Abomination (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Abomination | |
 The Abomination (left) battles the Hulk on the cover of Hulk #159 (Jan. 1973). Art by Herb Trimpe. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Tales to Astonish #90 (vol. 1, April 1967) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Gil Kane |
| In story information | |
| Full name | Emil Blonsky |
| Species | Mutate |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Team affiliations | KGB |
| Notable aliases | Agent R-7, The Ravager of Worlds |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, stamina and durability Regenerative healing factor |
The Abomination is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Tales to Astonish #90 (vol. 1, April 1967), and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Gil Kane.
In the upcoming 2008 film, actor Tim Roth portrays Emil Blonsky.
Contents |
[edit] Fictional character biography
Born in Zagreb, Yugoslavia,[1] Emil Blonsky is a KGB agent and spy who becomes the Abomination after deliberately exposing himself to a greater quantity of the same gamma radiation that transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk. Blonsky is transformed into a massive green-skinned monster with physical strength exceeding that of the Hulk; in his first appearance, he is more than twice as powerful as the Hulk. Although he retains his mental faculties, Blonsky soon discovers his inability to return to human form.[2]
The Abomination has repeatedly joined forces with General Thunderbolt Ross to fight the Hulk,[3] but always betrays Ross, first teaming with the Rhino in an attempt to take over Hulkbuster base,[4] and later tricking the Hulk into an alliance and attempts to ransom the captured Kennedy Space Center.[5]
The Abomination is later briefly lost in space,[6] but is rescued by the U.S. military and revived by MODOK and General Ross. In this third association with Ross, the Abomination is forced to battle the Hulk, but turns against MODOK, who atomizes him.[7] His atomized body reconstitutes itself with the disembodied mind of Tyrannus. This amalgamated being forces Banner to try to cure this condition, but the procedure fails, leaving Tyrannus in the Abomination body and returning Blonsky to human form.[8] Tyrannus briefly operates as the Abomination and attacks Wonder Man,[9] until Ghaur and Llyra restore Tyrannus to normal. Blonsky again becomes the Abomination, but as a mindless beast, and battles She-Hulk and Spider-Man in New York.[10] He later recovers his mental faculties and is hired to steal toxic waste from the Yucca Flats research center, but is caught off guard and doused in toxic waste by the Hulk.[11]
Blonsky blames his condition on Banner and returns to attack his archenemy time and again. Although stronger than the Hulk in a calm state, the Abomination has almost always been beaten by the Hulk's sheer ferocity.
In later issues, it is revealed that Blonsky's transformation alienates his ballet-dancer ex-wife, Nadia. Coupled with constant defeats at the hands of the Hulk, Blonsky is driven insane with hatred for Banner. The Abomination also grows incensed upon learning that Banner has married Betty Ross, the daughter of Thunderbolt Ross.
With the loss of his wife, Blonsky decides that Banner should also lose his spouse. The Abomination subsequently poisons Betty with his radioactive blood, causing Banner and his associates to believe that her proximity to the Hulk has given her a fatal case of radiation poisoning. Banner later exposes the Abomination's role in Betty's false death, and the Hulk defeats him in combat. Banner then forgives the Abomination, who cannot accept this act. Blonsky finally realizes that he has been living a lie — it is he who is the monster, not the Hulk.
Months later, the still-grieving General Ross manipulates the Hulk into attacking and almost killing the Abomination. The Abomination is then taken into custody by the military, and as punishment is forced to watch a film loop of him and his wife prior to his transformation, making his incarceration a constant reminder of what he has lost.
Eventually, operatives from the secret organization Home Base release the Abomination in order to fight the Hulk. The Abomination has become even more vicious as a result of his incarceration, and reminds Banner of the loss of Betty to goad him into a violent response. The plan backfires as the Abomination faces an enraged Hulk, who utterly defeats him.
