| Absorbing Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Journey into Mystery #114 (March 1965)[1] |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Carl "Crusher" Creel |
| Species | Human mutate[a] |
| Team affiliations | Masters of Evil They Who Wield Power Astonishing Avengers Legion Accursed Lethal Legion Worthy Gamma Flight[2][3] |
| Partnerships | Titania |
| Notable aliases | Lightningbolt Greithoth Rocky Davis Red Dog Harold |
| Abilities |
|
TheAbsorbing Man (Carl "Crusher"Creel) is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerStan Lee and writer-artistJack Kirby, the character first appeared inJourney into Mystery #114 (cover dated March 1965), in theSilver Age of Comic Books.[4][5] Carl Creel has the power to absorb and become any material he touched.[6][7][8] Originally asupervillain, in later years, he has reformed into more of anantihero.[9]
Since his original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, includingvideo games,animatedtelevision series, and merchandise such astrading cards. He appears in theMarvel Cinematic Universe TV seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed byBrian Patrick Wade.
The Absorbing Man debuted inJourney into Mystery #114 (March 1965), and was created byStan Lee andJack Kirby.[10] He appeared in the 2017Black Bolt series, bySaladin Ahmed.[11][12]
Carl "Crusher" Creel was a boxer and jailed criminal who becomes the Absorbing Man when he drinks a liquid which the Asgardian godLoki laced with a mystical potion.[13][14] Discovering that he could absorb the properties of anything he touched, Creel escapes prison by absorbing metal from the guards' bullets and goes on to battleThor.[15] When he escapes, he takes with him the ball and chain to which he was shackled, and uses the ball and chain as a weapon. Although he is only mortal, Creel's fantastic abilities make him a worthy opponent for Thor, who is later forced to end the battle due to Loki's kidnapping ofJane Foster.[16] Creel then breaks into a house and attacks the occupants. Thor comes to the rescue and tricks Creel into changing his atomic structure into pure helium. Thor accomplishes this by using his hammer's powers to transform the ground's molecular makeup. As Creel is acquiring additional mass from direct contact with the Earth when this happens, he drifts harmlessly into the atmosphere.[17][18]
A short time later, Loki retrieves Creel from space using Asgardian technology after he has knocked out an Asgardian warlock and sends Creel back to battle Thor. After Creel is nearly beaten due to Thor's fighting skill, Loki transports him to Asgard and reveals the true source of his "absorbing" powers. After being humbled by Loki, Creel agrees to act as his agent, and he is directed to take over the city. The Absorbing Man defeats the Asgardian legions without too much trouble and eventually confronts Odin himself. Creel absorbs Odin's attacks and then the properties of Asgard itself, hoping to rule the universe, and he towers over Odin as Loki arrives to gloat. Thor is ordered by Odin not to keep attacking. Loki and Creel are then beaten by trickery; once given Odin's Rod of Rulership the two quarrel over it, with the Absorbing Man trying to absorb the rod, and the two find that they cannot let go. Odin then advises them that his power lies not in a mere object, but deep within himself. The pair are then banished into outer space.[19][20]
The Absorbing Man eventually returns on a comet and battles theHulk. Bruce Banner had been sent to divert the comet, as it was feared it was radioactive, but the Absorbing Man leaped aboard and began absorbing the Hulk's strength. He tries to bury the Hulk under a mountain, but when the Hulk turns back to human form, the Absorbing Man is unable to support the great weight and was buried.[21]
However, Creel goes on to battle many other heroes, such as theAvengers,[22]Daredevil,[23] theDazzler,[24] the Hulk,[25] andSpider-Man.[26] He is one of the villains who participates in the Secret Wars, and also develops a romantic relationship with the super-strong villainessTitania.[27] The pair also join the reformed fourth version of theMasters of Evil.[28] Creel has several more battles with Thor[29] (and theEric Masterson Thor)[30] and a skirmish with the cosmic heroQuasar.[31] Although he assistedCrossbones in a plan to attackCaptain America, when Absorbing Man learned that Crossbones intended to detonate a bomb in New York, he absorbed the properties ofCaptain America's shield to contain the blast, declaring that he was not a murderer.[32]
Creel is later incarcerated in an experimental prison called the Big House, where all prisoners are shrunken viaHank Pym's "Pym Particles". An escape attempt is thwarted byShe-Hulk.[33]
