Sentinel (comics) explained

Sentinels
Publisher:Marvel Comics
Debut:The X-Men #14 (Nov. 1965)[1]
Creators:Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Members:Sentinel Squad O*N*E
Nimrod
Master Mold
Bastion
Prime Sentinels
Wild Sentinels
Base:Sentinel Headquarters, New York

The Sentinels are a group of mutant-hunting robots appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are typically depicted as antagonists to the X-Men.

The Sentinels played a large role in several X-Men animated series, and have been featured in several X-Men video games. The Sentinels are featured prominently in the 2014 film , and made brief appearances in the 2006 film and the 2016 film . In 2009, The Sentinels were ranked in IGN as the 38th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.[2]

Publication history

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 (Nov. 1965).[3]

Sentinels are programmed to locate mutants and capture or kill them. Though several types of Sentinels have been introduced, the typical Sentinel is three stories tall, is capable of flight, projects energy blasts, and can detect mutants.[4] Pursuing genocide as the means of dealing with a threat has made the Sentinels an analogy for racial hatred and other negative types of fanaticism in Marvel stories,[5] represent the horrific consequences of humanity's actions based on hate and ignorance, along with a caution of the risks of AI takeover.

Characteristics

Sentinels are designed to hunt mutants. While many are capable of tactical thought, only a handful are self-aware.

Sentinels are technologically advanced, and have exhibited a wide variety of abilities. They are armed (primarily with energy weapons and restraining devices), capable of flight, and can detect mutants at long range. They possess vast physical strength, and their bodies are highly resistant to damage. Some are able to alter their physical forms or re-assemble and reactivate themselves after they have been destroyed.

Some Sentinel variants have the ability to learn from their experiences, developing their defenses during an engagement. Several groups of Sentinels have been created or led by a single massive Sentinel called Master Mold. Some Sentinels are also equipped with an inconspicuous logic loop in case they should go rogue to convince them that they are mutants.

Because of their power, sophistication, and high mass production, Sentinels are sold on the black market.[6] Entities obtain them—often in poor condition—for their own purposes (not necessarily mutant-related).[7] [8]

During the "Iron Man 2020" event, a Sentinel appears as a member of the A.I. Army.[9]

Types of Sentinels

There are different types of Sentinels that appear in the comics:

Related mutant-hunting creations

Other versions

The following are alternative versions of the Sentinels, which appear outside of regular Marvel canon.

Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse timeline, Bolivar Trask created the Sentinels with his wife Moira. These Sentinels are equipped with several body-mounted gun turrets, and their primary directive is to protect humans rather than to hunt mutants. They are capable of cooperating with mutants to further this mission.[33] Later, the Sentinels are adapted by Weapon Omega to serve a reverse purpose, and now aid in the hunting of the human race.[34]

Days of Future Past

In the Days of Future Past timeline, which takes place in an alternate future, the "Omega Sentinels" have advanced technologically and become the de facto rulers of the United States. The most powerful among them is Nimrod.

Hembeck

In the joke comic Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe, the X-Men are killed by silent, black, man-sized "Ninja Sentinels".

Here Comes Tomorrow

In the Here Comes Tomorrow future timeline, a Sentinel named Rover is Tom Skylark's companion and protector. After more than 150 years of being active, Rover has become self-aware and, possibly, capable of emotion.

House of M

In the House of M storyline, Magneto is victorious in a mutant/human war. The Sentinels are adapted by Sebastian Shaw, now the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., to serve a reverse purpose, and now aid in the hunting of sapien rebels.

MC2

In the MC2 timeline, Wild Thing encounters a Prime Sentinel that has accidentally been activated by a faulty microwave.

Ronin

In the alternate reality of X-Men: Ronin, the story is played out in Japan. A police unit called "Sentinel Force" designs, builds and pilots the robots. These are aesthetically similar to regular Sentinels, but each is subtly different from the others.

Star Trek

In the comic crossover X-Men/Star Trek: Second Contact, the X-Men work with the crew of the Enterprise-E to battle Kang the Conqueror. An away team composed of Captain Picard, Deanna Troi, Nightcrawler and Colossus encounter an approximation of the "Days of Future Past" timeline, in which the Sentinels have merged with the Borg.

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel version of Sentinels were created by Bolivar Trask, were already in action in the Ultimate X-Men story arc, hunting down and killing mutants on the streets, in a program apparently openly and publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government. Later on, there were also the New Sentinels that were sixty of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents in Sentinel battle armor and they were described to have enough hardware to take on a fleet of the old Sentinel models. A new breed of Sentinel robots, created by Trask under the Fenris twins' orders, was later created. After the events of the Ultimatum Wave, Nimrod Sentinels was deployed to hunt, capture or kill mutants that refused to turn themselves in. William Stryker, Jr., using Sentinel tech, later displayed an ability to summon a fleet of Sentinels after being attacked by the Shroud.[35]

What If?

In other media

Television

Film

See main article: article and X-Men (film series).

Video games

Merchandise

Music

In 2020, Brooklyn rapper Magneto Dayo unveiled "The Sentinels", a project that gained viral traction on Instagram reels in 2024, amassing over 5 million plays.

