In the final issue of King in Black: Thunderbolts, the creepiest member of the team has an even creepier relationship with a dead body.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for King in Black: Thunderbolts #3 by Matthew Rosenberg, Juan Ferreyra, and VC’s Joe Sabino, on sale now.
The Thunderbolts have never been what anyone would consider a typical super team. The most recent lineup, brought together by the events of King in Black, have so far followed the precedent already set for them by being a mashup of some of the worst and weirdest villains in the Marvel Universe. That doesn’t mean they aren’t able to shake things up a bit, though, and one of them has done just that by adopting his own horrific sidekick.
The Thunderbolts’ plan to take down Knull is not the best idea anyone has ever had. After hunting down the pieces of and putting back together the corpse of the Sentry, the team has headed into Manhattan towards Knull’s stronghold. With the latent energy still inside of the Sentry’s body, they’re hoping to use him as a bomb to strike one final blow against the dark god of the symbiotes. Of course, not all of them are particularly enthused with the idea, but one Thunderbolt, in particular, takes a liking to their new, deceased teammate. Mister Fear, who has already shown a great admiration for the Sentry, is tasked with getting the former hero’s body back in one piece, and he does so without complaint.
Lawrence Cranston, aka Mister Fear, has been an odd character since his very first appearance back in 1972’s Daredevil #88 by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan. While he wouldn’t reveal himself as a villain until a couple of issues later, his obsessive nature was apparent from the very start, originally focused solely on taking down Matt Murdock as revenge for beating him in a mock trial when the two attended law school together.
Now it seems that his attention has been diverted to a new, more deceased hero. The Sentry’s corpse was intended to be used as a weapon, but in a last second decision the team called off their attack. While this prevented them from ending their own lives, it also left them still in possession of the remains of the most powerful Avenger of all time, and Mister Fear has gotten unnervingly attached to him.
Mister Fear growing so close to the Sentry’s dead body makes for a great comedic effect, especially when posing with the rest of the team for the final panel of the issue. It also creates some interesting problems for the classic villain that could become part of his reality very soon.
Not only has author Donny Cates made it clear that fans haven’t seen the last of the golden Avenger, but even in his death the Sentry is battling Knull in incredible ways. While his spirit is endlessly fighting the inhabitants of Knowhere, the Valkyries are working to free him and put an end to the horror that has come of the long dead Celestial. Assuming that the Sentry is slated to make a return in the near future, Mister Fear might have to find another cape to covet.
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