You are the world's greatest hero, and you are a beacon of strength and determination that many other heroes and everyday people flock to. You are the Sentry. Your archenemy is aptly named "The Void," but the crux of your adversarial relationship rests within your being. This is The Sentry at his simplest-a man that tries to prove himself time and again as a paragon of heroics, while his dark half, The Void, seeks to destroy all that the "good" half accomplishes. Robert Reynolds/The Sentry is a perfect example of dualism: " the idea is that, for some particular domain, there are two fundamental kinds or categories of things or principles. In theology, for example a ‘dualist’ is someone who believes that Good and Evil — or God and the Devil — are independent and more or less equal forces in the world." http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dualism/ The Sentry's dual personalities define his character, and it is no coincidence that this character is at odds with his identity as he is literally composed of two different beings sharing one body and mind.
The Sentry: http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20051104052057/marveldatabase/images/1/12/SENTRY001_cova.jpg
The Void: http://images.wikia.com/marveldatabase/images/d/d1/Void.gif
As explored above, The Sentry is a man that is at odds with his personalities, each of which are equally constructive and destructive. Though The Sentry's idealism and good intentions oftentimes have a profound effect on his surroundings and communities, eventually his dark half, The Void, arrives to undo what has been accomplished. This is most evident when Robert is discussing his psychology to Norman Osborn, his mentor and confidant: "The Void is in me. He's watching me. He's watching us now. And---and anything I do, anything I do...he does something to balance it. If I save a plane from crashing, he sinks a boat. I save the world. He endangers it" (Bendis, Dark Avengers, 58). The Sentry is constantly at odds with himself, seeking to keep his dark side at bay. No matter how much good Bob does, his shadow creates more havoc as a result. This falls in line with the definition directly as: "good and evil are independent and more or less equal forces in the world". The Sentry is truly a dualistic character. Osborn reflects on this strongly too as he mentions to Robert:
"Would you like to be an Avenger? The hero you are? Today? Now? Now? No. Now we're going to shower and shave and eat and sleep. Not because you have to, because you want to. Because they make you feel good and human. They make you feel like "Bob" and if you feel like Bob, you are Bob. And when you deny yourself your humanity, you create something else. You create a... Void. Exactly. Oh my God. You're right. You're...You're right" (Bendis, DA, 61-62).
The ability for Bob to hold two distinct personalities within the same body and mind takes its toll on his human identity, to the point where he no longer eats or sleeps regularly due to the constant reminder of his duality. The ability for Osborn to pinpoint this key aspect of Robert's personality later proves to be his undoing.
The notion of Robert's dualism is further explored later in the volume as he comes to terms with his mental illness and the possibility that The Sentry can defeat his darker, evil side. The internal struggle comes to a head when Robert's wife, Lindy, realizes that her husband has become far too powerful and is a very real threat. The Void takes complete control of The Sentry and explains his disdain for Robert's "pathetic" wife, the character's dualism is on full display:
"He told you his deepest, darkest secrets. You see me as the enemy. You're the enemy! You're the betrayer. You made a promise, Lindy, you're a liar. Please just let me go. Just kill me. Only because you were polite enough to beg me. No! You promised! We had a deal! Not her! You don't touch her. That was then. She asked me to. She flat out begged... No! You don't touch her. I think we can all agree at this point that your life will be much easier without her. NO! She's only made it more complicated. NO!! SHE DOESN'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!!!! YOU DON'T TOUCH HER" (Bendis, DA 281-282)!!! The character is literally at odds with himself, the violent and murderous aspects of The Void manifest themselves in dark, shadowy protrusions on Robert's body, while the heroic and forthright aspects of the character manifest in his blue eyes and light blond hair. Even in the art depicting this character, the dualism is fully on display. Both The Sentry and The Void are equal parts constructive, superheroic behavior, and murderous, nihilistic intent.
Finally, the internal struggle begins to buckle as The Sentry gives way to The Void, when Osborn loses his leash on Robert. Osborn's hubris proves to be his undoing, and this is the final straw to break Robert's hold on The Void. This is terrifyingly expressed by Osborn as he's fallen in battle: "You're dead. You're all dead. He's going kill you all. I was the only one who could stop him. I was the only one who knew what he really was. How---How powerful he was. I was saving you all from him. I was saving you" (Bendis, Siege, 115). The fully realized power of The Void manifests itself into an otherworldly demon, capable of keeping all the heroes at bay. The human, kind and heroic aspect of Robert Reynolds becomes the nihilistic, violent and determined Void as soon as Robert loses control. The dualistic struggle between these two halves define who and what The Sentry is, and as soon as the heroic and virtuous nature of Robert's human side disappears, the violent Void takes control, nearly killing all in his wake.
The Sentry is equal parts psychological study as he is compelling comic book character, but the most intriguing part of his personality comes down to his dualism. The appeal of The Sentry is this characteristic, as over the course of this character's life and death in the short span of 7 (real life years) in comics, we as readers being to see what makes Robert tick, and the consequences of losing your internal struggle for control over your being. Truly equal parts good and evil, God and Devil, Hero and Villain, The Sentry/The Void embodies the nature of dualism in a creative, tragic and thoroughly entertaining manner. The Sentry and The Void are a perfect, contemporary example of Dualism in the comic book form.
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