We first met Emil Blonsky in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, and after transforming into Abomination, he was soundly defeated by the Jade Giant (though he did push Bruce Banner to his limits). Aside from a brief mention in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - which may or may not be canon - we didn't see the villain again until Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Now, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is elaborating on that cameo and focusing on Jennifer Walters' attempts to free the seemingly reformed monster from prison.
He's currently being held in the Department of Damage Control's Supermax prison, though soon looks set to be back on the streets after he was granted parole. However, actor Tim Roth has now revealed that Marvel Studios once had very different plans in mind for Abomination.
"I remember talking to Kevin [Feige] on set of [The Incredible Hulk] and Stan Lee as well," Roth tells IGN. "The idea was that they locked him up in a steel vault and sank it to the bottom of the ocean and left it there. So that when you found it at the beginning of whatever film that might have been. That's where you found him. And he'd had time to think. About what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go."
"In a sense they kind of did it in She-Hulk. He's in isolation, dealing with his inner monster and he's been in a bubble in a maximum security [prison] in total isolation, for many years," the actor continued. "So now what do we get? Who is he? And the journey he goes on will possibly dance around the knife edge of 'is he or isn't he [reformed]?' And I know I had some fun with him."
This would have been fun to see, especially as you have to believe Abomination would have emerged more twisted and unhinged than ever. For now, it looks like he may have actually put his evil ways behind him, though we're expecting Blonsky to show his true colours at some point by betraying Jen's trust (failing that, we'd be shocked if he doesn't end up joining the Thunderbolts).
The first three episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are now streaming on Disney+.