Thunderbolts* was almost quite a different movie. Bob was originally meant to be played by Invincible star Steven Yeun, but Marvel fans are full of praise for his replacement Lewis Pullman’s performance in the movie.
Yeun dropped out of Thunderbolts* in early 2024 due to scheduling conflicts after the movie’s release was delayed due to the Hollywood writers’ strike. Pullman replaced him as Bob, who has an all-powerful alter-ego known as Sentry (and a dangerous dark side known as the Void), soon after. The character is key for bringing the titular group together, and now fans can’t imagine anyone else playing the role.
“Steven Yeun, I love you man but Lewis Pullman as Sentry was a revelation and I’m glad we got him instead,” wrote one fan on Reddit.
“I just kept thinking that I would have enjoyed Yeun but holy fuck Pullman totally took that thing to an incredible level,” someone else replied.
“Pullman was just absolutely perfect casting for the role,” agreed another. “Yeun is a great actor, would’ve brought his own style to the character and I’m sure been great, but I can’t picture anyone but Pullman playing Sentry now.”
“Kept thinking about how the movie wouldn’t have worked if Bob wasn’t played so well,” echoed someone else. “He had me wanting to cry at a few points and I just wanted to give him a hug.”
“I don’t know that there’s ever been such a win before, where a production delay accidentally resulted in superior casting via replacement,” another fan wrote. “Yeun is a mighty fine actor, but I can’t imagine him delivering anything near the same performance. Part of what made it work so well is that Pullman looks young and childlike, which is how the script frames Bob. Yeun is no old man, but he’s also not passing as late 20s.”
Sentry’s powers make him a potentially game-changing figure for the MCU, and Pullman is “so excited” for what the future might hold for his character. “I had to kind of prepare myself for the possibility that this might just be a kind of one-and-done situation,” he told GamesRadar+. “It’s kind of like breaking open a whole new room, and being like, oh my god, [my] house is actually bigger, and now I get to figure out what I do with that space.”
Thunderbolts* is out now. For more on the movie, check out our Thunderbolts review and our guide to the Thunderbolts post-credits scenes.
