Jump to content

Absorbing Man: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Line 52: Line 52:


==Other versions==
==Other versions==
===Age of Apocalypse===
In the ''[[Age of Apocalypse]]'' reality, Absorbing Man (alongside [[Diablo (Marvel Comics)|Diablo]]) works as a prison camp warden in Mexico.

===Earth X===
===Earth X===
In the limited series ''[[Earth X]]'', set in the [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternate universe]] Earth-9997, Creel is also capable of absorbing knowledge, and eventually able to remember everything previously absorbed and to display any of these properties at will.<ref>''Earth X'' #0-12 (March 1999 - April 2000)</ref>
In the limited series ''[[Earth X]]'', set in the [[Parallel universe (fiction)|alternate universe]] Earth-9997, Creel is also capable of absorbing knowledge, and eventually able to remember everything previously absorbed and to display any of these properties at will.<ref>''Earth X'' #0-12 (March 1999 - April 2000)</ref>

Revision as of 22:24, 1 April 2011

The Absorbing Man
The Absorbing Man (background) on the cover of Thor #376 (Feb. 1987).
Art by Walt Simonson.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceJourney into Mystery #114 (March 1965)
Created byStan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
Alter egoCarl "Crusher" Creel
Team affiliationsMasters of Evil
They Who Wield Power
Legion Accursed
PartnershipsTitania
Notable aliasesRocky Davis, Lightningbolt
AbilitiesAbility to mimic any form of matter or energy with physical contact

The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #114 (Mar. 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the Absorbing Man has featured in over four decades of Marvel continuity and other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series, video games, and merchandise such as trading cards.

Fictional character biography

Carl "Crusher" Creel was a boxer and jailed criminal who becomes the Absorbing Man when he drinks a liquid which the Asgardian god Loki laced with rare Asgardian ingredients. Discovering that he could absorb the properties of anything he touched, Creel escaped prison by absorbing metal from the guards' bullets and went on to battle Thor. Although he is only mortal, Creel's fantastic abilities make him a match for Thor, who eventually tricks Creel into transforming into helium by using his hammer's powers to transform the ground, which drifts harmlessly into the atmosphere.[1][2]

A short time later, Loki retrieves Creel from space using Asgardian technology and reveals to him how he had obtained his "absorbing" powers. After being humbled by Loki, Creel agrees to act as his agent and attacks Thor on Earth once more. The battle is deadlocked until Loki transports Creel back to Asgard and directs him to take the city. The Absorbing Man defeats the Asgardian legions and eventually confronts Odin himself. Creel absorbs Odin's attacks and then the properties of Asgard itself, and towers over Odin as Loki arrives to gloat. Loki and Creel are then beaten by trickery: once given Odin's Rod of Rulership the two quarrel over it and find 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 to space.[3]

The Absorbing Man eventually returns and goes on to battle many other heroes, such as the Avengers,[4] Daredevil,[5] Dazzler,[6] the Hulk,[7] and Spider-Man.[8] Creel is one of the villains who participates in the Secret Wars, and also develops a relationship with the villainess Titania.[9]

The pair also join the reformed fourth version of the Masters of Evil.[10] Creel has several more battles with Thor[11] (and the Eric Masterson Thor)[12] and a skirmish with cosmic hero Quasar.[13] Creel is later incarcerated in New York's experimental "Ant-Hill" prison, where all prisoners are reduced in size via Hank Pym's "Pym particles". An escape attempt is thwarted by She-Hulk.[14]

The Absorbing Man later battles and is apparently killed by the hero Sentry during the events of Civil War.[15] Creel, however, later appears at the funeral of the villain Stilt-Man.[16]

Creel and Titania later come into conflict with the heroine She-Hulk and her Skrull partner Jazinda after they attempt to arrest Creel's cousin Rockwell "Hi-Lite" Davis.[17]

During the events of Dark Reign, Creel joins a new version of the Lethal Legion led by the Grim Reaper.[18] After a defeat, Creel escapes prison and absorbs a shard of the artifact the Cosmic Cube.[19]

The Absorbing Man suffers a setback when villain Norman Osborn uses an enchanted sword - provided by Loki - to remove his absorbing powers completely.[20]

Creel is also revealed to be the father of the hero Stonewall.[21]

In the Heroic Age, Creel is revealed to have somehow regained his powers. He storms Avengers Tower to recover his ball and chain. He is defeated by Avengers' coordinators Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, and Victoria Hand after absorbing the latter's cold.[22]

Powers and abilities

Courtesy of a magical potion, Crusher Creel has the ability to duplicate the properties of anything he touches - gas, liquid, solid, or even energy sources. This transformation also extends to the clothing and ball and chain that Creel was wearing when the potion took effect (for example, if Creel touches the metal titanium, his body, clothing, and ball and chain would take on the appearance and properties of titanium). If the object is large (e.g., a building), Creel can absorb sufficient mass to attain the same height. Creel also retains his intellect and capacity for speech and full physical movement (although the character's first attempt at absorbing water cost Creel his sanity when he drifted apart)[23] and can reform if his body is damaged in any way whilst in altered form, which he discovered when Wolverine cut his arm off during the Secret Wars and he held it in place as he deactivated his powers.[24]

Creel's overall power increases in direct proportion to the strength of the material absorbed. There appears to be no limit to what Creel can absorb, as he has absorbed the properties of bronze;[25] cocaine;[26] Odin's Cosmic Bolt and later cyclonic storm;[27] diamond;[28] glass;[29] light;[6] rock, silk, soil;[30] spikes;[31] steel;[32] Thor's uru hammer Mjolnir;[33] water;[23] and even the properties of Asgard itself.[27]

Creel is now also capable of combining previously absorbed abilities.[34]

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the Age of Apocalypse reality, Absorbing Man (alongside Diablo) works as a prison camp warden in Mexico.

