The Absorbing Man
Real Name: Carl "Crusher" Creel
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery 114
What's His Problem? An extortionist serving time for assault, Creel escaped from prison after he was superhumanly empowered by Loki, the Asgardian god of mischief, to serve as a pawn against Thor. Enamored of his newfound might, Creel has since battled Thor and many other heroes in his criminal quest for wealth and power as the Absorbing Man.
Powers: Since ingesting an Asgardian herbal potion supplied by Loki, Creel has the power to assume the physical properties of anything he touches. He prefers to absorb the properties of solids, though, since he is sometimes unable to maintain a coherent bodily form in other states. Creel can also vary his size by mimicking the mass of objects he touches--for instance, assuming the stony texture and towering stature of a tall building; this power has limits, though--he once exploded after growing too large in an attempt to absorb the power of the Earth itself. His ball and chain, souvenirs of his prison term, transform along with him and seem virtually indestructible. Creel himself has been smashed, dismembered or otherwise discorporated many times in his various forms, but he always manages to eventually reintegrate his mass and resume human form.
Favorite Quote: "That's it! I can't take this no more! The fightin' ain't bad, but I can't stand gettin' beat!" (Avengers 184. An exhausted Creel, fed up with his unsuccessful life of crime and intent on fleeing to Central America, is further disenchanted with super-villainy after a humbling bout with the Avengers.)
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: Absorbing Man has fought Thor, the Hulk and the Avengers many times over the years. He's also tussled with Dazzler, Black Bolt, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thunderstrike, Daredevil, and even the all-powerful Odin himself! The guy's got more guts than brains...
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Creel's closest friend is his other ball-and-chain, the super-strong villainess Titania, whom he married. They met and fell in love while serving in Doctor Doom's Secret Wars army, and have since served as members of two incarnations of the Masters of Evil. Many members of that group showed up for Creel's wedding, including the Wrecker, who served as best man. The couple have toyed with reforming, and Absorbing Man was fairly friendly with Thor and Thunderstrike during one such period, but these fits of conscience usually prove brief.
Most Despicable Act: The Absorbing Man once helped the Masters of Evil invade and occupy Avengers Mansion, and he was among the Masters who then beat a drugged and outnumbered Hercules nearly to death. On top of that, Creel and Titania sank low enough to try to finish the comatose Hercules off in his hospital bed shortly thereafter. Finding true love obviously hasn't made them go soft...
by Sean McQuaid
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