Adam Warlock vs. Sentry: Who Would Win & Why?

There are numerous humanoid characters in Marvel comics history. However, Sentry and Adam Warlock are at the top of the list of the most powerful such beings in the universe. Both have amazing skills and powers that make them almost indestructible, as well as very similar weaknesses. So, if Adam Warlock and Sentry ever fought, who would win, and why?

Sentry would win against Adam Warlock more often than not, although it would be an extremely close fight that could go either way. They have such similar powers and weaknesses that it would eventually come down to sheer strength, and Sentry trumps Adam in that regard.

Even their biggest weaknesses are practically the same – both have an evil alter-ego within that they have to suppress. And, if it emerges, they exponentially grow in power but lose themselves in the process and cause absolute chaos. Let’s explore both characters in-depth, compare their powers, and conclude who the winner would be based on that comparison.

Physiology

Both Adam Warlock and Sentry might be considered the pinnacle of superhuman power. Initially referred to as Him, Adam Warlock was created by a group of intelligent researchers called the Enclave. He was genetically engineered to be the perfect human being – so perfect that even the High Evolutionary once said he’d have trouble replicating his genetic makeup.

Right away, Adam Warlock presented incredible superhuman powers and was superior to any human being. His powers included strong telepathic skills, superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes. Also, he was highly intuitive and intelligent, almost instantly figuring out the Enclave’s evil plans, attacking his creators, and running away.

After he met the High Evolutionary, he developed a symbiotic bond with the Soul Gem, one of the Infinity Gems with incredible, mysterious powers. The Soul Gem was somewhat sentient and said Adam was the most powerful being he had even bonded with since the dawn of time.

Even without the Gem, Adam was incredibly strong and durable. However, every time he got badly hurt – at the brink of death – his physiology allowed Warlock to get into a regenerative cocoon state, out of which he came out healthy and more powerful than ever. Every “rebirth” resulted in his powers growing to the point he didn’t even need the Soul Gem anymore.

On the other hand, Robert Reynolds was the Canadian version of Steve Rogers. However, the Golden Sentry Serum he got turned him into an exponentially more powerful super-soldier than Cap ever was. It was said that Sentry has the strength of a “million exploding suns.” He’s easily a Class 100+ character, and the upper limits of his physical might are unknown.

He’s also incredibly fast, capable of flying at multiple times the speed of light. His stamina allows Sentry to virtually never go tired, and almost no amount of force can physically hurt him. Reynolds’ powers go above and beyond when it comes to physical attributes, and not even Warlock – the genetically perfect human being – can match him in that regard.

Adam Warlock isn’t as fast as Sentry but can teleport, so we might call them even there. Also, Warlock can get hurt (although a lot of force is required to hurt him) but can never really die. However, he gets tired after several hours of full physical exertion, and Sentry is way stronger when it comes to sheer brute force. Enough to give Robert the point in this category.

Point: Sentry (1:0) Adam Warlock

Durability

Now, we’ve already touched upon this feature of both characters, but their durability works so differently that it’s really worthy of a more in-depth comparison.

Adam Warlock can withstand the full might of Mjolnir, Thor’s enchanted hammer. He also “ate” a moderately powerful blast from Galactus without any harm. That being said, he can still get hurt. As I mentioned, when Adam gets hurt badly, his life essence gets into a cocoon state, where a new, improved body is generated, and new powers are developed subconsciously.

Now, Warlock can also be killed – he was a couple of times in the comics. However, his soul is deemed so powerful that not even Death can claim it, so he comes back to life every time – meaning Adam Warlock is practically immortal.

As for Sentry, he is almost completely invulnerable to physical damage. He had shown weakness when particular forms of energy had been blasted against him (such as Chi in Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda #2). Still, it has to be an insanely powerful attack not many characters are even capable of producing.

However, if you manage to harm Sentry, he can die. We see that in his eventual demise in King in Black #1 in 2020, when Knull, the God of Symbiotes, ripped him in half, and Sentry readily proceeded to the afterlife at peace.

So, Sentry can withstand higher amounts of damage without being hurt than Adam Warlock. However, he can eventually die, which is something unknown for Warlock, who proved to be immortal. I think it’s only fair that both characters get points in this category.

Point(s): Sentry (2:1) Adam Warlock

Mental & Psychic Powers

Sentry gained incredibly powerful mental, psionic powers that almost go up to par with his physical dominance. However, those powers are mainly used to hold his physical form together. He did present some degree of mental and psychic powers, such as implanting memories into other people’s minds, using telekinesis, and slight mind control.

On the other hand, Adam Warlock’s telepathic powers were much more powerful at the beginning, when Adam was still Him. Over the years, that power diminished as his other powers grew with each rebirth, but they developed in a different way.

As it seems, Warlock still has telepathy and telekinesis to a degree, but it mostly manifests defensively as mental resistance to telepathic attacks. He developed a strong cosmic awareness, though, capable of feeling the slightest disturbances anywhere in the universe, such as dark holes, etc.

