Absorbing Man

The enchanted ball and chain wielded by the Absorbing Man, first seen in Journey into Mystery #114. Like its owner, this weapon can take on the properties of any material it strikes, making it a devastating extension of Creel's own power-copying abilities.

Few villains in Marvel's Silver Age rogues' gallery have proven as stubbornly durable as the Absorbing Man, who crashed onto the scene in 1965's Journey into Mystery #121, conjured by the legendary partnership of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Over six decades — 189 catalog appearances and counting, with nine of those recognized as key collector issues — this powerhouse has remained a fixture of Marvel's heaviest-hitting corners, appearing most prominently in the pages of Thor and the landmark Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars. He's kept genuinely elite company along the way, sharing adventures with the likes of Thor, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America, which tells you everything about the tier of storytelling he's consistently operated in. If you want a character who embodies the raw, bruising ambition of Marvel's Silver Age and has never stopped mattering, the Absorbing Man is absolutely worth your time.