Marvel Debuts New Version Of Powerful Hero, Permanently Replacing Original After 26 Years

Published Jun 10, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Superhero sidekicks tend to meet tragic fates. Bucky Barnes famously suffered a painful near-death experience and subsequent torture to become the Winter Soldier, and Sentry has to witness his dog die while facing a major crisis that threatens to bring the Void to the surface.

Sentry Recruits His New Pet Sidekick, Laika

The Sentry #4; Written By Paul Jenkins; Art By Christian Rosado & Matt Milla

In Paul Jenkins' The Sentry, the job of saving the world from a highly destructive crystalline infection lies on the shoulders of the most volatile hero besides the Hulk. And apart from being the only hero who can stop the threat, Sentry deals with his lowest emotional point in years. During the crisis, Sentry's superpowered dog Normie aka Watchdog dies, and he chooses not to heal him in order to keep the Void at bay. On a bittersweet note, after singlehandedly saving the world, Sentry flies up to space and adopts a USSR test dog, Kudryavka, who he renames "Laika."

Sentry shared a small fraction of his own godlike powers with Watchdog, granting him all of his abilities. However, Watchdog retained his normal lifespan, and even though another round of energy could have extended it, Bob Reynolds decided to bid his furry friend farewell. While the Void is bound to return sooner or later, Bob allows himself to enjoy a period of peace and another chance to love a pet. Borrowing the Fantastic Four's spaceship, Sentry saves Laika from certain death and brings her home. Whether Laika will become the next superpowered Watchdog is yet to be seen.

Marvel Has Already Paid Homage To Laika Before

Humanity's Most Famous Dog Is Part Of Marvel Lore

Marvel's main tribute to Laika is Cosmo the Spacedog, the telepathic Soviet dog who debuted in Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett's Nova #8. In the comics, Cosmo is a mutated test animal launched into Earth's orbit during the 1960s space race before drifting off course. Cosmo mutated via cosmic radiation and developed both telepathy and human-like intellect, which allowed him to become the security chief of the deep-space station Knowhere. While the original Cosmo is male, the Marvel Cinematic Universe updated the character as a female dog in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where she's voiced by Maria Bakalova.

The MCU's Cosmo pays a much more historically accurate and meaningful tribute to the real-life Laika, the female Soviet mutt who tragically became the first living creature to orbit the Earth. With Cosmo now a distinct comic book character deeply tied to Guardians of the Galaxy lore, Sentry's adoption of Laika becomes Marvel's latest tribute to the real animal. Laika's peaceful life on Earth is a beautiful cosmic redemption where a historic victim of cruel scientific advancement is reborn as a loved pet.

Do you think Laika will become Sentry's new Watchdog in the future?

The Sentry #4 is now available from Marvel Comics.