Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings featured a couple of classic MCU characters we never thought we’d see again – namely, Sir Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery and, in a much smaller role, Abomination. The Incredible Hulk villain had been absent from the MCU since 2008, but he made a surprising return in the recent movie, and he’s set to return once more in a bigger capacity in Disney Plus’ She-Hulk TV series.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter to promote his new film Sundown, actor Tim Roth opened up about what it was like to return to the role of Emil Blonsky 13 years after originating it. Roth revealed that he agreed to return for the show, which stars Tatiana Maslany in the title role, because he thought it would be “fun”. However, he admitted to struggling to get into character at first – before watching the Green Goliath himself, Mark Ruffalo, at work.
“I did The Incredible Hulk [playing Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination] years ago, just because I thought my kids would be embarrassed by it,” Roth recalled. “I did it for them and I really enjoyed making it. So when they came to me and said: “We’re adapting the She-Hulk thing. Can you come back as that character again?” I was like, sure. It should be fun. I was very surprised though because it was difficult at first. It was only when Mark Ruffalo came in to shoot his stuff [reprising his role as Bruce Banner] that I went: “Oh, that’s how you do it! With a sense of humor!”
Abomination appeared in a brief cameo in Shang-Chi as one of the participants in the Golden Dagger Club tournament, battling the sorcerer Wong in a cage fight. However, the pair seemed to be on good terms as they left the club together after the match, returning to New York through the latter’s portal. The character was given a visual overhaul for this cameo, bringing him in line with his comic book counterpart. Hopefully we’ll get some explanation for both his physical transformation and his peculiar partnership with Wong in She-Hulk.
Roth is presumed to feature in a sizeable role in the series, though he’s not believed to be the main villain. That will be Jameela Jamil’s Titania, Shulkie’s arch-enemy in the source material. The show is being plugged as a half-hour legal comedy, so expect just as much focus on Jennifer Walters’ day-job as her superheroing. She-Hulk is due to hit Disney Plus in 2022.