in this state, Emma is unable to use her own telepathy.
In need of her powers for other missions and simply hoping to save the woman he loves,Scott eventually has some of the X-Men’s other telepaths project his mind into Emma’s so he, in turn, can trap The Void in his own mind. Although The Void briefly threatens to overtake him, he successfully does so by visualizing it being locked in a box in a room and repeating the phrases “You will stay here forever,” and “Nobody will ever open that door,” as affirmations. Although he initially attributes his success to the psychic knowledge he picked up from his long relationship with then-deceased wife Jean Grey, an even more powerful telepath than Emma, he also quips that “What can I say? I’m an expert at repression.” This line is much darker than funny, but it is a sadly accurate description of how Scott often behaves. The character is known for his immense self-control, and while this is mainly demonstrated through his careful monitoring of his own superpowers, those being beams of immense force that shoot from his eyes whenever they are open and not covered by his specially-made sunglasses or visors, which is impressive, it’s also led him to ignore or minimize his own emotions, especially in the wake of the numerous tragedies he’s suffered.
One storyline even suggests that, after receiving a head injury as a child, he chose to make his powers unstoppable so that he would be forced to exert control over himself in the wake of the presumed deaths of his biological family.Despite the dark implications of Scott’s previous mental state, however, the strategy did work, with this portion of The Void no longer plaguing the X-Menuntil it was presumably destroyed along with the rest of the entity upon Bob’s death.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Could Feature a Meeting Between Cyclops and The Sentry
James Marsdenis confirmed to be appearing inDoomsday, along withseveral other cast members from the X-Men filmsproduced by 20th Century Fox, which suggests that the actor will reprise his role as Scott. However, given that one of, if not the main points ofThunderbolts*ishow harmful repressing emotions can be to long-term mental health, it’s unlikely a close adaptation of his Void storyline will be included, and the Thunderbolts/New Avengers themselves are likely to be the most directly involved in helping Bob manage the dark entity. But an encounter between one or more of his personalities and Scott could still add interesting layers to both characters, which would be especially satisfying in the latter’s case, as it’s largely agreed thatone of the major flaws of the X-Men movies was the choice to reduce Scott’s importancein many installments, leaving Marsden with only minimal opportunities to flesh out the character.
Thunderbolts*
