While the first trailer for Thunderbolts* received rapturous praise from Marvel fans, the movie’s official poster was met with bizarre speculation about the possible use of AI. As the backlash begins to die down and those fans realize how wrong they were, star Lewis Pullman, who plays Bob, a.k.a. Sentry, in the new movie, has now commented on the strange controversy. In the poster, Pullman is awkwardly cut off on the bottom left-hand side and this has created an optical illusion on the character’s hand, appearing as though he has six fingers. While a closer inspection immediately dispels this, lazier fans instantly grabbed their pitchforks and took to the proverbial streets, screaming “AI” and bloody murder. You can check out the poster for yourself below.

Walt Disney Pictures

Speaking to Collider, Pullman touched upon the hilarious speculation, and positively denied any rumors of AI use on the poster.The Top Gun: Maverick star joked that the speculation was so intense, that even he began to question it, and had to carefully examine the poster. He explained:

“I’ve heard about the six-finger thing. But if you look closely, there’s actually no mistakes going on. I actually spent some time because I was like, ‘Did they give me a sixth finger?’ But they didn’t. It’s just cropped at the right point where it looks like there’s an extra tip happening or something. But that’s about it. I love that.”

Lewis Pullman Jokes About Playing Two Major Characters Called Bob

In the first teaser for Thunderbolts*, the titular team of anti-heroes encounter Pullman’s character during a set-up mission, likely intended to eliminate all of them. After forcing his way out of a metal crate, the character introduces himself to the rest of the team. Fans don’t get to see any of Sentry (soon to be one of the MCU’s most powerful characters) in action, but we do see his alter-ego, Robert Reynolds, who goes by Bob.

Pullman’s Thunderbolts* “hero” is the second character he has played in a major movie who goes by Bob. The actor’s best known role to date came in the 2022 hit, Top Gun: Maverick. Pullman played a trainee Top Gun pilot, Lt. Robert Floyd. While the rest of his co-pilots got cool nicknames (apart from Rooster, that doesn’t count as cool), Lt. Floyd’s fighter pilot name is simply “Bob.” During the conversation, Pullman joked about expanding the “Bob Cinematic Universe.” The actor also mentioned that some of his most wholesome fan interactions come from people who share his pilot’s nickname, and they thank him for embracing the name. Pullman explained:

“Every movie gives you a gift that allows you to immediately connect with certain people, and at least with Top Gun, playing Bob, I’ve met so many awesome guys whose names are Bob. They come up to me and they’re like, ‘Dude, thanks for doing the Bob legacy strong.’ And then, you get to talk to people and you have a commonality. I’m very grateful and honored to be a part of the Bobs, in one way or another.”

Thunderbolts*
releases in theaters on May 2, 2025.