Sentry: The Most Poorly Written Character of All Time?

[humpa]

but has anyone read silent war? Sentry was really well written in that one.

[Shadd]

but has anyone read silent war? Sentry was really well written in that one.

Ya, besides being an awesome mini series all of its own, that has also been my favorite portrayal of Sentry. It appears the Inhumans are going to be showing up as Sentry supporting characters, which is a good thing because he desperately needs some.

[Captain Smith]

The take away point (besides bad writing) is the one made several times of the disconnect between power level hyperbole and actual action of the power charged individual.

Power of millions of suns, able to destroy galaxies - etc. - are such titanic levels of power - if one actually understands the size of such constructs - that punching it out with the Hulk is ridiculous.

Google the latest Hubble images of galaxies colliding and then you realize that the Sentry or Odin or Odin level Thor would never have to engage in punch outs - except for comic panel mayhem.

DC does a touch better on keeping this rhetoric under control.

[The Batman]

The Sentry isn't the most poorly written character of all time by virture of those two Jenkins books which were actually quite enjoyable. The most poorly written character of all time wouldn't even have that.

[Guest_1001]

Power of millions of suns, able to destroy galaxies - etc.

But again, these are just taglines. If Sentry actually had the power of a million exploding suns, he wouldn't run off the second someone says "Void" in the middle of a fight. Sentry's first mini in particular showed this well; if he had the power of a million exploding suns, he wouldn't get defeated by The General.

I know this is an example of bad writing on Bendis' part and I love Sentry. But this is where comic book fans get weird; Sentry has been beaten up more times since his creation than, say, Spider-Man and yet they still complain about him being too powerful. And yet, despite Spider-Man turning up in Secret Invasion: Frontline, Avengers: The Initiative and every other book out there at some point, you never hear fans saying that Spidey is "crammed down readers' throats", nor that he's being portrayed as all-powerful.

I know I've gone off-topic a bit there. I read that blog by the way, OP. Three minutes of my life wasted. :rolleyes:

I'll agree with the article that the Sentry is poorly written, but for different reasons. The Sentry is essentially Superman in the Marvel universe when it comes to his power levels and that's a major problem right off the bat. The Marvel U. isn't set up to handle a Superman level character in a non-cosmic setting. The only thing anyone can think to do with him is neutralize him using his "kryptonite" of mental instability. The result is Sentry has spent his entire comic book career curled up in a ball crying. It doesn't make for good reading.

It seems like you've only read Bendisentry.

[DDPCherry]

The take away point (besides bad writing) is the one made several times of the disconnect between power level hyperbole and actual action of the power charged individual.

Power of millions of suns, able to destroy galaxies - etc. - are such titanic levels of power - if one actually understands the size of such constructs - that punching it out with the Hulk is ridiculous.

Google the latest Hubble images of galaxies colliding and then you realize that the Sentry or Odin or Odin level Thor would never have to engage in punch outs - except for comic panel mayhem.

DC does a touch better on keeping this rhetoric under control.

agreed.

i think they should lose that line.

[Guest_1001]

Oh please . . . Marvel should get rid of a tagline because fans misinterpret it? Do you think there was this much fuss when Amazing Spider-Man came up with "never has anyone fought such merciless foes as the Enforcers"? Should Stan Lee eternally be kicking himself for introducing Wonder Man as "the newest, most dynamic surprise character from the world-famous house of ideas"?

Some of you might answer "yes" to both of those questions. If so, it proves my point; taglines give no indication of the characters themselves. Also, I'm willing to bet the people whining about that line have never read the first miniseries: Bob Reynolds uses it to describe the feeling he gets when he drinks the super serum again for the first time:

"It comes over you in a rush -- warm, wonderful ... an unutterable force. Like a million little exploding suns, it feels so good".

However, the phrase "with the power of a million exploding suns" was used on the front of the fake comic within the comic. Then again, to dust off an old jab, what makes the X-Men so "uncanny"?