Overall, both Sentry and Adam Warlock have mental and psychic powers, but they are not as powerful as their other powers. In Sentry’s case, especially, it depends heavily on his mental state. I think it’s safe to say their mental powers cancel each other out.

Point(s): Sentry (3:2) Adam Warlock

Additional Powers & Skills

This is where the two characters start differing from one another heavily. I’ll start with Sentry.

Sentry discovered unwittingly that he has strong matter & energy manipulation powers, down to the molecular level. It’s a spectacular power that allows the guy to do basically anything. The Void – his evil alter-ego – presented such powers immediately, but Reynolds has them even when in his Sentry form.

Building on that, Sentry can materialize and create various constructs out of surrounding molecules, such as weapons, miniature werewolves, force fields, etc. He also has powerful biokinesis, capable of healing others from deadly diseases, injuries, etc.

Along with unfathomably fast flight, Sentry has shown the ability to teleport at least a few times (most notably in Dark Avengers #13, where he teleported from the Sun back to Earth). 

That’s not all. Sentry has photokinesis (ability to project, generate, control, and emit light), deflect light in a way to make himself invisible, produce energy blasts, manipulate darkness, etc. 

However, his most awesome power came in Mighty Avengers #6, when he resurrected his wife by simply touching her. Although it wasn’t a conscious action – it happened under serious emotional distress, and Sentry was taken aback by the power as well. 

As for additional skills, Sentry is a great fighter and has a genius intellect, with great skills in mechanics, robotics, architecture, etc.

Now, Adam Warlock’s powers go beyond anything I could write here. With that, I mean that his powers are virtually what the plot requires them to be. Every time he is “reborn” out of the regenerative cocoon, he gains new powers, or his old powers get perfected.

Warlock has outstanding cosmic awareness, energy absorption and manipulation, matter manipulation, pyrokinesis, cellular regeneration, magic-wielding, mystic senses, immortality (he dies but comes back to life), soul manipulation, time manipulation, astral projection, teleportation… You name it, Adam Warlock has probably done it in the past. Additionally, Adam Warlock has wielded the Infinity Gauntlet in the past.

Just like Sentry, he’s a genius intellectually, with prolific experience and vast cosmic knowledge. Adam is great at celestial navigation, hacking, strategizing, and manipulating others.

It’s simply impossible to determine who has more awesome powers, so I’ll call it a wash once again and give both Sentry and Adam Warlock points in this category.

Point(s): Sentry (4:3) Adam Warlock

Weaknesses

Finally, we come to the characters’ weaknesses. What can hurt them, and how could they beat one another? Well, as it turns out, they are incredibly similar in this regard as well.

Neither of them has some particular weaknesses that could be exploited. Sentry is vulnerable to strong energy attacks (like Chi), but not to the point where he’d die – his healing factor is way too powerful. However, his power does depend on his mental state, so one might call that a weakness – if one can find a way to exploit it, which is easier said than done.

On the other hand, Adam Warlock is extremely durable, but if he eventually gets hurt – or even killed – he’ll just get resurrected. Hence, there’s no particular weakness there.

Both Sentry and Adam Warlock have one big weakness, quite similar to one another – their evil alter-egos that can take control when they are at their low points.

For Sentry, it’s the Void – an incredibly powerful dark entity that takes over when Robert’s mental state, or will, deteriorates or when he’s under huge mental or emotional distress. The Void is even more powerful than Sentry but highly destructive and evil.

On the other hand, Adam Warlock had Magus – which is actually a future version of himself that became unfathomably powerful but corrupted and evil, having murdered billions and billions across the universe. If Adam Warlock is hurt or weakened to a certain point, it opens the risk of Magus emerging, taking over, and continuing his evil, murderous agenda.

Basically, Sentry’s and Warlock’s biggest weakness lies within themselves – an evil persona lurking, waiting for their lowest points to emerge and take over. As much as they are different, they are also similar, and both deserve points in this category.

Point(s): Sentry (5:4) Adam Warlock

Adam Warlock Vs. Sentry: Who Wins?

In the end, Sentry wins our categoric analysis by a point, 5:4. It’s very hard to determine the winner between such astonishingly powerful characters, considering that their power limits were never – and could never- be fully explored. 

Most of their powers, abilities, and weaknesses cancel each other out. Warlock has more magical knowledge, perhaps, but nothing that Sentry hasn’t seen before. Therefore, all that’s left for us is to compare the powers where a discrepancy is felt. In this case, Sentry’s physical strength goes above and beyond anything we’ve seen from Adam Warlock.

Now, Warlock doesn’t really need to use physical force, considering all the other powers he has, but if Sentry can find a way to make this a physical fight, then it’s a no-contest for him. In that regard, Sentry trumps Adam Warlock every time.

In reality, though, the winner is not so obvious. As it usually is in comics with such powerful characters, both have a nice chance at winning. I’d give Sentry a slight advantage, but it all comes down to the plot and what the writers want out of the story.