Earth X

In the limited series Earth X, set in the alternate universe Earth-9997, Creel is also capable of absorbing knowledge, and eventually able to remember everything previously absorbed and to display any of these properties at will.[35]

House of M

Absorbing Man is seen as a member of the Hood's Masters of Evil.[36]

Marvel Zombies

Creel, as a zombie, works for the zombie Kingpin. He battles the interloper Machine Man while in stone form. He is tricked into absorbing the weak physicality of the zombie Karnak and Machine Man swiftly destroys his head.[37]

In other media

Television

  • Absorbing Man appears in the Thor segment of 1966's The Marvel Super Heroes.
  • Absorbing Man appears in The Incredible Hulk episode "They Call Me Mr. Fixit" voiced by Jim Cummings. This version is an enforcer to Miss Allure.
  • Absorbing Man appears in The Avengers: United They Stand episode "Command Decision" voiced by Oliver Becker.
  • Absorbing Man appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episode "Hulk vs the World" voiced by Rick D. Wasserman. In this version, his powers are the result of gamma radiation exposure, and they are far more versatile; After absrobing the right material, he can morph his hands into hammers, and even mould his entire body into a wall-like structure. After ecaping from The Cube (one of the four supervillain prisons on the show), he attacked Bruce Banner, turning him into the Hulk so they could battle. Hulk and Absorbing Man's battle continues in the desert. When Absorbing Man ends up absorbing a rock, Hulk manages to smash him into pieces. Absorbing Man is shown in one piece as he is taken back to the Cube. He later appears in the first proper episode "The Breakout" Pt. 1 fighting the Hulk along side the Abomination after the breakout at The Cube. In "Gamma World" Pt. 2, he was unleashed by Leader to absorb the properties of Mjolnir and joined Abomination into attacking Thor until Hawkeye and Hulk arrived. Thor continued his fight with Absorbing Man and managed to turn the tide on Absorbing Man since Thor can control Mjolnir thus defeating Absorbing Man. The next day, Absorbing Man and Leader were taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody alongside the other Gamma-based supervillains.

Film

  • Absorbing Man also appears in an early script of the 2003 feature film Hulk.[38] Although the name Absorbing Man isn't used in the film, some reviewers have suggested that his powers were combined into the character of Dr. David Banner.[39][40]

Video games

  • Absorbing Man appears in The Incredible Hulk video game.
  • Absorbing Man appears in the PSP, PS2, and Wii version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. He ends up injected with the control nanites when the heroes infiltrate Prison 42 thus causing him to fall under the control of The Fold.

References

  1. ^ Journey Into Mystery #114-115 (March - April 1965)
  2. ^ DeFalco, Tom (2006). The Marvel Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7566-2358-6.
  3. ^ Journey Into Mystery #121-123 (Oct. - Dec. 1965)
  4. ^ Avengers #183-184 (May - June 1979)
  5. ^ Daredevil #360 (Jan. 1997)
  6. ^ a b Dazzler #18 (Aug. 1982)
  7. ^ Hulk #208-209 (Feb. - March 1977), #347-348 (Sep. - Oct. 1988), #457 (Oct. 1997), Hulk Annual #18 (1992)
  8. ^ Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #13 - 18 (June - Nov. 2005)
  9. ^ Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #1 - 12 (May 1984 - April 1985)
  10. ^ Avengers #270, 273 + 275 (Aug. + Nov. 1986 + Jan. 1987)
  11. ^ Thor #375 - 376 (Jan - Feb. 1987); vol. 2, #14 (Aug. 1999)
  12. ^ Thor #446 (April 1992)
  13. ^ Quasar #5 (Dec. 1989)
  14. ^ She-Hulk #10 (Feb. 2005)
  15. ^ Civil War: The Return #1 (Jan. 2007)
  16. ^ Punisher War Journal vol. 2, #4 (April 2007)
  17. ^ She-Hulk vol. 2, #22 - 23 (Nov. - Dec. 2007)
  18. ^ Lethal Legion #1 - 3 (Aug. - Oct. 2009)
  19. ^ Mighty Avengers #32 (Dec. 2009)
  20. ^ Mighty Avengers #33 (Jan. 2010)
  21. ^ Secret Warriors #12 (Jan. 2010)
  22. ^ Age of Heroes #3
  23. ^ a b Avengers #184 (July 1979)
  24. ^ Secret Wars #7 November 1984
  25. ^ Journey into Mystery #114 (April 1965)
  26. ^ Marvel Knights Spider-Man #16 (Sep. 2005)
  27. ^ a b Journey Into Mystery #123 (Dec. 1965)
  28. ^ Daredevil #360 (July 1997)
  29. ^ Journey Into Mystery #121 (Oct. 1965)
  30. ^ Journey Into Mystery #115 (April 1965)
  31. ^ Journey Into Mystery #122 (Nov. 1965)
  32. ^ Journey Into Mystery #114 (March 1965)
  33. ^ Thor #376 (Feb. 1987)
  34. ^ She-Hulk vol. 2, #23 (Dec. 2007)
  35. ^ Earth X #0-12 (March 1999 - April 2000)
  36. ^ House of M: Masters of Evil #1
  37. ^ Marvel Zombies 3 #3 (2009)
  38. ^ Dayna Van Buskirk. "Feature Article: The Lost "Hulk" - David Hayter's Draft". UGO. Retrieved 2007-12-03.[dead link‍]
  39. ^ Daniel James Wood. "Elements of Classical Mythology in Ang Lee's Hulk". The Film Journal. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  40. ^ Bill Warren (August 1, 2007). "Hulk". AVRev. Retrieved August 30, 2010.

Absorbing Man at Marvel.com

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Absorbing_Man&oldid=421891794"