The Void is the main antagonist of the 2025 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thunderbolts*. He is a terrifying, otherworldly dark entity that resides within Robert “Bob” Reynolds, a superpowered being better known as the Sentry, who suffers from severe amnesia and fragmented memories.
As the Void, Reynolds transforms into a shadow-wrapped, nearly unstoppable entity capable of spreading pure darkness across everything in his path. Cloaked in an aura of shifting black mist and consuming gloom, the Void exhibits invincibility, the ability to manipulate and generate shadows, and the horrifying power to turn living beings into shadow-like extensions of himself, enslaving them to his will.
Appearance[]
As the Sentry, Robert Reynolds carries himself with an upright, heroic stance that radiates confidence and power. His suit features a vibrant metallic gold base, highlighted by deep blue and gray accents that trace across his chest, legs, and hips. He wears matching bracers on his forearms, each bordered with sleek golden lines, adding to the regal look of his costume. Around his neck, a structured blue-gray collar gives the outfit a distinct, almost armored silhouette. A bold blue belt with a prominent “S” emblem sits at his waist, drawing focus to the center of his uniform. His boots are sharply designed, with angular tops and additional golden trim accentuating both the upper and shin areas. Regardless of which form he's in, his shoulder-length, wavy blond hair flows freely, giving him a celestial, timeless appearance.
As the Void, Reynolds undergoes a drastic transformation into a towering, shadow-like figure, appearing as a vast silhouette that casts a chilling presence over the landscape. His stance becomes slightly hunched yet stable, giving him a predatory edge. In this form, he is devoid of color, light, and fine detail—an embodiment of darkness itself. Only his piercing, glowing eyes break through the inky void of his being. Unlike the calculated posture of the Sentry, the Void fights with eerie simplicity—raising a hand to unleash suffocating darkness, engulfing his victims in shadow rather than striking them physically. He is less a man and more a void in nature, an absence rather than a presence.
Personality[]
As the dark manifestation of Robert Reynolds’ fractured psyche, the Void embodies pure nihilism and cruelty. He sees himself as a supreme being, free from the constraints of morality or authority, operating under a deeply rooted god complex. Viewing existence as fundamentally meaningless, the Void treats all life with indifference or outright contempt—especially targeting his heroic counterpart, the Sentry, whom he loathes as a symbol of hope and restraint.
Despite his belief in the futility of everything, the Void is far from mindless. He is cunning and manipulative, fully aware that emotionally breaking Bob Reynolds strengthens his own hold. He torments Reynolds with cold calculation, knowing that each psychological wound he inflicts grants him more power.
The Void often appears amused by those who attempt to resist him, finding sadistic pleasure in their fear and desperation. He is devoid of empathy or pity, and his goals are brutally simple: to pull the world into darkness and ensnare others in an endless cycle of suffering, forcing them to relive their worst traumas without escape.
Story[]
Early Life[]
Robert Reynolds' birth date is unknown. He was raised in a deeply abusive household with a violent, domineering father and a submissive, enabling mother. In one haunting memory, Robert—still a child—warns his father not to harm his mother again. Instead of support, his mother begs him not to intervene, fearing escalation. His father mocks him, calling him a "hero" with cruel sarcasm before beating him with a belt, while his mother sobs and pleads for him to stop. This formative trauma shaped the foundation of Robert's fractured psyche.
As a teenager, Robert spiraled into a life of crime—engaging in theft, arson, and drug dealing—as a means of survival and self-destruction. He briefly held a job as a restaurant mascot but was fired after his worsening drug addiction and declining mental health made it impossible for him to function. Eventually, Robert found himself homeless in Southeast Asia with no support, no hope, and no direction.
His life took a drastic turn when a doctor from OX Corp offered him a chance to participate in a dangerous medical trial that promised to enhance human capabilities. Desperate, Robert agreed. While the other test subjects died, Robert survived. However, his memories were erased, and he was cryogenically frozen—abandoned and forgotten until U.S. Agent, Yelena Belova, Ghost (Ava Starr), and Taskmaster inadvertently released him from stasis, setting the events of Thunderbolts into motion.
Unbeknownst to them, the Void—Robert’s dark and destructive alter ego—had always been present, lurking within his mind. It would only fully manifest after the Golden Sentry Serum was activated, along with a killswitch embedded by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Thunderbolts[]
Yelena was assigned by Valentina to destroy sensitive evidence stored in a remote desert facility. Lied to about the threat level, she was ambushed by U.S. Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster. During the chaos, Yelena accidentally activated a cryogenic pod—awakening a confused Robert, who introduced himself as “Bob.” Realizing they’d all been manipulated by Valentina and sent there to be eliminated, the group united to escape.
After surviving a deadly incineration trap, Bob touched Yelena’s hand, triggering a psychic event. Yelena was pulled into a vision of her worst trauma—murdering her best friend during Red Room training—indicating the Void’s growing presence through Bob.
The group pushed deeper into the facility using Taskmaster's tools and fought their way toward the surface. When Bob touched U.S. Agent, John Walker, the Void forced him to relive his guilt over driving away his wife and son. It became clear: Bob was the only surviving subject of the Sentry program.
Valentina, realizing Bob was alive and functional, arrived with a mercenary force to reclaim her "asset." Bob attempted to draw fire to protect the team but was overwhelmed, briefly collapsing. He was later taken to the former Avengers Tower, now the refurbished Watchtower, where Valentina manipulated him into becoming her superhuman champion—the Sentry.
When the Thunderbolts (now joined by Red Guardian and Bucky Barnes) stormed the tower, they confronted Valentina. She attempted to sway Bob, now suited in golden armor, to defeat his former allies. Though Bob initially obeyed, his Void persona surfaced—questioning why a god should follow orders from a mere human. Bob turned against Valentina, nearly killing her before Mal, her assistant, activated the killswitch.
The Sentry collapsed, seemingly dead. But the Void had finally taken over.
Rise of the Void[]
The Void's shadow engulfed Bob’s body, and his form vanished. Soon after, the dark entity began attacking the city—turning civilians into shadows and trapping their consciousness in endless cycles of trauma within his mind.
Helicopters crashed, debris rained down—but the Thunderbolts acted swiftly to save lives, earning public praise. Yet their heroism was eclipsed as the Void’s power spread unchecked.
In an act of bravery, Yelena allowed herself to be taken into the Void’s world of trauma. There, she relived memory after memory—killing her friend, being punished for outperforming others, waking in despair in a vodka-stained bathroom—until she noticed Bob watching from the shadows. She finally breached into his mind, where Bob was trapped in an attic above a memory of his father abusing his mother, his child self powerless to stop it.
Yelena pleaded with Bob to fight back. He insisted he couldn’t—the Void was in control now. As Yelena persisted, the Void attacked them with objects from the memory. The Thunderbolts arrived, realizing they had to face Bob’s pain to reach him.
They traveled through his traumas: his abusive father, his drug-fueled breakdown while working as a mascot, and finally the laboratory where the Void was born. Bob confronted the Void, fighting back physically—but it only grew stronger, feeding on his anguish.
Yelena, breaking free first, hugged Bob. One by one, the others joined her. Overwhelmed by the shared compassion, Bob stopped fighting and broke down in tears—feeling, for the first time, truly seen and loved.
All the Void’s victims were released, including the Thunderbolts and civilians. Bob, now amnesiac but content, was told by Yelena that she—and the team—would stay by his side. The Void was sealed… for now.