Absorbing Man

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Absorbing Man
Absorbing Man as depicted in Thor #376 (February 1987).
Art by Walt Simonson.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceJourney into Mystery #114
(March 1965)[1]
Created byStan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
Alter egoCarl "Crusher" Creel
SpeciesHuman mutate[a]
Team affiliationsThey Who Wield Power
Astonishing Avengers
Legion Accursed
Lethal Legion
Worthy
Gamma Flight[2][3]
PartnershipsTitania
Notable aliasesLightningbolt
Greithoth
Rocky Davis
Red Dog
Harold
Abilities

The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #114 (cover dated March 1965), in the Silver Age of Comic Books.[4][5] Carl Creel has the power to absorb and become any material he touched.[6][7][8] Originally a supervillain, in later years, he has reformed into more of an antihero.[9]

Since his original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, including video games, animated television series, and merchandise such as trading cards. He appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed by Brian Patrick Wade.

Publication history

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The Absorbing Man debuted in Journey into Mystery #114 (March 1965), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[10] He appeared in the 2017 Black Bolt series, by Saladin Ahmed.[11][12]

Fictional character biography

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Carl "Crusher" Creel is a boxer and criminal who becomes the Absorbing Man when he drinks a liquid which the Asgardian god Loki laced with a mystical potion.[13][14] Discovering that he can absorb the properties of anything he touched, Creel escapes prison by absorbing metal from the guards' bullets and becomes a recurring enemy of Thor.[15][16][17][18]

In later appearances, Absorbing Man enters a relationship with Titania.[19] He has also been a member of the Masters of Evil and the Lethal Legion.[20][21]

During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Creel and Titania encounter two divine hammers that contain the essences of the Worthy, generals of the Serpent. Coming into contact with the hammers, Titania and Creel are transformed into Skirn: Breaker of Men and Greithoth: Breaker of Wills, respectively.[22][23]

During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Absorbing Man appears as an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D. Using Kobik, S.H.I.E.L.D. transformed Absorbing Man into a civilian named Harold.[24] When Helmut Zemo and Fixer restore the memories of the inmates, Absorbing Man joins their uprising against S.H.I.E.L.D.[25]

In The Immortal Hulk, Absorbing Man joins the U.S. Hulk Operations as an alternative to being incarcerated for life. He is injected with a gene-enhancement package that gives him the ability to absorb gamma radiation and turns his skin red. When Absorbing Man - under the alias of Red Dog - battles Hulk at Los Diablos Missile Base, the One Below All enters his body.[26] Absorbing Man is later freed from the One Below All's influence and joins Gamma Flight.[27]

Powers, abilities, and equipment

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Carl Creel has the ability to mimic the matter or strength of anything nearby or anyone he is near.[15][28] Most commonly, the Absorbing Man uses his powers to duplicate the qualities of anything that he touches—solids, liquids, gases, or even energy sources. This transformation also extends to the items that Creel was wearing and carrying when Loki's magic potion took effect (for example, if Creel touches the metal titanium, his body, clothes, and wrecking ball takes on its appearance and properties). He can absorb sufficient mass from a large object (e.g., a building) to attain the same height. While in different alternate forms, he still maintains his intellect, capacity for speech, and full physical movement (although his first attempt at absorbing water temporarily cost Creel's sanity when he tried to keep himself from drifting apart in the ocean).[29] His body was able to reform itself after being broken or damaged,[30] especially a severed arm which Wolverine cuts off during the Secret Wars.[31]