The Absorbing Man escapes prison and allies with theOwl as an enforcer,[34] but finds himself opposed by Spider-Man and new heroEthan Edwards (later revealed to be a disguisedSkrull). He is briefly trapped and converted into a new form of cocaine by one of the Owl's operatives when they become frustrated with his unprofessional approach,[35] with the new drug briefly giving those who snort him a degree of his powers, but he reassembles himself and goes after the Owl for revenge.[36] Spider-Man defeats Creel by tricking him into running a gauntlet where he absorbs multiple objects thrown at him, culminating in Creel absorbing two different chemicals that cause him to explode.[37]
The Absorbing Man later battles and is apparently killed by the hero Sentry during the events ofCivil War.[38] However, he later appears at the funeral ofStilt-Man.[39]
Creel and Titania later come into conflict with the heroine She-Hulk and her Skrull partnerJazinda after they attempt to arrest Creel's cousin Rockwell Davis.[40]
During theDark Reign storyline, Creel joins a new version of theLethal Legion led by theGrim Reaper.[41] After a defeat, Creel escapes prison and absorbs a shard of theCosmic Cube.[42]
The Absorbing Man suffers a setback when villainNorman Osborn uses an enchanted sword—provided by Loki—to remove his absorbing powers completely.[43]
Creel is also revealed to be the father of the heroStonewall.[44]
Creel regains his powers and stormsAvengers Tower to recover his ball and chain. He is defeated by Avengers' coordinatorsMaria Hill,Sharon Carter, andVictoria Hand after absorbing the latter's cold.[45]
During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Creel and Titania encounter two of the divine hammers that contain the essences of the Worthy, generals to Odin's brother and adversary,Cul Borson. Coming into contact with the hammers, Titania and Creel were transformed into Skirn: Breaker of Men[46] and Greithoth: Breaker of Wills,[47] respectively. They later went on a rampage depicted in a number ofFear Itself tie-in issues, most prominentlyAvengers Academy #15–19 andIron Man 2.0 #5–6, as well as that storyline's core miniseries.
During the "AXIS" storyline, Absorbing Man appears as a member of Magneto's unnamed supervillain group during the fight againstRed Skull'sRed Onslaught form.[48] He is briefly converted to heroism when everyone on the island experiences a moral inversion asDoctor Doom andScarlet Witch attempt to bring out theCharles Xavier in Red Skull, joining the new Astonishing Avengers assembled by Steve Rogers and Spider-Man to oppose the inverted heroes.[49] Absorbing Man later reverts to villainy when the inversion is undone.[50]
When Absorbing Man and Titania were robbing an armored car, thefemale Thor appeared to thwart their plans. Upon meeting the female Thor, Creel mocked her for being a woman and for having taken Thor's name for herself, which she answered by breaking his jaw. Titania then appeared to confront her but, in respect for what she was doing, she knocked out her husband with his own weapon and surrendered.[51]
During the "Secret Wars" storyline of 2015, Absorbing Man is among the villains attendingKingpin's viewing party of the incursion betweenEarth-616 andEarth-1610.[52]
During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Absorbing Man was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D. UsingKobik, S.H.I.E.L.D. transformed Absorbing Man into a man named Harold.[53] During his time as Harold, Absorbing Man ran an ice cream parlor and was in love with Sheriff Eva. WhenHelmut Zemo andFixer restored the memories of the inmates, Absorbing Man joined in on their uprising withWhirlwind.Illuminati membersHood andTitania arrived at Pleasant Hill to retrieve Absorbing Man. Although he was shaken from having a S.H.I.E.L.D.-induced normal life, Absorbing Man sides with the Illuminati as they work to assemble the other inmates to get revenge on S.H.I.E.L.D.[54]
In the "Secret Empire" storyline, Absorbing Man is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil.[55]
At some point, Absorbing Man was imprisoned in a deep space torture prison. He was defeated byBlack Bolt in combat.[56] Absorbing Man later made an acquaintance with Black Bolt and fellow inmates Blinky,Metal Master, and Raava.[57] Upon taking in Black Bolt's sonic scream, Absorbing Man seemingly sacrifices himself to help destroy the torture prison's Jailer, enabling Black Bolt and the other inmates to escape.[58] Later, Titania visits Parkwood Cemetery, where Absorbing Man suddenly emerges from his grave.[59] Absorbing Man and Titania helped Black Bolt fight a Jailer-possessed Blinky until they managed to drive Jailer out of him.[60]
