RUMOR: Ryan Gosling might be The Sentry in Thunderbolts

Details about the role are sparse, but it is apparently mentioned that it is "a conflicted and powerful villain", and going so far as calling the role an "evil Superman. There are actually multiple possible characters from the long history of Marvel Comics that would fit this description. However, the most likely possibilities would be Hyperion and The Sentry.

The character of Hyperion has a few versions, including an artificial being created by the Grandmaster to challenge the Avengers, another which is an Eternal from an alternate dimension, a government experiment, and more. What all these versions of Hyperion have in common is that they are either evil by nature or are brainwashed by outside forces as a living weapon.

Meanwhile, The Sentry is a forgotten superhero from the Golden Age. Previously a normal human named Robert Reynolds with a substance addiction, he unknowing consumed an experimental serum that gave him the power of a million exploding suns. As The Sentry, he tried to be a superhero, but his mental condition created a separate, malevolent entity called the Void. This was his own repressed persona, powered by his subconscious.

Both Hyperion and The Sentry are Superman-pastiches, with incalculable power. They have similar feats of strength, flight, speed, invulnerability, and energy manipulation. In the case of Hyperion, he even has laser-like vision. The Sentry, on the other hand, has more undefined powers, including the ability to manipulate reality.

If the rumors are true, the Thunderbolts may have bitten off more than they can chew. As the team is comprised of mostly Captain America analogues and spies, fighting a being as powerful as Superman will prove to be a daunting challenge. But so far, only David Harbour (Stranger Things) has given any hintof the movie's potential plot.

In an interview with Comicbook.com, Harbour had this to say: I have not read a script, but I have been told the arc of the story and how the story goes. It's very cool. It's very unique. It also has all this cool action and comedy, from what has been described to me, and then there is a bomb drop thing we add to the universe, which will be very exciting for the movie to do at the end of this particular phase that we're ending. As of this date, no official confirmation or denial has been made by Marvel Studios regarding these rumors of Ryan Gosling being cast or the role of the Thunderbolts villain.

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts is targeted for a theatrical release on July 26, 2024. Ryan Gosling can currently be seen in The Gray Man, available on Netflix.