Recently released concept art shows actor Steven Yeun in costume as The Sentry for the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thunderbolts*.
Yeun was originally cast in the role of Bob, the human alter ego of the powerful hero The Sentry, but dropped out of the production before filming began.
His departure was attributed to scheduling conflicts stemming from the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
The role was later recast with Lewis Pullman. The film Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters, featuring Pullman's portrayal of the character.
The revealed concept art depicts Yeun in a comic-accurate gold and blue suit, appearing similar to the final design seen in the film, including blonde hair, reportedly at the suggestion of the character Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
In the finished film, Lewis Pullman's performance as Bob and his counterpart The Void has received positive notice, particularly for depicting the character's complicated backstory involving trauma and addiction.
The script for Thunderbolts* features lines referring to Sentry as "invincible," which some commentators noted would have had added metatextual humor given Yeun's voice role as Invincible (Mark Grayson) in the popular animated series.
Pullman's portrayal captured the character's internal conflict and power, earning praise from viewers and critics.
Despite leaving the project, Yeun has expressed interest in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a future role.
Reflecting on his Thunderbolts* departure, Steven Yeun stated:
"I think for me, time passing and things shifting kind of pulled me out of it... Jake Schreier, I know, is going to do an incredible job. I wanna do a Marvel movie It took a lot of drafts on email to make sure that I conveyed the sincerity of how sorry I was to have to back out."