After Absorbing Man was imprisoned for another crime, his lawyer convinced him to join the U.S. Hulk Operations as an alternative to getting incarcerated for life. He gets injected with a Bannerman Gene-Enhancement Package that turned him into a gamma mutate able to absorb gamma radiation, at the cost of turning his skin a bright red color. When Absorbing Man - under the alias ofRed Dog - fought Hulk at Los Diablos Missile Base, an entity, theOne Below All entered his body after he absorbed most of the Hulk's gamma energy. The One Below All taunted Red Dog's astral body before ripping his physical one in half.[61] Absorbing Man, still controlled by The One Below All, continues fighting Hulk. Absorbing Man ran off when Jackie McGee,Walter Langkowski, andPuck showed up. When the One Below All successfully opened the door to the Below Place, the lowest point of Hell, the entirety of New Mexico gets transported there as Absorbing Man weeps.[62] With the help of Puck, Creel was able to transfer the gamma energy he had absorbed back into Hulk, who used his thunder clap to disperse the One Below All's cloud form and transport New Mexico back to Earth. Creel has since been freed of the One Below All's influence, having transferred the gamma radiation back to the Hulk, joiningGamma Flight in the process.[3]
Carl Creel has the ability to mimic the matter or strength of anything nearby or anyone he is near.[63][64] 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'smagic potion took effect (for example, if Creel touches the metaltitanium, 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).[65] His body was able to reform itself after being broken or damaged,[66] especially a severed arm whichWolverine cuts off during theSecret Wars.[67]
Absorbing Man is also shown to wield aball and chain when in battle.[63]
Drew Atchison ofScreen 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."[68]Comic Book Resources ranked Absorbing Man 3rd in their "10 Strongest Marvel Henchmen" list,[69] 4th in their "10 Villains Fans Hope To See In Marvel’s She-Hulk Series" list,[70] 4th in their "10 Best B-List Avengers Villains" list,[71] 5th in their "Top 10 She-Hulk Villains" list,[72] 5th in their "10 Strongest Marvel Human Villains" list,[73] 6th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list,[74] 7th in their "Hulk’s 10 Most Powerful Villains" list,[75] 8th in their "Marvel: 10 Villains Who Keep Getting Stronger" list,[76] 9th in their "Thor: 10 Most Dangerous Villains He's Ever Fought" list,[64] and 12th in their "Hulk's 20 Most Powerful Enemies" list.[77]
An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-295 appears inAge of Apocalypse. This version works as a prison camp warden in Mexico.[78]
An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-9997 appears inEarth X.[79]
An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-58163 appears inHouse of M. This version is a member of theHood'sMasters of Evil.[80]
Absorbing Man appears inJLA/Avengers as a brainwashed minion ofKrona.[81]
An alternate universe variant of Absorbing Man from Earth-95019 appears inMarvel Apes. This version is amandrill calledAbsorbing Mandrill and a member of the Master Brotherhood of Evil Apes.[82]
An alternate version of Carl Creel appears in theMarvel Zombies reality. Carl Creel is a zombie working for the zombieKingpin. He battles the interloperMachine Man while in stone form. He is tricked into absorbing the weak physicality of the zombieKarnak and Machine Man swiftly destroys his head.[83]
An alternate version of Carl Creel appears on Earth-807128 during the originalOld Man Logan storyline. An elderlyHawkeye reveals to Logan that Absorbing Man andMagneto were responsible for killingThor.[84] A flashback also showed thatMysterio used an illusion of him amongst other villains to trickWolverine into killing his fellow X-Men.[85] It is revealed on a map that a group modeled after Absorbing Man called the Creel Gang operates in Georgia.[86]
In the pages of "Old Man Logan" during the "Dead Man Logan" storyline, some of Absorbing Man's history remains on Earth-21923. Old Man Logan was ambushed by the Creel Gang in Georgia upon his return to Earth-21923 in light of the power vacuum caused by the deaths ofRed Skull andHulk. They are shown to be bald-headed, wear striped prison pants, and wield ball and chains. Logan was able to fight them off.[87]
Absorbing Man was among the villains that laid a trap for the young heroes in Osborn City. They were killed by the insects that were summoned by Dwight Barrett's Ant-Man helmet.[88]
The Absorbing Man was featured in several scrapped scripts forHulk, with one seeing him being reimagined as computer engineerRobert Creel.[98][99]
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