Sentinel (comics)

Sentinels
Three large purple and gray robots, with lights on their chests and their fingertips
The Sentinels.
Art by Alex Ross.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe X-Men #14 (November 1965)
Created byStan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
Base(s)Sentinel Headquarters, New York
Member(s)Nimrod
Master Mold
Bastion
Prime Sentinels
Wild Sentinels

The Sentinels are a group of mutant-hunting robots appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They first appeared in The X-Men #14 (November 1965), written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby. The original Sentinels were created by Bolivar Trask, and 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 a number of X-Men video games. The Sentinels are featured prominently in the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past, and made brief appearances in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand and the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse. In 2009, the Sentinels were ranked by IGN as the 38th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Publication history

The Sentinels' debut in The X-Men #14 (November 1965). Art by Jack Kirby.

The Sentinels first appeared in The X-Men #14 (November 1965), and were created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby.

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 and is capable of flight, projecting energy blasts, and detecting mutants.

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 Sentinels can 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.

Types of Sentinels

Evolution of the Sentinel. Art by Ardian Syaf.
The X-Men battle Sentinels in X-Men: Schism #1 (July 2011). Art by Carlos Pacheco and Cam Smith.

In other media

Television

Film

The Sentinels as they appear in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014); the Mark I model in 1973 (left) and the Mark X model in 2023 (right)

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.

References

  1. ↑ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ↑ "The Top 100 Comic Book Villains". IGN. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 318. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  4. ↑ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  5. ↑ Astonishing X-Men (vol. 3) #31 (December 2009)
  6. ↑ Astonishing X-Men (vol. 3) #32 (January 2010)
  7. ↑ Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #1 (December 2014)
  8. ↑ Powers of X #2 (October 2019)
  9. ↑ X-Men (vol. 6) #22 (July 2023)
  10. ↑ The Invincible Iron Man (vol. 5) #5 (June 2023)
  11. 1 2 Dodge, John (January 12, 2025). "Marvel Turns a Long-Lost Superhero Into the Source of the Next Mutant Tragedy". CBR. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ Dodge, John (January 30, 2025). "Marvel's Killer New Sentinels Already Killed an Uncanny New Mutant". CBR. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ Mystique #3-6 (August - November 2003)
  14. ↑ Secret Avengers #25 (June 2012)
  15. ↑ New X-Men #123 (April 2002)
  16. ↑ X-Men Red #5 (August 2018)
  17. ↑ Weapon X (vol. 3) #1 (June 2017)
  18. ↑ Uncanny X-Men (vol. 4) #15 (January 2017)
  19. ↑ Alpha Flight (vol. 5) #1 (October 2023)
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Sentinel Voices (X-Men)". behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  21. ↑ Schwartz, Terri (January 16, 2017). "Legion: X-Men Producer on How Professor X Fits In and Future TV Plans". IGN. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  22. ↑ Romano, Nick (February 15, 2024). "'X-Men '97' exclusive look reveals legacy costumes, Theo James casting". EW.com. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  23. ↑ CS (1 February 2013). "Mark Millar Talks X-Men: Days of Future Past and Kick-Ass 3". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  24. 1 2 Failes, Ian (May 27, 2014). "Future threat – X-Men: Days of Future Past". Fxguide. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  25. ↑ Sentinels: For a Secure Future. X-Men: Days of Future Past Blu-ray: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 2014.
  26. 1 2 Sentinels: For a Secure Future (Featurette). X-Men: Days of Future Past Blu-ray: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 2014.
  27. ↑ Stephan, Katcy (July 26, 2024). "45 'Deadpool & Wolverine' Cameos and Easter Eggs From the X-Men, MCU and Beyond". Variety. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  28. ↑ Moreau, Jordan (July 25, 2026). "'Avengers: Doomsday' Trailer Rocks Comic-Con: Doctor Doom Raises Army of Sentinels to Take Down Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men". Variety. Archived from the original on July 27, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  29. ↑ Joe Moore [@JoeMooreDesign] (July 19, 2013). "Sentinels in #LEGO #Marvel Super Heroes! @arthur_parsons just said so! ^_^" (Tweet). Retrieved November 5, 2017 – via Twitter.
  30. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (May 23, 2019). "X-Men get some love in the new Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 trailer". Polygon.
  31. ↑ Notis, Ari (March 3, 2023). "When does Marvel Snap's March 2023 season 'Days of Future Past' launch?". Polygon. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  32. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (September 24, 2025). "Sony's PS5 Exclusive Wolverine Game Finally Gets Gameplay Reveal at State of Play 2025". IGN. Retrieved April 26, 2026.