50 Greatest Super Villains In Comic Book History

44. Sentinels

(Write-up by Nick Tylwalk, Bam Smack Pow Editor)

Lots of people in the real world have experienced being treated differently for some characteristic over which they have no control. The mutants of the Marvel Universe know that only too well, except the prejudice against them has often been enforced by 30-foot-tall killer robots.

The Sentinels are fueled by fear and misunderstanding, except those emotions are not their own, but those of their creators. They’re the powerful means to a horrifying end, and they’ve menaced the X-Men in many forms in comics, and more recently, in the movies as well.

They’ve got staying power, as they always seem to return in new forms packing terrifying new weapons and capabilities. There’s no question that in terms of pure visual impact, the Sentinels are right up there among the best villains in comics, which is why their popularity has carried over to things like toys and video games.

But there’s a psychological aspect to their effectiveness as well. The fact that the Sentinels are never going to stop coming — that there will always be more of them, one step ahead of everything else technologically — is a solid metaphor for the idea that some humans in the Marvel Universe are always going to want mutants eradicated.

As we’ve seen in the future posited by Days of Future Past, the problem is that when you let that particular genie out of the bottle, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to keep it under control. The Sentinels have turned on their masters more than once over the years, but people keep on building them. Such is the nature of anti-mutant fear and loathing.

Next: No. 43: Holder of a multi-generational grudge