As speculation mounts for Marvel Studios’ “evil Superman” being Hyperion, there is a case to be made for a different character, one that some fans believe will be played by a Hollywood heavyweight.

Certainly, the signs point toward Hyperion being the alluded character making the rumor rounds. After all, he was initially created to be just that—Marvel’s evil version of Superman, at least in his first incarnation. Still, the more interesting and complex character would be Sentry.

Outside of when Bob Reynolds was manipulated into joining the Dark Avengers and the times the Void took control of the superpowered body, Sentry has been a hero. What makes him such a rich character is that while he has godlike abilities, he suffers from mental illness. That has led many theorists to wonder if the MCU has a place for Sentry among its PG-friendly lineup. However, the reports indicate the “evil Superman” in Thunderbolts will have his powers tied to the mythical Super-Soldier serum, and that falls in line with Bob’s origin story.

To add fuel to the speculative fire, there’s A-lister Ryan Gosling. Earlier this year, he confirmed that he has spoken with Marvel Studios about a possible role. That doesn’t mean much when Kevin Feige is seemingly in contact with every major Hollywood star (he collects A-listers like we hoard comics). For his part, Gosling seems up for joining the MCU, and that has led to speculation that he will play Bob/Sentry for Thunderbolts. That’s purely fan-casting at this point, but it is an enticing idea nonetheless.

While we salivate over which character could be the villain in Thunderbolts, here are some key issues to keep an eye on.

SENTRY #1 (2000)

There’s no beating the first appearance, and this will be the first issue to feel the heat from the Thunderbolts rumors. This has been a popular key to own for years, particularly at the 9.8 level. At the moment, the standard cover has been staying in the $300-$400 range. Meanwhile, the variant edition has been selling anywhere from $380 to $560 since the end of March.

While we’re on the subject, don’t forget about the San Diego Comic-Con edition, which last sold for $320 in September.

NEW AVENGERS #49 (2009)

If we do get Sentry in Thunderbolts, it could herald the coming of an even better team—the Dark Avengers. 

After Norman Osborn took over the Thunderbolts in the comics, he played a crucial role in Secret Invasion. That led to him taking control of S.H.I.E.L.D., renamed H.A.M.M.E.R., and seizing Avengers Tower for his handpicked squad of bloodthirsty mercenaries. As Dark Reign commenced, Sentry and Ares were the Avengers to stay behind and join Osborn’s Dark Avengers, who made their first team appearance in New Avengers #49.

With so many rumors and speculation surrounding Dark Avengers, this issue has been red hot. The last time a 9.8 sold online, it went for $165 in July.

SENTRY #4 (2018)

If you are looking for a sleeper pick, relatively speaking, this could be the one. Although the graded 9.8 has been selling for as much as $120 in the past year, Sentry #4 could have a much higher ceiling.

This issue marked the cameo debut of the new Sentry, one with the merged personas of Bob Reynolds and the Void. In fact, the darkness attached to Sentry in the next issue looked suspiciously like a symbiote, and that could be a connection Marvel Studios would incorporate with the piece of Venom left behind in Spider-Man: No Way Home

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.