Warning: This feature includes spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and the involvement of Abomination.

Here’s everything that happened to the Abomination between The Incredible Hulk and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It’s easy to forget the MCU got off to an unsteady start back in 2008, with both a home run and a miss; Iron Man was a hit, but The Incredible Hulk wasn’t anywhere near so successful. Star Edward Norton was recast when the Hulk returned, replaced by Mark Ruffalo, and it wasn’t until 2016 that secondary characters from the film began to reappear in the MCU.

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The villain of The Incredible Hulk, the Abomination, was played by Tim Roth. The actor did a good job with the role, but the popular reaction wasn’t generally favorable. Even comic book readers were far from enthused, complaining the Abomination didn’t look at all accurate. Now, surprisingly, the trailer for Shang-Chi has revealed the Abomination is making an unexpected return to the big screen – and the Abomination looks different, now far more like his comic book counterpart. The brief glimpse also suggests the CGI will be much improved, which makes sense given how much more money Marvel has to play around with nowadays. But what’s been happening to the Abomination from an in-universe perspective over the years?

The Incredible Hulk ended with the Abomination defeated after a rampage in Harlem, New York, and he was taken prisoner by General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Presumably, Ross possessed facilities capable of storing even a being on the Abomination’s power level, given he’d been experimenting with creating super-soldiers for years. But, in a surprising twist, the Marvel one-shot “The Consultant” revealed key figures in the World Security Council wanted to see the Abomination freed. They considered Emil Blonsky a hero, a soldier who had undergone an experimental procedure in order to defeat the Hulk, and they actually pressured Nick Fury to include the Abomination in his Avengers Initiative. SHIELD agents Phil Coulson and Jasper Sitwell conspired to ensure this didn’t happen, using Tony Stark to annoy Ross so much he refused to turn Blonsky over to SHIELD.

It’s hinted that Abomination was potentially kept in cryo-suspension in a prison in Alaska, according to Agents of SHIELD. While that Marvel Television show was originally considered to be canon for the MCU, indications since show that its contributions are not strictly relevant. Despite that, the Abomination likely spent quite some time in prison, or at least in custody. It’s even unclear how much time has passed for the Abomination within the MCU, because there’s no confirmation of whether or not he was erased from existence when Thanos snapped his fingers in Avengers: Infinity War; if he was, then it may explain how he escaped – because no doubt nobody at whatever prison he was at was expecting him to suddenly rematerialize five years later.

When the Abomination turns up unexpectedly in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, he is working alongside Wong (Benedict Wong) for an undisclosed reason. The two can be seen fighting each other (co-operatively) in Xialing’s arena, and then are also shown in a locker room of sorts being companionable. The two then leave together through one of Wong’s Sling Ring portals to another location. The Abomination depicted in Shang-Chi appears to be far more companionable than his depiction in The Incredible Hulk, hinting that he might have been through something to show him the error of his ways. While his Shang-Chi appearance is a simple cameo connecting the movie to the wider MCU, Tim Roth will return as Abomination in the upcoming She-Hulk Disney+ series, which will likely explore the Abomination’s history and changes in more detail, as well as expanding his role in the MCU’s Phase 4.

Key Release Dates
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  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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