AUTHOR’S NOTE: This arc takes place before the events of The Thing #12 and Avengers #47

The Sentry!
He’s the Golden Guardian of Good!

The Sentry!
A hero to defend your neighborhoods!

The Sentry!
Criminals, supervillains, and ne’er-do-wells know fear!

The Sentry!
When they see the Golden Guardian flies near!

The Sentry!
He has the power of a million exploding suns!

The Sentry!
His quest for justice will never be done!

Face front, true believers! Smilin’ Stan “The Man” Lee is here to bring you another stunning adventure of Marvel’s #1 superhero, the Sentry!

Our tale begins as The Golden Guardian of Good flies over the magnificent city of New York, accompanied as always by his trusty sidekick, the Scout!

“Gee, Sentry!” said Scout with his usual level of pep. “Is there anything better than soaring through the skies like this?!”

The Sentry gave a chuckle and a smile to his young partner. “If there is, old chum, I certainly don’t know! Thanks to the serum I drank as a young college student which gave me the power of a million exploding suns, we have the power to not only fight crime, but also enjoy the power of flight!”

Worry not, adventure fans! This is more than just a leisurely soar through the clouds! Because today is the day that the Sentry faces his greatest challenge yet!

“Sentry, look!” shouted Scout, coming to a stop in midair. He pointed off into the distance. “The Empire State Building—it’s all black!”

“More than that, old friend!” said the Sentry, stopping as well and scanning ahead with his superhuman vision. “It’s not just black, but it’s sucking in every molecule of light!”

“Golly, you’re right! It’s supposed to be noon, but the sky around the building looks like it’s midnight!”

“This can only be the work of one man!” The Sentry’s eyes narrowed. “My arch-nemesis, the Void, has returned! Come, Scout! Let’s end his reign of terror once and for all!”

“You bet, Sentry!”

With a streak of golden light, the Terrific Two blast off towards one of New York’s famed landmarks to face the terrible threat of the most dastardly villain of all!

The Sentry flew to the top of the Empire State Building, where a man stood perched, completely in black and wearing a fedora, tendrils snaking around his body.

“Void! I don’t know how you escaped from prison this time, but I’ll forge the bars of your new cell myself!” shouted the Sentry.

“Oh Robert, Robert, Robert. What is with these delusions?” asked the Void.

“What—?!” asked the Sentry. “How do you know my secret identity?!”

“Oh spare me the Saturday morning cartoon dialogue, you fucking nutcase.”

Scout gasped. “Sentry, did you hear what he said?! He can’t use language like that! It’s not approved by the Comics Code Authority!”

“The—what?” asked the Sentry.

“I think we’ve all had enough of this nonsense.”

The Void extended his arms out to the sides and darkness flowed from his body, rolling over everything and completely engulfing Scout.

“Scout!” shouted the Sentry.

Scout changed, his body growing larger. Now he was dressed all in leather, complete with massive shoulder pads and a large belt lined with pouches. In place of his blue mask was a pair of sunglasses with pointed edges. He reached behind his back and drew a comically large gun, hefting it in both hands and pointing it right at his mentor.

“@%&#*$ $!&(*%! $&#*!$!!! I’m so !%^@ sick of you, you old @#$%! I’m the &^@# hero for the new $%^&*@ generation an’ I’m gonna take you the $@#% out!”

Scout fired the large gun and a stream of golden energy shot from the barrel, blowing the Sentry right out of the sky. The power sent him flying to Times Square, where he crashed down, creating a massive crater.

The Sentry climbed out and looked around. What he saw absolutely shocked him.

All of Times Square looked like it had been hit by a nuclear bomb. Buildings were devastated, cars completely mangled, and he saw the charred bodies of people all over. The sky was dark and the stench of death lingered so strong that it overwhelmed the Sentry’s superhuman senses.

“My god…” he muttered, covering his mouth. “What have you done, you monster?”

“Me?” asked the Void, rising up from the ground. “I didn’t do a damn thing, Bob. This was all you.”

The Void walked over to the Sentry and grabbed hold of his chin. He stared into the Sentry’s eyes and as the Sentry looked back, he saw something deep within the darkness.

