As a Fan, I'm Amazed the MCU Is Taking a Big Swing by Introducing Two of the Comics' Most Powerful Characters in the Same Year

We have seen powerful characters in the MCU before. It is a superhero universe after all. In Phase 4 alone, we have been introduced to characters like Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), the Eternals and Celestials, as well as seeing Loki (Tom Hiddleston) have his powers scaled up by becoming the God of Stories at the end of Loki Season 2.

However, two characters are on another level when it comes to their abilities, and they’ll both be introduced to the MCU this year and could save or destroy the multiverse as a result. These characters would be Bob/Sentry (Lewis Pullman) in Thunderbolts* and Franklin Richards with the confirmation coming during CinemaCon, where it was revealed that Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) is indeed pregnant in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Not only are there very few characters in all the MCU comics that could defeat them, but if the Russo Brothers decide to follow a similar line to the Secret Wars comic storyline, one of them could become absolutely essential.

Both Franklin Richards and Sentry Can Manipulate Reality

In a way, both are reality warpers, but this manifests differently in each one. Sentry can send people to a different reality called “The Void,” which we see in the Thunderbolts* trailer. When this happened for the first time in the Dark Avengers comic run, over one million people were killed in a very short space of time, so we immediately know the scale of destruction we’re looking at here is horrific. As previously mentioned, we have seen characters capable of great destruction and creation before, but Sentry is different in that when The Void takes over, he has no morals or mercy, with nothing standing in the way of his consumption.

Somehow, Franklin is even stronger because. Instead of having control over one reality, he can create entire worlds from scratch with a simple thought, as he did during his childhood. But rather than having sinister intentions, Franklin just wants to be a normal boy and even changes reality to make it seem as if his powers never existed in Fantastic Four Vol. 6 #25 and Vol. 7 #18. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Sentry’s powers still make him one of the most powerful individuals we have seen, up there with Franklin, as he has only been defeated by individuals like Knull in the comics, in King in Black #1, showing his god-level threat as we saw how terrified Venom (Tom Hardy) and all symbiotes were in Venom: The Last Dance giving us a comparative example of how strong Sentry is if this is his competition.

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Franklin Richards and Sentry Pose Unique Issues for ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars’

Franklin Richards of the Fantastic Four smiling and looking confident in his hero suit, one arm reaching up — Image via Marvel Comics

Because these two characters are so overwhelmingly powerful, Marvel will have a tough time keeping the stakes of Doomsday and Secret Wars in a tense but also believable place, as both characters will likely play large roles in the upcoming films, with Franklin playing a huge one in the comics’ aftermath. When you introduce characters who can send others to the Void with a thought, or change the fabric of reality with a flick of their hand, you enter a space where fans can always ask, “Why didn’t X do Y to defeat the villain?” and, technically, they won’t be wrong. Finding ways to limit these questions is the key.

In both cases, some of the only times the two have been made less of a threat is when they sacrificed their power, but if both do that, then the MCU could be accused of lazy writing. Perhaps their character arcs will be so powerful that it will work if they limit themselves. However, if they are going to play big roles, Marvel has a tough task making these pivotal figures engaging in a limited amount of time. In the end, despite the potential issues, it is always fun seeing characters introduced who change the dynamic of the entire MCU, as was part of the hype for Eternals and Captain Marvel. How Sentry and Franklin Richards’ powers will be portrayed to their full extent is currently unclear, but they will, for sure, be awe-inspiring to both the audience and the characters they interact with.

Thunderbolts* will release in theaters in the U.S. on May 1.

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