The following article contains minor spoilers for Shang-Chi.
By all accounts, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been a massive win for Marvel Studios, finding success not just at the box office, but also among fans and critics alike. But while the film is mostly a self-contained, character-driven story with little connection to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are a few brief appearances from some familiar faces — including one character who hasn’t been in a single MCU film for 13 years.
The character in question is of course the Abomination, aka Emil Blonsky. Abomination made his MCU debut all the way back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, portrayed by Tim Roth in both his human and monster forms. And while many MCU believed Abomination to be long-forgotten after over a decade of absence, he’s soon to play another major role in the upcoming She-Hulk series on Disney Plus.
In his film debut, Blonsky initially appears as an elite soldier recruited by General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross to help take down Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk. But after his unit is swiftly destroyed by the Hulk, Blonsky is filled with both vengeful rage towards the green-skinner monster and envy for his overwhelming power. Blonksy’s obsessions with fighting the Hulk and with achieving greater power only grow over time, until he eventually has Dr. Samuel Sterns (played by Tim Blake Nelson) inject him with Banner’s gamma-irradiated blood, transforming him into a gray-skinned Hulk-like monster with a protruding spine. The newborn Abomination clashes with Hulk on the streets of Harlem, wreaking mass destruction in the name of satisfying his lust for battle.
After his defeat at the hands of the Hulk, Abomination was imprisoned by S.H.I.E.L.D., and was never heard from again for the rest of the Infinity Saga. But as anyone who’s seen Shang-Chi knows, Blonksy appears once again fighting in an underground combat tournament at the Golden Daggers Club in Macau, owned by Shang-Chi’s sister Xu Xialing. Shang-Chi and Katy see Abomination engaged in a cage match against Wong, Doctor Strange’s right-hand man and master of the mystic arts. Wong swiftly defeats Abomination by tricking him into punching through a portal, knocking himself out by mistake.
After the battle, Abomination and Wong are seen patching up their wounds, with Wong speaking casually with Abomination and even referring to him as “Emil”. And while Abomination never speaks coherently in his cameo (though his roars and grunts are indeed provided by an uncredited Tim Roth), his behavior outside of battle is uncharacteristically calm, perhaps even docile. Abomination’s second and final scene in Shang-Chi ends with him willingly following Wong through a portal that seemingly leads to some kind of holding facility, featuring a cell similar to the one Loki was held in on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier back in the original Avengers film.
Needless to say, this brief appearance raises several questions about what’s become of Abomination in the time since his MCU debut. While participating in an illegal fight club is exactly the kind of thing that the bloodthirsty Emil Blonsky would do in his spare time, it’s unknown how he wound up there in the first place — especially if he’s still otherwise imprisoned, as his exit with Wong seems to indicate. Is it possible that he’s let out on occasion as part of some kind of parole or work release program, or is Wong smuggling him in and out of prison on fight nights? It’s very much unclear what sequence of events led Abomination to his present situation.
Beyond that, Abomination himself has changed quite a bit since his last appearance. Instead of his gray-skinned look from The Incredible Hulk, he now sports a more comic-accurate design, with a green tint to his skin, fish-like fins over his ears, and spiky protrusions along his limbs. Obviously, this change in appearance was intended to bring Abomination closer to his comic book design, but the in-universe reason for this metamorphosis remains unknown. It’s possible that Blonsky simply mutated naturally over time, or perhaps there’s a specific incident that resulted in these changes.
But the changes to Emil Blonsky aren’t just physical — his personality is remarkably different than in his debut. Abomination, while still retaining his love of battle, isn’t nearly as vicious and sadistic as he was in The Incredible Hulk. He even appears downright mellow outside of battle, something that the old Abomination never seemed capable of. Has his time in prison caused Emil to have a change of heart, or does he simply not consider pointless bloodshed worth his time? Either way, it seems that Abomination is a bit more nuanced than the savage brute he once appeared to be.
It’s possible that Abomination’s return in She-Hulk will see him relapse into his villainous ways, seeking revenge against Bruce Banner once more in hopes of settling the score with his favorite sparring partner. Alternatively, given Blonsky’s less aggressive behavior and seemingly voluntary return to prison, She-Hulk could very well feature a reformed Abomination. Perhaps Emil and Bruce have made peace with one another in the years since their last battle — and considering She-Hulk herself is a defense attorney in her civilian life, she could even end up representing Abomination in court at some point.
In the end, it’s difficult to tell exactly what to expect from Abomination going forward judging by his incredibly brief appearance in Shang-Chi. There are some clues, yes, but ultimately only time will tell what his role in She-Hulk will be. But no matter what the future holds for Emil Blonsky, it’ll certainly be interesting to see where the story of this once-forgotten villain leads to next.