She-Hulk: Attorney at Law writer Jessica Gao explains why She-Hulk‘s Abomination differs from the character’s appearance in The Incredible Hulk.
Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law not only gives us new characters like She-Hulk and Titania but also brings back a villain from more than a decade ago. The Marvel show follows the story of Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), the cousin of Bruce Banner and a defense lawyer representing superpowered individuals in court. In this premise, we were able to see Emil Blonsky again, most commonly known as Abomination.
Tim Roth reprises his role as the former UK Royal Marines Commando whose task was to capture Bruce Banner. The character first appeared in the 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, top-billed by Edward Norton, who played Bruce Banner/Hulk.
This was not Blonsky’s first appearance in the MCU, as he first appeared in a brief cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In the scene, we saw MCU’s Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong) fighting the gigantic villain.
But unlike the character’s initial characterization, She-Hulk’s Abomination is quite different. Some fans pinpointed the difference in Blonsky’s rather laidback personality — in contrast to his aggressive disposition in The Incredible Hulk. The character seemed to turn a new leaf as he’s even up for parole from the maximum security prison due to his good behavior.
Write explains what’s different in She-Hulk‘s Abomination
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law write Jessica Gao explains how She-Hulk’s Abomination became the version it is now. Gao mentioned in an interview that she found it nice to “actually make him have fun” and show “a different side” to the character. She continues by saying that the changes in his disposition could be the result of the years he has lived after the events of The Incredible Hulk. Read Gao’s statement below:
“I just thought… it would be really fun to pull this character, who was such an indelible part of Hulk lore, and pull him into this Hulk show. But also to have fun with this character, because we saw him so long ago [and] we also saw him in such a serious capacity. It would be so nice to bring him in and actually make him have fun with it and actually let him play around with this character and show you kind of a different side, because there is that long span of time.”
“Anything could have happened to this man over the course of the last 14 years. People change, especially if they’ve been sitting in a detention cell somewhere. We don’t know what’s happened all that time and people go through these kinds of changes after such a huge thing has happened to them – and then they’ve had to sit with it for over a decade.”
Gao didn’t reveal anything major about Blonsky’s journey over the past years. But it looks like the years he spent inside the prison have changed Blonsky, bringing out a calmer and more enjoyable character out in the open. Given that the character’s comeback in Marvel is a huge thing, She-Hulk’s Abomination might play something pivotal in the show.
Disney+
The future of the character in the MCU
The apparent change in She-Hulk‘s Abomination might play an essential role in Abomination’s future in the MCU. It’s not a surprise that the comeback and introduction of many popular villains and anti-heroes in MCU is a step toward MCU’s Thunderbolts.
With the Thunderbolts set to release on July 26, 2024, it makes sense that Abomination might also appear in the film. While there’s not yet an official roster of characters that will appear in the film, we can only guess that Blonsky will come back in that film as well. It’s also safe to assume that Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo will be involved in this film after his well-received appearance in Captain America and the Winter Soldier.
Meanwhile, catch more of Abomination in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+.
[Featured image: Disney+]