“When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you.”

The Sentry’s eyes widened. Deep in the darkness, he saw a spark of light. Something spinning…

GODWHEEL

Part I

By Dino Pollard

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Kyle Richmond felt whole again for the first time in a good long while. He was human again, the effects of Mephisto’s influence on him apparently now completely gone. And he was back in his familiar blue and yellow costume, the mechanical red wings strapped to his back and his flight harness guiding him to Greenwich Village and the familiar home of the Sorcerer Supreme.

“Wong!” he shouted out as he descended and landed in front of the home, where Doctor Strange’s loyal aide was busy sweeping the front steps.

“Mr. Richmond?” asked Wong, blinking as he looked at the man who stood before him. “You’re—”

“Human? Yup, and happy for it!” said Nighthawk with a smile. “Seems now that we stopped Zadkiel and Kurios, Mephisto’s influence on me is completely gone.”

“Completely?” asked Wong.

“Well, at least that’s how it looks,” said Nighthawk. “That’s actually why I’m here. I was hoping the Doc could give me a mystic check-up.”

“Come on in.” Wong gave a beckon of his hand and led the way inside.

Just past the foyer, Nighthawk heard voices coming from the living room. He pulled his mask off and Wong gestured for him to go on inside.

“You can wait with the others. I’ll go find Stephen.”

“Thanks, Wong.”

Kyle went into the living room and saw the other remaining members of the Defenders—Valkyrie, Devil-Slayer, and Starlight. It was somewhat surprising to see how quickly their numbers had swelled and then dropped right back down again. But that had always been the case with the Defenders.

Val and Eric were sitting on the couch and watching a martial arts movie. Tania was seated in a large chair, but had her nose buried in a book and paid no attention.

“This style of fighting doesn’t seem conductive to battle,” said Val. “It looks more like a dance.”

“For the last time, it’s just a movie, Val…” groaned Eric.

“But shouldn’t it convey the realities of combat?” asked Val.

Eric sighed when he noticed Kyle walk in. “Hey, look who’s no longer demonic.”

“Hey guys,” said Kyle. “So…just us now?”

“I had hoped Isaac would remain, but he seemed content with returning to Daimon’s home,” said Val. “And Patsy was anxious to return to her own life.”

“Blaze hit the road almost as soon as the dust settled and nobody expected Satana or Jaine to stick around,” said Eric.

“What about…” Kyle didn’t speak the name but just pointed at the ceiling. They all knew that he meant the Sentry. During the battle with Zadkiel, he’d suddenly re-emerged. But almost as soon as the battle was over, he’d passed out once more.

“He’s still unconscious,” said Tania. “Stephen isn’t certain what it means, but he’s been keeping a vigil over Robert ever since.”

“Sounds like my ears are burning.”

Kyle turned around to see Stephen Strange himself. The hero called Nighthawk offered his hand.

“It’s good to see you again, Kyle,” said Stephen, accepting the handshake.

“I wish I could say the same,” said Kyle. “You okay, Doc? You look exhausted.”

Stephen rubbed his eyes. “I’ve tried any number of spells to uncover just what is wrong with the Sentry. But I haven’t managed to learn anything.”

“Damn…that…” Kyle felt awkward. He’d come to ask if Strange could determine whether his return to humanity was permanent or just temporary. Now he thought the timing couldn’t be worse.

Stephen reassured him with a smile and placed a hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “It’s all right, my friend. Wong already told me why you’re here and of course, I’d be happy to help.”

“Are you sure?” asked Kyle. “I mean, if you need some rest, I can always come back tomorrow.”

“No, it’s no problem.”

Strange made deliberate gestures with his hands. The clasp on his cape opened, revealing the Eye of Agamotto within. Stephen floated above the ground, the Cloak of Levitation moving as if there was a gentle breeze, though the air was still. The Eye of Agamotto glowed with a bright, yellow light and Kyle closed his eyes as the beam fell over him.

A few moments later, the light was gone. Kyle opened his eyes and saw Stephen step on the ground and the Eye closed.

“Congratulations, Kyle. The Eye of Agamotto can’t sense any trace of mystic energies in you. Not demonic nor otherwise.”