Reception

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Critical response

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Drew Atchison of Screen Rant included Absorbing Man their "Hulk's Main Comic Book Villains, Ranked Lamest To Coolest" list, writing, "Teaming up with the Inhuman king, Black Bolt, to siding with Gamma Flight to take on the Immortal Hulk, Carl's been through a lot and deserves to return to the MCU."[32] Comic Book Resources ranked Absorbing Man 3rd in their "10 Strongest Marvel Henchmen" list,[33] 4th in their "10 Villains Fans Hope To See In Marvel’s She-Hulk Series" list,[34] 4th in their "10 Best B-List Avengers Villains" list,[35] 5th in their "Top 10 She-Hulk Villains" list,[36] 5th in their "10 Strongest Marvel Human Villains" list,[37] 6th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list,[38] 7th in their "Hulk’s 10 Most Powerful Villains" list,[14] 8th in their "Marvel: 10 Villains Who Keep Getting Stronger" list,[39] 9th in their "Thor: 10 Most Dangerous Villains He's Ever Fought" list,[28] and 12th in their "Hulk's 20 Most Powerful Enemies" list.[40]

Other versions

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Age of Apocalypse

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An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-295 appears in Age of Apocalypse. This version works as a prison camp warden in Mexico.[41]

Earth X

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An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-9997 appears in Earth X.[42]

House of M

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An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-58163 appears in House of M. This version is a member of the Hood's Masters of Evil.[43]

JLA/Avengers

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Absorbing Man appears in JLA/Avengers as a brainwashed minion of Krona.[44]

Marvel Apes

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An alternate universe variant of Absorbing Man from Earth-95019 appears in Marvel Apes. This version is a mandrill called Absorbing Mandrill and a member of the Master Brotherhood of Evil Apes.[45]

Marvel Zombies

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A zombified alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-2149 appears in Marvel Zombies.[46]

Old Man Logan

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An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-807128 appears in Old Man Logan.[47][48]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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The Absorbing Man was featured in several scrapped scripts for Hulk, with one seeing him being reimagined as computer engineer Robert Creel.[58][59]

Video games

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Notes

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  1. ^ In Marvel comics, the term "mutate" is used as a noun to designate characters that received superpowers from an external source, as opposed to Marvel's mutants.

