Posted by Steven Yeun is reportedly no longer playing the Sentry in the MCU’s Thunderbolts, but there are many actors who could replace him in the Phase 6 film.
- Steven Yeun has dropped out of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts project due to scheduling conflicts, leaving a gap for a new actor to play the Sentry.
- Strong candidates to replace Yeun include Alexander Skarsgård, Andrew Koji, Ryan Hurst, Keanu Reeves, Ryan Gosling and Henry Cavill.
- These actors possess the right physicality, acting skills and action experience to portray the complex and powerful character of the Sentry in the MCU’s Thunderbolts .
Steven Yeun will no longer be playing the Sentry in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thunderbolts project, but there are several brilliant actors who could take his place in the MCU. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige announced the development of Thunderbolts in July 2022, with the crossover films marking the returns of David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, Olga Kurylenko, Wyatt Russell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a new team of superhuman antiheroes and reformed villains. The MCU’s Thunderbolts is set to release on July 25, 2025, but the project has recently undergone some cast changes, as Steven Yeun has dropped out from his highly-anticipated MCU role.
The Walking Dead and Invincible star Steven Yeun joined the cast of Thunderbolts in February 2023 in an undisclosed role, though there was widespread speculation that Yeun would be playing Robert Reynolds, a.k.a. the Sentry. These rumors were all but confirmed when Yeun’s collaborator and friend Robert Kirkman revealed Yeun had attended a costume fitting for Sentry. However, on January 2, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Steven Yeun has dropped out of Thunderbolts, citing scheduling conflicts following the project’s delays amid 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Sentry is still expected to appear in Thunderbolts, and there are several strong candidates to replace Yeun in the role.
10. Alexander Skarsgård Has The Perfect Look For Sentry
True Blood (2008), Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021), The Northman (2022)
Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård looks far more similar to Marvel Comics’ depiction of the Sentry than Steven Yeun, fit with the long blonde hair and muscular physique. Skarsgård’s role in Robert Eggers’ The Northman saw him perfectly inhabit the brutality, realism and strength of the warrior Amleth, which could translate perfectly into the MCU’s Sentry. Marvel Comics’ Robert Reynolds is a complicated character with a dark alter ego, so whoever takes over the role in Thunderbolts needs to be able to demonstrate the terrifying personality of the Void while also proving the Sentry to be one of the world’s strongest and most formidable heroes.
9. Andrew Koji Has The Action Experience For The MCU’s Sentry
Snake Eyes (2021), Bullet Train (2022), Boy Kills World (2023)
Famous for his roles in Warrior, Snake Eyes and Bullet Train, Andrew Koji has become a recent popular fan-cast for the role of Sentry in the MCU. Koji has often taken on the role of a fighter, using his martial arts background to inform his effective fighting scenes. This perhaps sets Koji up as the perfect candidate for Sentry. Marvel Studios has often taken actors at the beginnings of their careers and skyrocketed them to fame, and Andrew Koji could soon see this treatment, as his mainstream career is only just taking foot. Koji’s skill, magnetism and strong physicality would help to bring a charismatic Sentry into the MCU.
8. Boyd Holbrook Could Boost His Career With Sentry
Narcos (2015), Logan (2017), The Sandman (2022)
Boyd Holbrook is known for his action-heavy roles in projects such as Narcos, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Sandman, and the Sentry would give him the opportunity to show even more range. Holbrook has already ventured into the world of superheroes, having portrayed the villainous Donald Pierce in 2017’s Logan and Miracle Guy in 2020’s We Can Be Heroes opposite Pedro Pascal – who has also recently been rumored for an MCU role. Boyd Holbrook has proven his talent for over two decades, but he is still far from a household name, so portraying the Sentry in the MCU could bring a boost to his career.
Pedro Pascal, Boyd Holbrook’s We Can Be Heroes co-star, has been rumored to be cast as the MCU’s official Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic, and is set to debut in Phase 6’s Fantastic Four, though Marvel Studios hasn’t yet confirmed this casting.
7. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Could Lean Into Sentry’s Villainous Side
Game Of Thrones (2011), Mama (2013), Domino (2019)
Perhaps most famous for his role of Jaime Lannister in HBO’s Game of Thrones, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been a popular name suggested to replace Steven Yeun as the MCU’s Sentry. The Danish actor has a long history of starring in action, sci-fi and thriller projects, making a role in the MCU imminent for the Gods of Egypt and The SIlencing star. Coster-Waldau could lean into his more villainous typecasts to deliver the Sentry’s alter ego, the Void, with drama, intensity and impact. Since the Sentry has been suspected to be the Thunderbolts’ first villain in the MCU’s Phase 6, Coster-Waldau could be perfect for the role.