[DDPCherry]

Oh please . . . Marvel should get rid of a tagline because fans misinterpret it? Do you think there was this much fuss when Amazing Spider-Man came up with "never has anyone fought such merciless foes as the Enforcers"? Should Stan Lee eternally be kicking himself for introducing Wonder Man as "the newest, most dynamic surprise character from the world-famous house of ideas"?

Some of you might answer "yes" to both of those questions. If so, it proves my point; taglines give no indication of the characters themselves. Also, I'm willing to bet the people whining about that line have never read the first miniseries: Bob Reynolds uses it to describe the feeling he gets when he drinks the super serum again for the first time:

"It comes over you in a rush -- warm, wonderful ... an unutterable force. Like a million little exploding suns, it feels so good".

However, the phrase "with the power of a million exploding suns" was used on the front of the fake comic within the comic. Then again, to dust off an old jab, what makes the X-Men so "uncanny"?

superman IS more powerful than a locomotive, and faster than a speeding bullet. the sentry isnt even more powerful than ONE exploding sun, nevermind a million. if he was, when he unleashed ALL of his energy like he did in WWH then the earth would have been destroyed...instead a handful of building were destroyed. weak.

then again, the tag line does FIT the sentry. he is all hype and then ultimately a let down. like the article said, WWH and civil war built the guy up to epic proportions and then of course he was a huge let down. unable to get either job done. at least when supes is built up as the one person who can save everyone he delivers.

[Lord S]

Not a huge fan of Sentry, but I sure don't consider him to be the most poorly written character of all time...certainly not as poorly written as that article.

I understood from the get-go that the 'power of a million exploding suns' bit was merely a figurative statement. It holds about as much credibility as Apocalypse and his power to 'grant himself any power he chooses'.

[Dr.J.]

I dont mind if well researched. a new story set in the early days of the marvel universe,but, I do wish that the sentry hadnt had been slide into the marvel u from the beginning. Hes just not in the same class of their 1960s characters,or creaters.He needs to be greatly de powered,or killed off.Thor filled the role of marvels superman,and filled it well. The sentry is no thor.Just a one diminsional character.

[Guest_1001]

superman IS more powerful than a locomotive, and faster than a speeding bullet.

And I mentioned Superman . . . where?

the sentry isnt even more powerful than ONE exploding sun, nevermind a million. if he was, when he unleashed ALL of his energy like he did in WWH then the earth would have been destroyed...instead a handful of building were destroyed. weak.

Two points:
1) You clearly didn't read my post and therefore missed the context of the "million exploding suns" line.
2) In which case, you've just proven my point; fanboys like yourself (who make threads linking to badly-written blogs that they probably wrote) misunderstand the tagline.

I'm pretty much through listening to the whinings of fanboys who claim Sentry is overpowered while his powers have never even been stated in a book.

[zeromage]

And I mentioned Superman . . . where?



Two points:
1) You clearly didn't read my post and therefore missed the context of the "million exploding suns" line.
2) In which case, you've just proven my point; fanboys like yourself (who make threads linking to badly-written blogs that they probably wrote) misunderstand the tagline.

I'm pretty much through listening to the whinings of fanboys who claim Sentry is overpowered while his powers have never even been stated in a book.

i dont believe they ever said YOU SAID anything about superman. you seem like you're the fanboy.

and how have his powers never been stated? have u ever READ a comic book? talk about ignorant.

[Lord S]

i dont believe they ever said YOU SAID anything about superman. you seem like you're the fanboy.

and how have his powers never been stated? have u ever READ a comic book? talk about ignorant.

Now now, no need to be rude!

I recall one instance of his powers being referred to as 'a million exploding suns', which was at the end of WWH when he went all-out against the Hulk. It sounded to me like a tongue-in-cheek remark. But his power has never demonstrated on-panel as being such.

[Guest_1001]

i dont believe they ever said YOU SAID anything about superman. you seem like you're the fanboy.

and how have his powers never been stated? have u ever READ a comic book? talk about ignorant.

Lol, you say I seem like a fanboy then follow up with "have u ever READ a comic book?" :rolleyes: What's that saying about a pot and kettle?

[Expletive Deleted]

Talk about comics, not each other.

Thanks.