Created by writer Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #114 (cover dated March 1965), in the Silver Age of Comic Books.

[9] Since his original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, including video games, animated television series, and merchandise such as trading cards.

He appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed by Brian Patrick Wade.

[11][12] Carl "Crusher" Creel was a boxer and jailed criminal who becomes the Absorbing Man when he drinks a liquid which the Asgardian god Loki laced with a mystical potion.

Although he is only mortal, Creel's fantastic abilities make him a worthy opponent for Thor, who is later forced to end the battle due to Loki's kidnapping of Jane Foster.

After Creel is nearly beaten due to Thor's fighting skill, Loki transports him to Asgard and reveals the true source of his "absorbing" powers.

[33] The Absorbing Man escapes prison and allies with the Owl as an enforcer,[34] but finds himself opposed by Spider-Man and new hero Ethan Edwards (later revealed to be a disguised Skrull).

[45] During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Creel and Titania encounter two of the divine hammers that contain the essences of the Worthy, generals to Odin's brother and adversary, Cul Borson.

They later went on a rampage depicted in a number of Fear Itself tie-in issues, most prominently Avengers Academy #15–19 and Iron Man 2.0 #5–6, as well as that storyline's core miniseries.

[48] He is briefly converted to heroism when everyone on the island experiences a moral inversion as Doctor Doom and Scarlet Witch attempt to bring out the Charles Xavier in Red Skull, joining the new Astonishing Avengers assembled by Steve Rogers and Spider-Man to oppose the inverted heroes.

[54] In the "Secret Empire" storyline, Absorbing Man is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil.

[56] Absorbing Man later made an acquaintance with Black Bolt and fellow inmates Blinky, Metal Master, and Raava.

[59] Absorbing Man and Titania helped Black Bolt fight a Jailer-possessed Blinky until they managed to drive Jailer out of him.

[60] After Absorbing Man was imprisoned for another crime, his lawyer convinced him to join the U.S. Hulk Operations as an alternative to getting incarcerated for life.

When the One Below All successfully opened the door to the Below Place, the lowest point of Hell, the entirety of New Mexico gets transported there as Absorbing Man weeps.

While in different alternate forms, he still maintains his intellect, capacity for speech, and full physical movement (although his first attempt at absorbing water temporarily cost Creel's sanity when he tried to keep himself from drifting apart in the ocean).

There seems to be almost no limit to what Creel absorbs, as he have mimicked the properties of bronze;[68] Odin's Cosmic Bolt and later cyclonic storm;[69] diamond;[70] glass;[71] light;[24] rock, silk, soil;[72] spikes;[73] steel;[63] Thor's uru hammer Mjolnir;[74] water;[65] and even the whole realm of Asgard itself,[69] although draining the Sentry's energies proved too much for Creel, causing him to become overloaded with it and nearly killing him.

[75] Drew Atchison of Screen Rant included Absorbing Man their "Hulk's Main Comic Book Villains, Ranked Lamest To Coolest" list, writing, "Teaming up with the Inhuman king, Black Bolt, to siding with Gamma Flight to take on the Immortal Hulk, Carl's been through a lot and deserves to return to the MCU.

[85] An alternate universe variant of Carl Creel from Earth-58163 appears in House of M. This version is a member of the Hood's Masters of Evil.

[92][93][94] The Absorbing Man was featured in several scrapped scripts for Hulk, with one seeing him being reimagined as computer engineer Robert Creel.