The Abomination (Emil Blonsky) is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Stan Lee and Gil Kane in Tales to Astonish #90.
| The Abomination | |
|---|---|
| File:Hulk-159.jpg Incredible Hulk (first series) #159 (January 1973). Art by Herb Trimpe. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Tales to Astonish (1st series) #90 (April 1967) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Gil Kane |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Emil Blonsky |
| Notable aliases | The Ravager of Worlds |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, durability and stamina Regenerative healing factor Highly intelligent |
Fictional character biography
Emil Blonsky is a spy of Soviet Yugoslavian origin working for the KGB, who gains his powers after deliberately exposing himself to gamma radiation similar to that which transformed Bruce Banner into The Incredible Hulk, but a higher dose. Because Emil Blonsky, like Bruce Banner, belongs to the small minority of people who are born with a genetic factor that cause them to change instead of being killed by the radiation, he is permanently transformed into a massive green-skinned monster whose physical power is even greater than that of the Hulk. In his first appearance, the Abomination is more than twice as powerful as a calm Hulk but his strength is halved the following issue. While he is able to maintain his normal level of self-control and intelligence after this transformation, he is unable to return to human form.
Given his gamma-spawned origins, Blonsky blames his condition on Banner and his alter ego, the Hulk. The Abomination and the Hulk have clashed on numerous occasions, with Blonsky perpetually playing the role of the aggressor. Although Blonsky occasionally gains the upper hand in their battles, the Hulk manages to triumph in the end, but not always; the Abomination is one of the few who can lay claim to victory over the green-skinned goliath.
In later issues, it is revealed that his hideous new visage has served to alienate Blonsky from his ex-wife, Nadia. Coupled with constant defeats at the hands of the Hulk, this drives Blonsky nearly insane in his hatred for Banner. The Abomination also grows incensed upon learning that Banner has married Betty Ross, the daughter of General Thunderbolt Ross. With the loss of his wife, Blonsky figures it is only fair to him that Banner should lose Betty. Out of jealousy, he causes the apparent death of Bruce Banner's wife Betty. While she is recovering from radiation sickness caused by exposure to the gamma radiation within Banner, he poisons her with his radioactive blood, causing Banner and his associates to believe that her close proximity to the Hulk has given her a fatal case of radiation poisoning. Banner later exposes the Abomination's role in Betty's seeming death, and defeats him in combat.
Banner forgives Blonsky. The Abomination cannot not comprehend and endure his enemy's absolution, and his moment of triumph is twisted into crushing defeat. Blonsky realizes he had become what he abhorred the most - it was he who was the rampaging, inhuman monster; not the Hulk as he had religiously believed all these years.
Months later, the still-grieving General Ross manipulates the Hulk into attacking and almost killing Blonsky. The Abomination is taken into custody by the military; as punishment, he is forced to watch a film loop of himself 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 Abomination in order to fight the Hulk. Blonsky displays vicious behaviour, especially during the confrontation with his second wife (also named Nadia) whom he had consistently abused during their marriage. Abomination also intentionally stirs up painful memories in Banner, finally managing to provoke a violent response. In the ensuing fight, he is again soundly defeated.
Powers and abilities
Blonsky's transformation into The Abomination substantially increased his strength and durability. Unlike the Hulk, Blonsky is unable to transform into his ordinary human form. He possesses great physical strength that supersedes that of The Hulk when the latter is in his "calm" state. However, unlike the Hulk, the Abomination's strength doesn't increase when in an enraged state. Hence, the limits of the Hulk's strength, whatever they might be, are vastly higher than the Abomination's. Like the Hulk, the Abomination can use his superhumanly strong leg muscles to leap great distances, covering miles in a single bound.
Unlike the Hulk, the Abomination's transformation has proved stable: he cannot change back and forth between his human state and his superhuman state, despite his wishes to the contrary. Although the Abomination has proven able to regenerate lost eyes and recover from other forms of massive cellular damage, his ability to regenerate tissue is much slower than that of the Hulk. One possible explanation for this is that the Hulk's remarkable regenerative abilities increases in efficiency as he becomes enraged, much like his strength. The Abomination is resistant to extremes of temperature, and can hold his breath for extended periods of time; in the case of lack of air or heat, he may enter a coma-like state of suspended animation.
Appearances in other media
Video games
- The Abomination is the central villain of 2005's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game, in which he is voiced, both as Emil Blonsky and the Abomination, by Ron Perlman. The game retells a definitive origin of the Abomination character, and ties directly into Peter David's Abomination focused sister-story entitled Hulk: Destruction. Combined, the two redefine Abomination's origin in one consistent story; however, the entry in 2006's All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe for the character Mercy, who appears in both the video game and the tie-in story, declares the events of Hulk: Destruction to not be part of standard Marvel Comics continuity.
- The Abomination has been confirmed as one of the villains who will appear in the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
Film
Avi Arad of Marvel has confirmed that the Abomination will be a villain in the upcoming film The Incredible Hulk, the sequel to Hulk.
Ultimate Abomination
This version of the Abomination appears in the animated film Ultimates 2. Now a Chinese scientist, Chang Lam, he discovers a means of becoming a slightly different, more stable version of the Hulk. Unlike the Hulk, the Abomination retains his mental faculties. After his transformation he resembles a yellowish combination of gorilla and reptile, and is at least 25 feet tall. Ultimate Abomination is a member of the Liberators, a group of super-powered volunteers who join forces to defeat the Ultimates and the United States. Although he initially boasted his intelligence to the Hulk as their battle began, he quickly found himself overwhelmed and defeated, his arms ripped off and the Hulk telling Lam, "You think too much," as he punches through his skull.