References

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  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ Immortal Hulk #8
  3. ^ Gamma Flight #1–5
  4. ^ Dodge, John (June 28, 2022). "Thor Finds a New Way to Defeat a One of His Oldest Marvel Villains". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  5. ^ Corley, Shaun (July 25, 2021). "A Small-Time MCU Villain Just Got a Major Upgrade in The Comics". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 1–2. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  7. ^ Thomas, Leah Marilla (September 30, 2014). "Who Is "Absorbing Man" Carl Creel? 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New Villain Has a Comic History with Thor". Bustle. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Mullicane, Evan (August 17, 2020). "Hulk's Greatest Threat is a Leveled-Up MCU Villain". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Donohoo, Timothy (December 8, 2021). "How Marvel's Worst Movie Villain (and Forgotten TV Thug) Became a Hulk-Level Hero". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  10. ^ Jim Steele (1 June 2008). HCA Comics and Original Comic Art Auction Catalog #829. Heritage Capital Corporation. pp. 159–. ISBN 978-1-59967-276-2.
  11. ^ Magnett, Chase (April 4, 2018). "8 Reasons Why We Loved 'Black Bolt'". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  12. ^ Carter, Justin (January 4, 2018). "Marvel's Black Bolt Actually Made the Absorbing Man Matter". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  13. ^ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 107. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  14. ^ a b Avina, Anthony (November 28, 2019). "Marvel: The Hulk's 10 Most Powerful Villains, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Journey into Mystery #114 (March 1965)
  16. ^ Comtois, Pierre (2015). Marvel Comics in the 1960s: An Issue by Issue Field Guide to a Pop Culture Phenomenon. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-60549-016-8.
  17. ^ Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-1605490557.
  18. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  19. ^ Secret Wars #11 (March 1985)
  20. ^ The Avengers #270-275 (August 1986 - January 1987)
  21. ^ Lethal Legion #1–3 (August - October 2009)
  22. ^ Fear Itself #2 (July 2011)
  23. ^ Avengers Academy #15 (August 2011)
  24. ^ Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha one-shot (May 2016)
  25. ^ Illuminati #6 (June 2016)
  26. ^ The Immortal Hulk #9 (January 2019)
  27. ^ Immortal Hulk #47 (August 2021)
  28. ^ a b Harth, David (February 28, 2021). "Thor: 10 Most Dangerous Villains He's Ever Fought". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  29. ^ The Avengers #184 (July 1979)
  30. ^ The Incredible Hulk #456-457 (September–October 1997)
  31. ^ Secret Wars #7 (November 1984)
  32. ^ Atchison, Drew (May 1, 2021). "Hulk's Main Comic Book Villains, Ranked Lamest To Coolest". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  33. ^ Harth, David (October 2, 2021). "10 Strongest Marvel Henchmen, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  34. ^ Avina, Anthony (September 9, 2019). "10 Villains Fans Hope To See In Marvel's She-Hulk Series". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  35. ^ Harth, David (August 4, 2022). "The 10 Best B-List Avengers Villains, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  36. ^ Gaudreau, Jared (February 23, 2022). "The Top 10 She-Hulk Villains, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  37. ^ Harth, David (July 4, 2021). "10 Strongest Marvel Human Villains, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  38. ^ Lealos, Shawn S. (September 16, 2018). "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  39. ^ Harth, David (April 3, 2022). "Marvel: 10 Villains Who Keep Getting Stronger". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  40. ^ Morelli, Trevor (January 17, 2019). "The Definitive Ranking Of The Hulk's 20 Most Powerful Enemies". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  41. ^ Tales from the Age of Apocalypse #1 (December 1996)
  42. ^ Universe X #3 (October 2000)
  43. ^ House of M: Masters of Evil #1 (December 2009)
  44. ^ JLA/Avengers #4 (February 2004)
  45. ^ Marvel Apes: Amazing Spider-Monkey Special (June 2009)
  46. ^ Marvel Zombies 3 #3 (February 2009)
  47. ^ Wolverine (vol. 3) #67 (September 2008)
  48. ^ Wolverine (vol. 3) #70 (February 2009)
  49. ^ a b c d e f g h "Absorbing Man Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 28, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  50. ^ "Make Mine Marvel: The 1990s Hulk Cartoon". Marvel.com. January 26, 2009. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  51. ^ "Marvel Animation Age Presents: The Avengers: United They Stand," Marvel Toonzone. Retrieved November 3, 2016
  52. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 21, 2014). "'Agents of SHIELD' Casts Villain Absorbing Man". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  53. ^ Ching, Albert (August 21, 2014). ""Agents of SHIELD" Season Premiere to Introduce the Absorbing Man". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  54. ^ Raymond, Charles Nicholas (February 14, 2018). "Absorbing Man Returns In New Agents of SHIELD Episode". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  55. ^ Nicholson, Max (April 8, 2015). "Jeph Loeb Confirms Daredevil's Connection to an Agents of SHIELD Villain". IGN. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  56. ^ Steinbeiser, Andrew (April 8, 2015). "Marvel Confirms Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Connection". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  57. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (May 6, 2025). "'Marvel's Iron Man and His Awesome Friends' Assembles Villainous Voice Stars". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  58. ^ "Hulk screenplay by John Turman".
  59. ^ "UGO". Archived from the original on 2008-10-15.
  60. ^ "NYCC 2013: Marvel Adds More Characters To LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES Game". Newsarama. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  61. ^ Crecente, Brian (October 12, 2013). "Lego Marvel Super Heroes demo coming next week". Polygon. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  62. ^ Hashimoto, Marika (January 9, 2023). "Marvel Contest of Champions v37.2 Release Notes Introduce the Masters of Evil". Marvel.com. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  63. ^ Gose, Lance (January 10, 2023). "Marvel Contest of Champions Announces Baron Zemo and Absorbing Man, Roadmap for 2023". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  64. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (August 14, 2017). "Best iPhone Game Updates: 'Hearthstone', 'Marvel Future Fight', 'Dungeons of Chaos', 'Panmorphia', and More". TouchArcade.
  65. ^ "Characters". IGN Database. 6 January 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  66. ^ "Weekly Blog: The Masters of Evil". Marvel Strike Force. January 19, 2023.
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