So far, Phase 4 of the MCU seems to be all about new beginnings. But an equal theme to that thus far would be darker pasts.
For example, Wanda Maximoff had to relive her most fearful moments of life in WandaVision, and Loki is having to come to terms with who he is on the Sacred Timeline in his Disney+ debut. Even Sam Wilson took on the weight of America's hundreds of years' worth of race issues in America during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier after hearing about Isaiah Bradley's tragic story of trying to serve his country.
It looks like this trend will continue on Disney+ with She-Hulk featuring Abomination, the main antagonist from The Incredible Hulk. But now fans are finding out that they'll get to see the fish-like freak even sooner.
ABOMINATION RETURNS IN NEW SHANG-CHI TRAILER
In a new trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the closing scene included a look at the Abomination, who hasn't been seen or even referenced in an MCU movie since his first-and-only appearance in 2008's The Incredible Hulk.
Sporting new fins along with his jagged spine, Abomination appears to be competing in the underground fighting tournament that's been rumored to appear in Shang-Chi.
In fact, those new fins on the sides of his head give Abomination a much more comic-accurate appearance in his MCU return — a hope many fans had after his initial look in The Incredible Hulk was a near-miss to most.
Abomination appears to be squaring off against a sorcerer — one who looks suspiciously like Doctor Strange's Wong.
The scary part is that Abomination seems to make an easy time out of the sorcerer he's up against, making everyone hope it isn't Wong in that cage.
Watch the trailer here:
WILL ABOMINATION FIGHT SHANG-CHI?
At least he's wearing a loincloth this time, right?
This certainly comes as a surprise as it was only recently confirmed that Abomination would be making an MCU return at all in She-Hulk on Disney+. But what motivation could connect these two projects? And more importantly, how in the world did he escape prison without anyone noticing the Hulk-sized hole in the wall?
Abomination competing in an underground fight club means he's probably trying to prove something. Whether that's to someone else or himself, Emil Blonsky has always been obsessed with trying to defy the physical limits of the human body. Come to think of it, this environment makes perfect sense to a guy like Blonsky. He's probably testing what he's capable of.
It would certainly be an impressive feat if Shang-Chi is able to hold his own against a real-life monster like Abomination. But Simu Liu believes his new MCU hero would have no issue going up against the likes of the Avengers, so this may be where he proves just that.
Chances are fans will see Abomination do well in this tournament since even the Hulk had to break Harlem to stop him. Who knows — maybe he'll be Val's next recruit for her Dark Avengers squad?
