WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Devil's Reign: Villains for Hire #3, available now from Marvel.
Devil's Reign: Villains for Hire #3 -- by Clay McLeod Chapman, Manuel Garcia, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Protobunker's Dono Sanchez-Almara and VC's Joe Sabino -- has just introduced one of the most powerful villains in the entire Marvel Universe as the latest member of Wilson Fisk's Thunderbolts.
Following an explosive attack on Mayor Fisk's latest political rally which very nearly claimed the lives of dozens of innocent civilians, the former Kingpin of Crime has decided that his Thunderbolts, as they stand, are incapable of protecting the city as he sees fit. The optics of the situation, which was brought about when the Thunderbolts' own Electro was mind-controlled into overloading, have also devastated Fisk's public image. Believing the Thunderbolts need to tighten their grip over his enemies, Fisk brings Emil Blonsky, also known as Abomination, out of the shadows as the team's newest and most brutal powerhouse.
First introduced back in 1967's "The Abomination!" by Stan Lee and Gil Cane from the pages of Tales to Astonish #90, Emil Blonsky began his comic book career as a spy who infiltrated the United States military. Blonsky's early missions involved sabotaging various tests at the same Air Force base where Doctor Bruce Banner was carrying out his experiments with Gamma radiation. During one of Banner's attempts to end the threat posed by his hulking alter-ego by using further radiation exposure, Blonsky stepped in. After being bombarded with even more Gamma radiation than Banner had been, Blonsky was transformed into the massively monstrous Abomination.
These events kicked off a decades-long rivalry between Hulk and Abomination that has spanned comics, television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the character is portrayed by Tim Roth. Abomination's appearance as part of Fisk's Thunderbolts marks the villain's first return to action since having been made the focus of Green Spring's operations. He was eventually resurrected through the mutated form of General Reginald Fortean. While Abomination and Green Spring's endeavors were brought to their end by the heroes of Gamma Flight, the villain himself escaped without any real harm.
With the inclusion of Abomination to the ranks of the Thunderbolts, Fisk's supervillain team can make short work hunting down the Purple Children of Zebediaha Killgrave, who the former Kingpin has been desperate to find. Abomination's presence also gives the Thunderbolts an even greater edge against the heroic opposition from former powerhouse team members, such as Aleksei Sytsevich, also known as Rhino.
Devil's Reign: Villains for Hire #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel Comics