If you’re a fan of the Sons of Anarchy series, then you’ll know how awesome Ryan Hurst is. He played the role of Opie Winston, who was the best friend of main protagonist, Jax Teller. You may also remember when Opie met his bloody and tragic demise in season 5 when he got his head smashed in while he was in prison. Boy, that was brutal. That was the end of Opie, but Ryan Hurst went on to playing an even badder character in another popular television series. In the beginning of 2019, Ryan Hurst debuted as an intimidating and seriously disturbed villain only known as Beta in the second half of season 9 of The Walking Dead. That’s when the show started going back to its horror roots and believe you me, they made the right choice casting this man as Beta. He was big, he was scary, and for ninety-nine percent of his screen time, you didn’t even see his face. Watching him play Beta was a night and day difference compared to his performance as Opie.
It’s just fun watching him act and I remember when he first started out in a minor supporting role in 2002’s We Were Soldiers. He’ll even grip you with his voice acting and the best example is the animated Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Just listen to him as Lobo and you’ll be convinced he can actually play the character in the DC Cinematic Universe. Speaking of which, Ryan Hurst has recently beseeched his fans via social media to campaign for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And guess what? They listened and he believes his chances are high. The character he is gunning for is a lesser known Marvel hero, but an incredibly powerful one. His name is Robert Reynolds, otherwise known as the Sentry. This is a character you’ve probably never heard of if you’re one of those Marvel fans who has only watched the MCU movies. As of now, it’s hard to think of a place for this character in the MCU, but I’m sure Kevin Feige can think of a way to squeeze him in.
So why is Ryan Hurst interested in this particular Marvel character? He has good reason to be, given that the Sentry is one of the most powerful Marvel heroes. With his awesome powers, however, there is also a terrible dark side that is even more powerful. Robert Reynolds is plagued by his sinister alter-ego called the Void. The Void slowly and surely took control over Robert Reynolds during the Dark Reign era in Marvel Comics when Norman Osborn intended to use him as a puppet for his Dark Avengers. This devious plan eventually backfired when they invaded Asgard and the Void destroyed the whole city. Although the Sentry is a relatively minor hero in Marvel Comics, he is responsible for one of the most memorable moments in its history. Oh, but things for him didn’t get better after that. Thor called down the mother of all thunder strikes on him before the Void could regain control. And just before he could resurface, Thor took his body out of orbit and then threw it into the sun. Yikes. Such a brutal ending for a tragic character. Oh, but don’t worry, he was resurrected eventually, because you know, comic book magic. Not too many people stay dead in comics, as we all know.
This is a good choice for Ryan Hurst to campaign for, given the nature of the Sentry. As he himself put it, this guy has the power to rival Superman. He can fly, has big “S” symbol engraved on his belt, and is strong enough to trade blows with the Hulk. You want to know something else? He actually took Carnage into outer space and literally ripped him half like like paper. When Robert Reynolds is in control, he tends to hold back his powers, but he’s capable of going toe-to-toe with some heavy-hitters. And when he is showing his true power, he glows a bright yellow. The Sentry is one of Marvel’s versions of Superman, part of the reason Ryan Hurst wants to play him. In my opinion, however, I believe Ryan Hurst can play other Marvel characters more suitable for him. The Sentry is a cool character who should debut in the MCU soon, but maybe not played by Ryan Hurst. I think if he were to join the MCU, he should play a character who is known for his intimidating size and appearance.
So who do I have in mind? Well, Ryan Hurst is a big guy, standing at six-foot-four and donning a killer beard, his grizzly appearance is basically his trademark. With that in mind, I think Ryan Hurst would be better suited to play a villain. Yes, he is capable of playing a more heroic character because of his time as Opie in Sons of Anarchy. But if you haven’t seen him play Beta in The Walking Dead, I think you’re missing out. He absolutely killed it as an unhinged animalistic killer who was completely detached from any kind of civilization. Can you think of any Marvel villain who is like that? Well, I can and I think Ryan Hurst is the man to play him. As of now, we don’t know when the X-Men will join the MCU, but when they do, they’re going to need their greatest enemies. The one and only Wolverine, the most famous of all the X-Men, will have to once again face his worst enemy, Victor Creed, better known as Sabretooth. The last time we saw him, it was in the 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. Yeah, that didn’t really win over fans, but Liev Schreiber was so good in the role. And just keep in mind that his version was before he became the primal villain Sabretooth.
For a brand new and improved version of the villain in the MCU, they need someone vey tall and very scruffy. By now, it’s hard to unsee Ryan Hurst as the tall and tough guy from Sons of Anarchy or even the Walking Dead. And he just cannot get rid of that beard. It’s a part of him. So he’s got the physicality and he’s got the acting ability. What else does he need? Honestly, just a call from Kevin Feige. I say he put Sentry aside and go for Wolverine’s arch-enemy. We don’t know when the X-Men will debut, but they are coming. These characters will be some of the hardest to cast, but Ryan Hurst should be a part of that cast.
What are your thoughts, Marvel fans?
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