Kyle let out the breath he’d been holding since the Eye had begun glowing. “That’s a relief. Thanks, Stephen, I really owe you.”

“Nonsense.”

A scream echoed throughout the Sanctum.

“What the hell?” asked Eric, instantly jumping from the couch and pulling on his cloak.

“The Sentry!” said Strange. “Wong!”

Stephen led the charge of the Defenders up the stairs and to the room where the Sentry had been resting. A gesture of Stephen’s hand opened the door and he saw Wong trying to hold the thrashing form of Robert Reynolds to the bed.

“Stephen, he just started screaming!” shouted Wong.

“Val, hold him down!” said Strange.

Valkyrie ran to the bed and took Wong’s place, using her Asgardian strength to keep Bob from flailing. She was somewhat successful in keeping his body to the bed, though his screams were another matter and his eyes were burning with the power of the sun.

“What can we do?” asked Kyle.

“Nothing yet,” said Strange. He hovered over the bed and activated the Eye of Agamotto again. But it could tell him nothing about the Sentry, which was no different from before.

“The two suns!” shouted Bob. “The Sun King from Beyond the Pale Storm! He’s coming and we’ll all die!”

Bob’s eyes unleashed a burst of energy that knocked Valkyrie back. He hovered off the bed and grabbed Strange by the cloak and brought him close.

“The Godwheel turns!”

With that, the Sentry fell unconscious once more and dropped to the ground.

“What the fuck?” asked Eric.

“My thoughts exactly,” said Stephen, shaking his head as he knelt by Bob’s unconscious body. “For whatever reason, I still can’t determine what’s wrong with him. His long periods of unconsciousness, his incoherent ramblings, it’s all beyond my abilities.”

“With all due respect, Stephen, maybe we should consider another option,” said Tania. “You’ve tried magic. But I think it’s time we tried science.”

“What do you have in mind, Tania?” asked Stephen.

Mount Sinai Hospital

Long before she became Starlight, even before she adopted the identity of the Red Guardian, Tania Belinsky had been a promising young neurosurgeon. And it’s in that capacity that she and Stephen brought Robert Reynolds to Mount Sinai’s neurology department. Despite her long absence from medicine, Tania’s name was still respected. Stephen had also still done some occasional consulting work and had pull with the staff, which gave them license to use the department’s equipment.

Valkyrie accompanied them as well to provide support should Bob have any unexpected episodes during the variety of MRI scans. And as she waited with him still lying unconscious, Stephen and Tania reviewed the test results.

“I don’t understand it, Stephen,” said Tania, shaking her head. “His brain activity is completely normal. Nothing at all unusual.”

“There’s more than that,” said Stephen. “Someone like Robert, with that much power he has as the Sentry, should show some abnormalities. But there’s absolutely nothing in any of these tests to indicate such a thing. For all intents and purposes, Robert Reynolds registers as a baseline human.”

“How’s that even possible?” asked Tania.

Stephen rubbed his goatee and sighed. “I haven’t the first clue. Granted, it’s not my field of expertise. We may need to reach out to Reed Richards or Hank McCoy, send them these results and see what they make of them.”

“To be honest, I’m not so sure they’ll be able to tell us anything more,” said Tania.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

The Sanctum Sanctorum

In the library, Strange stood at the head of the long table, around which were gathered the rest of the Defenders.

“I’ve consulted with both Reed and Hank,” he said. “Unfortunately, their conclusions are no different from what Tania and I were able to learn. Whatever the Sentry is, he doesn’t seem to be a product of neither magic  or science.”

“That can’t be right,” said Eric. “If he’s not magical, not altered by science, not a mutant—what the hell is he?”

“I tried going more basic,” said Kyle. “I ran a background check on Robert Reynolds. Did you know he was an astrophysicist?”

Stephen raised an eyebrow. “No, I had no idea…”

“At least he was until he went missing a year ago,” said Kyle.

“So who is he?” asked Eric.

“Nobody,” said Kyle. “I mean, there’s nothing at all remarkable in his background. Never married, no kids, no real family at all. Kept to himself that nobody really noticed anything suspicious when he disappeared. And there wasn’t any sign of him again until the Defenders found him.”

