The Avengers: What If The Abomination Had Been Recruited

Hulk was a reluctant member of the first Avengers team, but what would have happened in The Avengers if Abomination joined the team instead? After launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios quickly began speeding towards an epic Avengers movie. Solo films for Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, and Thor set the stage for the crossover, with Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye appearing in supporting roles before.

The foundation for the Avengers was laid with Iron Man's post-credits scene where Fury talked to Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative. Robert Downey Jr. then returned for a stinger on The Incredible Hulk to discuss the team that Fury was assembling. It wasn't until 2012's The Avengers that Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Hulk came together to save the world. For most of them, this came after they already played a part in stopping a few super-villains along the way. While Loki returned to be the main foe of The Avengers, there was a chance that a former villain was going to be fighting alongside the Avengers.

Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) became the main villain of The Incredible Hulk after going through multiple experiments so he was better equipped to fight Hulk. Thunderbolt Ross injected him with a prototype of the super-soldier serum for starters, but that wasn't enough. Blonsky then forced Samuel Sterns to put some of Bruce Banner's gamma-radiated blood in his system. The combination of the super-soldier serum and Bruce's blood turned Blonsky into Abomination. It ultimately still wasn't enough power as he was defeated by Hulk and detained by SHIELD. Abomination hasn't returned since The Incredible Hulk, but the MCU would look quite different if he were on the Avengers.

The World Security Council Wanted Blonsky

MCU Phase 1 Fights Hulk vs. Abomination Cropped

When it came time to begin assembling a team that would become the Avengers, Fury was not the only one who had a say in who would get a spot. The Avengers showed that the World Security Council has some say over SHIELD's activities, including picking the first Avengers roster. Choosing Captain America was a no-brainer, but even Tony Stark was deemed too big of a risk. However, that didn't stop the World Security Council from wanting Abomination on the roster.

During the Marvel One-Shot The Consultant, Phil Coulson reveals that the World Security Council wants Abomination on the Avengers. SHIELD locked him away in a top-secret cryo-cell inside the Vault after his defeat by Hulk's hands. Although SHIELD knows of Blonsky's deeper (and more evil) desires, the World Security Council saw a hero. They wanted to free him from SHIELD's clutches and make him one of the world's biggest heroes. Instead of this request being approved, Tony Stark was sent to the World Security Council to talk them out of the situation and get Ross to oppose the idea. But, if Tony had failed to do either, Abomination might very well have been on the team.

Blonsky Considered Himself A Hero

Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky in The Incredible Hulk

The World Security Council wouldn't be alone in viewing Blonsky as a hero, as he would undoubtedly share the same belief. The former British Royal Marine spent most of his life fighting bad guys, and he enjoyed it, maybe a little too much. Blonsky refused promotions to get out of the field so he could continue fighting on the front lines. As he said in The Incredible Hulk, someone with his mind and experience but in a younger, more powerful body would be quite a protector. That is the role Blonsky believes he fills once he begins getting enhancements. If he were asked to join a team of other enhanced or extremely skilled heroes, Blonsky would surely say yes.

Not only was Blonsky a hero in his eyes and others, but Hulk was still largely viewed as a villain prior to The Avengers. Thunderbolt Ross had a personal vendetta against him and the attack Culver University further framed Hulk as a threat. While Hulk was a rogue science experiment funded by America, the Abomination could be sold as an ally and an insurance policy in case Hulk ever returned. Coulson might have recommended Hulk for the Avengers, but not everyone shared his optimistic view of Hulk's potential. If most people in the MCU were convinced Abomination's battle in Harlem was only to try and defeat Hulk, then he'd be a much better selection to be on the team from a PR perspective.

Abomination's Rampage Would Have Unbalanced The Battle Of New York

Abomination would have no problem agreeing to be on the team, but what he would do as part of the Avengers is a different story. Blonsky repeatedly proved in The Incredible Hulk that he won't take orders from anyone after getting powers. He might play nice at first to get on the team, but when push comes to shove, it is difficult to imagine Abomination following the commands of Captain America or Iron Man in battle. Hulk managed to do his job during the Battle of New York and smash any Chitauri aliens in sight, but Abomination may have been even more reckless.

Instead of the Avengers having to fight a rampaging Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Abomination could've given them a test in their first get together. He could break from the battle plan in order to try and prove he's better than the other Avengers, and he'd likely know he's strong enough that they can't stop him and fight the Chitauri at the same time. Hulk was a bit of a wildcard during the Battle of New York, but Abomination might have become an even bigger one at the end of the day.

It is even possible, if not likely, that Abomination would completely turn on the Avengers and all of humanity. If the events of the Battle of New York played out somewhat similarly with Abomination, his eventual encounter with Loki could be a turning point. Loki tried to reason with Hulk as a mindless beast, but a different tactic could be taken with Abomination. The god of mischief would know everything he needs to know about Blonsky and could use his quest for power against the Avengers. Loki could seemingly convince Abomination to team-up with him to take down the Avengers and rule Earth together. Loki might even convince him to work for Thanos and conquer a planet of his own. For someone as power-hungry as Blonsky, the prospect of having so much control would likely be too big to pass up. This could even present the World Security Council with an added reason to send a nuke to New York to wipe out the mess they created.

Hulk's Avengers Origin Would Have Been Very Different

Hulk fighting in the Battle of New York in The Avengers

In the event that Abomination was a member of the Avengers, Hulk's role in The Avengers would undoubtedly be different. There is a chance that he wouldn't be part of the movie at all, but that's a missed opportunity for Marvel. Changing the Hulk's role in The Avengers to align with Abomination's involvement isn't too difficult. The proposal would be to save Hulk for the end of the film and play the ultimate role as the hero.

Abomination becoming a villain in the third act of The Avengers would completely unbalance the Battle of New York. The Avengers would have to deal with the Chitauri invasion, try to close the Tesseract portal, defeat Loki, and fend off Abomination. Black Widow might be able to still shut down the portal herself and Hawkeye could remain up high to call out patterns, but that leaves Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor to deal with the rest. However, only Thor poses any level of a threat to Abomination, as Iron Man doesn't have a Hulkbuster - or Abominationbuster - armor yet.

With the other Avengers preoccupied or not fit to take on Abomination, Hulk could be brought in to save the day. This would give The Avengers a chance to include a Hulk/Abomination rematch fight, increasing the final battle scale. While the two gamma-infused giants battle it out, the rest of the Avengers can deal with stopping the Chitauri invasion. Once the world was saved and Abomination had been defeated, Hulk could be openly recruited to join the Avengers and be widely viewed as a hero.

Next: Hulk's Future After Avengers: Endgame Explained