SPOILER WARNING for King in Black #5!
Marvel’s King in Black event has come to an end and the first hero to fall in Knull’s invasion has been avenged in the best possible way. At the very beginning of his invasion of Earth, the God of Symbiotes is met with strong opposition from a large team of heroes, including Robert Reynolds, AKA the Sentry. The Avengers believe that Reynolds will have no problem taking down the menacing threat, as he’s shown immense levels of power throughout his history. Sadly, Knull proves them wrong by taking control of the Void, an evil being that exists within the Sentry, before ripping the hero in half.
While shocking, the Sentry’s death also serves as a form of payback for when the hero tore the King in Black’s underling, Carnage, apart in New Avengers #2 by Brian Michael Bendis, David Finch, Danny Miki, and Frank D’Armata. Strangely enough, Carnage isn’t even the only character to suffer this fate at the hands of the Sentry, as the hero ripped Ares, the God of War, in half as well. Though this violent move seems to be one of his go-to attacks, the finale to King in Black shows another one of the Sentry’s favorite tricks in use, but this time, Knull is the one on the receiving end.
Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, and Jason Keith’s King in Black #5 features a climactic final battle, as Earth’s heroes come together to defeat Knull for good. Leading the charge is Eddie Brock, AKA Venom, who, after being killed by the dark god, is resurrected by the Enigma Force, giving him a massive power boost. Reunited with the Venom symbiote and wielding a weapon created from the Silver Surfer’s board and Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, Eddie delivers a devastating beatdown on the King in Black, who can do nothing but take his punishment. After stripping the evil god of his power, Venom carries Knull out into space and drags him toward the sun. The monster screams as the overwhelming heat reduces him to ash and the victorious Venom flies back down to Earth before taking over as the new King in Black.
Knull’s demise serves as one final homage to the Sentry, as he was well known for throwing some of his enemies into the sun. Over the years, this became one of the hero’s favorite methods for vanquishing his opponents and it even became a running gag in Bendis’ Mighty Avengers and Dark Avengers series. Having Venom use the Sentry’s go-to move to kill the villain that put him down is an incredibly poetic victory and it even acts as a sign that the Sentry may have been able to defeat Knull on his own if not for the evil god’s control over the Void.
Unfortunately, it would seem that this event is the one to really put the Sentry down for good. Even after his death in the first issue, his corpse was dragged around and almost blown up in the King in Black: Thunderbolts tie-in, while his soul passed on to the afterlife in King in Black: Return of the Valkyries. Still, being a Marvel hero means that there’s a decent chance that Robert Reynolds could return at some point. It may take a while for him to recover from the King in Black’s invasion, but the Sentry may someday get back to hurling villains toward the sun. King in Black #5 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores and online.