These events are later revealed to have been a hallucination created by the entity Nightmare,[12] which is confirmed when Blonsky shows no knowledge of the relationship, and also declares that he's had two different wives named Nadia, about which Abomination states, "It happens. Hey, Johnny Carson's been married to Joan, Joanna and Joanne," to explain the difference in personality. Blonsky is then employed as a U.S. government hitman against hostile foreign interests.[13]
The Abomination later realizes the Hulk is missing, and rampages through the city of Reno, in Nevada, but is stopped by She-Hulk. An apparently fully human Blonsky is later identified among the subjects of a program code-named "Project Achilles", whose mandate is to create a super-power nullifying system in nanotech form.[14] [15]
The Abomination is later shot and killed by Red Hulk.[16]
[edit] Powers and abilities
Blonsky's transformation into The Abomination substantially increases his strength and durability, giving him many of the same powers as the Hulk. Like the Hulk, The Abomination is still very resistant to damage, can hold his breath for extended periods of time, and breathe underwater. Blonsky is also capable of regenerating from damage, but at a slower rate. The Abomination can also go into a state of suspended animation if in a climate lacking air or heat. Like the Hulk, he can travel many miles with one bound. The Abomination differs from the Hulk in several ways. Blonsky is unable to transform back into his human form. Originally, the Abomination was shown to be stronger than a calm Hulk, but his strength would not increase with anger.
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Ultimate Abomination
This version of the Abomination is a Chinese scientist named Chang Lam. Unlike the Hulk, the Ultimate Abomination retained his mental faculties, resembled a dark grey combination of a gorilla and reptile, and was at least 25 feet tall. The Ultimate Abomination was a member of the Liberators, and in a final battle with the Hulk was decapitated. [17]
[edit] Future Imperfect
In the dystopian timeline, the Abomination, called "Emil", and his mutated minions battle the Maestro for control over the planet for decades. After the Maestro is deposed by his own past self, Emil and his minions subsequently invade and conquer his former kingdom, either driving out or killing anyone inhabiting it. [18]
[edit] Marvel Zombies
A zombified Abomination appears in Marvel Zombies: Dead Days[19]
[edit] See also
[edit] In other media
[edit] Animation
- In The Incredible Hulk 1996 animated series, the Abomination appears as a recurring villain voiced by Kevin Schon and later by Richard Moll.
[edit] Video games
- The Abomination appears in the Super NES video game The Incredible Hulk.
- The Abomination is the central villain of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game (2005), in which he is voiced, both as Emil Blonsky and the Abomination, by Ron Perlman.
- The Abomination is the main villain for Sega game The Incredible Hulk (based on the upcoming film of the same name).
[edit] Film
- Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, and also supplied motion capture for his alter-ego. Director Louis Leterrier has explained he is a past-his-prime soldier nearing his retirement and hunting the Hulk. He is offered the same serum which created the Hulk, and injected throughout his body, it creates a mutation more extreme than the Hulk. His skin, muscles and bones become exaggerated, and he can use his spine and bones sticking out of his elbows and heels as weapons.[20] Zak Penn said the character will not be called 'The Abomination', since the codename sounded "silly", but he will simply be referred to as Blonsky onscreen.[21]
[edit] Toys
- Abomination was featured in the first series of Hulk Classics.
- A second Abomination (with melting face variant) was featured in Marvel Legends Series 13.
- The Abomination also appears in Heroscape.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.marvel.com/universe/Abomination
- ^ Tales to Astonish #90 (vol. 1, April - May 1967)
- ^ Incredible Hulk #159 (Jan. 1973)
- ^ Hulk #171 (Jan. 1974)
- ^ Hulk #195-196 (Jan. - Feb. 1976)
- ^ Incredible Hulk #270 (Apr. 1981)
- ^ Hulk #287-290 (Sep. - Nov. 1983)
- ^ Hulk Annual #15 (1986)
- ^ West Coast Avengers #25 (Oct. 1987)
- ^ Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23 (1989))
- ^ Hulk #364 (Dec. 1989)
- ^ Hulk vol. 3, #81
- ^ Hulk: Destruction #4 (2007)
- ^ She-Hulk vol. 3, #15
- ^ She-Hulk vol. 4, #18
- ^ Hulk #1 (2008)
- ^ Ultimates vol. 2, #12 (2006)
- ^ The Abominations #1 - 3 (1996 - 1997)
- ^ Marvel Zombies: Dead Days (2007)
- ^ "Director Louis Leterrier on The Incredible Hulk", Empire, 2008-03-13. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ >Scott Collura. "Hulk Villain Talk", IGN, 2007-05-03. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