Miscellaneous

A parody of a Sentinel called the "Sentinent" appears in MAD Magazine for a parody of the X-Men, the "ECH!-Men".

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Misiroglu . Gina Renée . Eury . Michael . The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood . 2006 . Visible Ink Press . 9780780809772 . en.
  2. Web site: The Top 100 Comic Book Villains. IGN. 4 November 2017. en.
  3. Book: DeFalco . Tom . Sanderson . Peter . Brevoort . Tom . Teitelbaum . Michael . Wallace . Daniel . Darling . Andrew . Forbeck . Matt . Cowsill . Alan . Bray . Adam . The Marvel Encyclopedia . 2019 . DK Publishing . 978-1-4654-7890-0 . 318.
  4. Book: Brevoort . Tom . DeFalco . Tom . Manning . Matthew K. . Sanderson . Peter . Wiacek . Win . Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History . 2017 . DK Publishing . 978-1465455505 . 110.
  5. Book: Wells . John . American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969 . 2014 . TwoMorrows Publishing . 978-1605490557 . 45.
  6. M.O.D.O.K.: Head Cases #2. Marvel Comics.
  7. X-Men (vol. 3) #19-22. Marvel Comics.
  8. Avengers: The Children's Crusade #9 (May 2012). Marvel Comics.
  9. Iron Man 2020 vol. 2 #1. Marvel Comics.
  10. The Avengers #102-104. Marvel Comics.
  11. House of X #3. Marvel Comics.
  12. Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #9-10. Marvel Comics.
  13. New Mutants: Dead Souls #6. Marvel Comics.
  14. Uncanny X-Men vol. 5 #19. Marvel Comics.
  15. Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #31. Marvel Comics.
  16. Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #32. Marvel Comics.
  17. Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #1. Marvel Comics.
  18. Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #3. Marvel Comics.
  19. Powers of X #2. Marvel Comics.
  20. X-Men (2022) #22
  21. Invincible Iron Man (Vol. 5) #5
  22. Mystique #3-6. Marvel Comics.
  23. Cable and Machine Man Annual 1998
  24. Machine Man & Bastion Annual 1998 #3
  25. X-51 #1-2 (1999). Marvel Comics.
  26. Secret Avengers #26
  27. New X-Men #123
  28. X-Men: Red #5
  29. The Uncanny X-Men #500. Marvel Comics.
  30. Weapon X vol. 3 #1. Marvel Comics.
  31. The Uncanny X-Men vol. 4 #15. Marvel Comics.
  32. Alpha Flight vol. 5 #1. Marvel Comics.
  33. Amazing X-Men #2. Marvel Comics.
  34. Uncanny X-Force #11. Marvel Comics.
  35. Ultimate Comics: X-Men #3-4
  36. What If? vol. 2 #92
  37. What If? vol. 2 #114. Marvel Comics.
  38. What If? vol. 2 #94. Marvel Comics.
  39. Web site: Sentinel Voice (X-Men). behindthevoiceactors.com. December 19, 2019. . A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information..
  40. Web site: Schwartz. Terri. Legion: X-Men Producer on How Professor X Fits In and Future TV Plans. IGN. 5 November 2017. 16 January 2017.
  41. Web site: Romano . Nick . 'X-Men '97' exclusive look reveals legacy costumes, Theo James casting . February 15, 2024 . EW.com . en.
  42. News: Andrew Kevin . Walker . Andrew Kevin Walker . X-Men First Draft . Daily Scripts . July 13, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190726144619/http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/x-men_walker3.html . July 26, 2019 . June 7, 1994 . live.
  43. Web site: Kendall . Gene . 15 Rejected X-Men Movie Ideas That Almost Happened . . Valnet Inc. . July 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190726150301/https://www.cbr.com/x-men-movie-moments-that-almost-happened/ . July 26, 2019 . March 10, 2017 . live.
  44. Web site: CS. Mark Millar Talks X-Men: Days of Future Past and Kick-Ass 3. ComingSoon.net. 5 November 2017. 1 February 2013. 4 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130204000351/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=99760. dead.
  45. Web site: Future threat – X-Men: Days of Future Past. Fxguide. Ian. Failes. May 27, 2014. October 16, 2014.
  46. Sentinels: For a Secure Future. X-Men: Days of Future Past Blu-ray. 2014. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  47. Sentinels: For a Secure Future. X-Men: Days of Future Past Blu-ray. 2014. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Featurette.
  48. Web site: Future threat – X-Men: Days of Future Past. Fxguide. Ian. Failes. May 27, 2014. October 16, 2014.
  49. Sentinels: For a Secure Future. X-Men: Days of Future Past Blu-ray. 2014. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Featurette.
  50. JoeMooreDesign. Joe Moore. 358357245752385536. 19 July 2013. Sentinels in #LEGO #Marvel Super Heroes! @arthur_parsons just said so! ^_^. 5 November 2017.
  51. https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/23/18637577/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-xmen-trailer-nintendo-switch no info
  52. Web site: X-Men get some love in the new Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 trailer. Polygon. 2019-05-23.