Contains Spoilers for Sentinels (2024) #4!TheX-Men’smost recent villain team, the new mutant-hunting Sentinels, have a dark secret that even they didn’t know until now, and it includes a connection to a classic hero that no one ever thought would return.Sentinels’story has turned one of the most wholesome Marvel characters of yesteryear into a twisted horrorshow, but there may still be hope for him yet.
Sentinels#4 – written by Alex Paknadel, with art by Justin Mason – has revealed the secret hero being exploited to create this new team of villains, Justin Seyfert, protagonist of the original 2000sSentinelcomic.
The current series has hinted that the tech poweringthe titular team of villainous, albeit exploited, cyborgshas another origin besides its supposed inventor, Larry Trask. Issue #4 reveals thatthe entire program was derived from Justin Seyfert, turned into a cyborg by the base programming of his ‘pet’ Sentinel, which kept him alive after death.
The X-Franchise’s New Team Of Sentinels Are Using Tech Developed From The Original Heroic Sentinel
Sentinels #4 – Written By Alex Paknadel; Art By Justin Mason; Color By Federico Blee; Lettering By Travis Lanham
Justin first appears in 2003’sSentinel, which at the time of its release was one of the most successful titles from Marvel’s ‘Tsunami’ line, a manga-inspired line of books. Justin was a young robotics genius who reprogrammed a mutant-hunting Sentinel into becoming his friend and used it to have superhero adventures. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive far beyond the 2000s, becoming one of themany young casualties ofAvengers Arena, the brutal series;now Marvel has brought the character back, but his current reality is bleak.
Readers are likely most familiar withMarvel: Tsunamifrom its most popular book, the originalRunaways.
In a dark twist,Sentinels#4 reveals that death wasn’t the end for Justin. Instead, his Sentinel brought him back to ‘life’, turning him into an undead cyborg,who Larry Trask could exploitto his heart’s content.Sentinelshas also been concerned with ‘grafting’, a process in which team members become unstable and are taken over by their cyborg enhancements, seemingly losing any humanity. What this issue reveals is that grafting actually gives them an awareness of Justin Seyfort’s role in their creation, on top of further changing them after an apparent death.
Longtime X-Men Fans Can Only Hope There Is Still Time To Save Fan-Favorite Sentinel Protagonist Justin Seyfert
Sentinel– Written By Sean McKeever; Art By Scott Hepburn, Joe Vriens, & Eric Vedder; Color By Udon; Lettering By Corey Petit
The question posed bySentinels#4 is whether Justin can return as an actual living character.The new Sentinel charactersmanaged to survive their enhancement, but they were alive when it happened to them. Without any more evidence,it’s hard to say whether Justin’s just a cool pull for fans of 2000s Marvel Comics, or whether he’s actually got a future ahead of himnow that he’s back in a modern story. With the titular Sentinels beginning to discover that there’s more to their ‘enhancements’ than appears, it might be time for this oft-forgottenX-Menhero to return properly.
Marvel’s New “Sentinels” Series Reveals the Terrible Price of Superhero Crossover Events
According to author Alex Paknadel, the cast of the new “Sentinels” series bear the scars of some of Marvel’s most iconic superhero crossover events.
Sentinels#4is available now from Marvel Comics.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
