The Abominable showman

The Hulk is ugly. He's brutal. He's grumpy at best — genocidal at his worst. It's easy to feel sympathy for the scriptwriters and directors who have to come up with a bad guy that can be even worse than this hero.

In this case though, one feels both sympathy and admiration. The Abomination, Tim Roth's special agent-turned-into-a-behemoth (part tyrannosaurus, part Skeletor), is not only a scene-stealer; he almost gets viewers to cheer for him when he fights the Hulk before he has even morphed.

In the original Hulk comic books, the Abomination is pea coloured himself a glib reptilian creature that looks (and drools) somewhat like a stump nosed version of the
alien from Sigourney Weaver's space series.

The producers of The Incredible Hulk downplayed this saurian aspect of the movie's villain, making him a more clunky and changing him into a off-brown muscled skeleton,
somewhat like a skinned Elephant Man, with bones protruding from his chest and back, and giant veins bulging from his exposed muscles.

When he stomps down the streets of Harlem, his footsteps sound like buildings being demolished. His voice makes skyscrapers quake. He's a post-9/11 nightmare on legs.
The back story of the Abomination is kept vaguely intact from the comic books: A former Russian agent called Emil Blonsky has himself injected with Hulk blood, turning him into a more toxic and even-less amiable version of the green gorilla.

Yet Roth who plays the monster does not even need the special effects to steal a scene from his opponent. Early in the movie, before he has morphed into the unrecognisable monster, there is a scene where Roth goes into single combat with the green goliath. He looks puny next to the Hulk, yet he manages to dodge the giant's clunky fists, slip between his legs and glide under his feet. Eventually the Hulk manages to beat Roth down (nobody has told the Hulk to pick on his own size), but I defy anyone to admit they weren't secretly cheering for Blonsky while watching that scene.

Over the years the Abomination has inspired a whole cryptozoology. In the comic books, he returns after his first showdown with the Hulk, poisoning Bruce Banner's
girlfriend and migrating from one comic franchise to the next: getting into scraps with the likes of Spiderman, Wonder-Man and She-Hulk. He eventually undergoes a psychological catharsis. He has a complicated relationship with General Thaddeus Ross.

Much will be made of The Incredible Hulk's ending and the potential it creates for a sequel. Ultimately though, the best hope lies in the possibility no matter how vague that the Abomination might rise again to challenge the Hulk and other Marvel heroes for creature supremacy.

Bad guys should be allowed their franchises as well.