Tania’s posture stiffened and she rose from her seat. “Stephen…”

Stephen looked to the room’s entrance. The other Defenders rose and turned to see Bob standing at the door, hunched over and coughing.

“That’s not—*kaff*—not true,” said Bob. “I was married…my wife, Lindy…”

“No, Bob, you weren’t,” said Kyle, taking a few cautious steps towards him.

“I was!” shouted Bob. He pointed at Kyle. “You were there at my wedding!” Then he pointed at Stephen. “And so were you!”

“Robert, perhaps you should return to bed,” said Val.

“No, I’ve been sleeping too long!” shouted Bob. “I know who I am! When I was a…a junkie…I thought the serum was something else. But it unlocked this power in me. And it detoxed me. I became the Sentry, the first superhero of the modern age. I founded the Avengers, Reed Richards was my best man, and—”

“None of that is true, Bob,” said Stephen. “Reed Richards, the Avengers, none of them have ever heard of you before. I’ve never heard of you before we encountered you with the Void.”

“Dammit, Stephen, aren’t you supposed to be the Sorcerer Supreme?” asked Bob. “Shouldn’t you know when something’s out of place?”

“The only thing out of place here is you,” said Stephen. “There’s no magic or science that can solve the mystery of the Sentry.”

“Your memories have been tampered with. Maybe it’s Mastermind…or…or the timestream’s been messed with! Kang! Kang must be behind this! Or Thanos…the Infinity Stones…”

“Maybe he’s got a point,” said Eric. “What if he’s from an alternate reality? One where he is everything he says he is?”

“Possible, but that still doesn’t explain why he registers as a baseline human,” said Stephen.

Bob’s eyes widened and his coughing persisted. “The King…the King is coming…”

“King?” asked Stephen. “What king are you referring to?”

Bob coughed harder, bending over.

“Before, you said something about the Sun King from Beyond the Pale Storm,” said Stephen. “Is that who’s coming?”

Bob shook his head, still coughing. “No…not a sun…I was wrong…”

“What do you mean, Bob?” asked Stephen.

“It’s not a sun inside the King!” shouted Bob. “It’s *kaff* it’s a candle!”

He dropped to his knees and vomited all over the floor. And then he vomited once more. There was one more discharge before Bob passed out, falling face-first in his own sick.

“That’s just…gross,” said Kyle, turning his head away and covering his nose. “And I say that as someone who until recently stank of sulfur.”

“I’ll take him to the showers, clean him up,” said Val, walking over to Bob’s unconscious body and carefully lifting him off the floor.

“I’ll help, I guess,” said Kyle.

“Wong, would you mind?” asked Stephen.

“Of course, Stephen.” Wong nodded and went to get some cleaning supplies.

“What now?” asked Eric.

“I’m not sure, but it seems Bob’s dreams are becoming stronger. He’s being pushed by something. Maybe it’s all in his mind, but I think the only way we can get some answers is by exploring his dreams,” said Stephen.

“A psychic?” asked Tania.

“Not quite.”

“Strange…” muttered Wong as he began cleaning up the vomit.

“What is it, Wong?” asked Stephen.

“What? Oh no, I’m sorry, Stephen, I wasn’t using your name. I was saying this is strange,” said Wong.

“That’s an understatement,” said Eric.

“No, I mean…” Wong sighed as he finished cleaning. “I don’t recall the last time Robert ate anything. I’ve tried bringing him food, but he never touched it and never responded when I tried to feed him.”

“What’s that have to do with anything?” asked Stephen.

“So if he hasn’t been eating, then why did he throw up what looks like…pumpkin?” asked Wong.

“Guess just chalk it up to more of the weirdness we see every day around here,” said Eric.

“We’ll figure it out, Wong. But for now, I’m more concerned with the contents of the Sentry’s dreams than his stomach.”

“You said not a psychic, so what did you mean?” asked Tania.

“We need someone with a working knowledge of the Mindscape, someone who can truly explore what’s happening with Bob’s dreams,” said Stephen. “We have to find Sleepwalker.”