7 things to know before watching Swamp Thing on DC Universe
Swamp Thing debuts on May 31 on DC Universe, and we have a few things you should know about the character to prep for the show.
Comic book media is becoming an ever-expansive pop culture commodity. Many superheroes fit into the archetypal hero mold: powerful, often muscular, and they’re typically well-loved and not scary whatsoever. They’re basically like Flex Mentallo — he should be the poster child for superheroes, really. As the reigning platform of dysfunctional teams and unlikely heroes continues to grow, DC Universe adds a new series at the end of the month. To help you get ready for Swamp Thing, we have a few things you should know before watching the horror series.
Beyond Titans, Young Justice: Outsiders, and Doom Patrol, the DC Universe streaming service hosts a continuously growing supply of content. Even before the streaming service, it was hard to keep up with every comic run, canon, expansive multiverse, and ever-changing character development. Seriously, there’s been like seven Robins.
Point is, there’s no one way to be a superhero, particularly in DC Comics and its extended media. For Alec Holland (portrayed by Andy Bean), his rise to heroism sometimes starts with transmuting into a gigantic leafy creature. Other times, that leafy creature envelops his consciousness after he dies. When your wife (Abby Arcane, portrayed by Crystal Reed) has her own meta-human abilities, it adds more oddities to the storyline. If you add your former friend-turned-archnemesis (Matt Cable, portrayed by Henderson Wade), that only complicates your superhero narrative even more. We never said it was easy being green.
As fellow nerds, we’ve crafted some points that might help refresh your memory on all things Swamp Thing, or at least most things swampy. And if you’re new to the fandom, hopefully, this list will make you feel connected to the Green (even if you are a fauna-based lifeform).
1. Scary creatures lurk in the swamp
The human experience and environmentalist define Alec Holland’s version of Swamp Thing. But, horror saturates his character. With a noteworthy horror aficionado like James Wan helming the series as the executive producer, we already have goosebumps.
Since the comics and like the series are based on some swamp-filled suspense, the main character might be a superhero, but the tone still reads like a campy horror flick. Eerily reminiscent of John Carpenter’s The Thing, the trailer gives us a chilling preview of the horror to come. And, no, the horror themes in Doom Patrol haven’t even begun to prepare you for what’s to come.
2. Swamp Thing is not a monster
Many people, flora creatures, and all the somethings in between have risen to the ranks of the titular elemental hero. However, the only thing that makes Swamp Thing a hero isn’t his foliage. It’s his environmentalism and passion to preserve and protect the Green. He brings balance to the Earth’s ecosystem.
Swamp Thing and anyone who holds that mantle (as well as many of the other elementals) are the eco-heroes we need. (Especially since our real world is an environmental catastrophe and it will start dying if we don’t reverse our impact on it soon.)
3. The Green
Elemental forces interweave all flora life on Earth (and the Earths of other dimensions). The connecting force of all flora: The Green. As long as there are plants and flora-connected heroes like Swamp Thing and Poison Ivy, then the Green stays healthy and continues to thrive. That’s right: We’ll gladly die on the “Pamela Isley is a hero” hill.
Elementals and other flora-based humans and creatures help maintain the ecological balance, without the Green, there wouldn’t be any plant life.
4. The rise of the modern Swamp Thing
A mythical swamp in Louisiana is the catalyst that fused Alec Holland with the overgrown flora elemental. In fact, the swamp kickstarts a lot of strange catalysts, including Swamp Things of DC Comics’ past. While Swamp Thing predecessors, such as Alec Colin, physically transformed into the Swamp Thing, Alec Holland’s consciousness is the only thing that survived from his swamp-related failed experiments.
The elemental known as Swamp Thing just consumed Holland’s mind and memories while he was dying, so he thinks he’s Holland. In actuality, Swamp Thing is both an elemental and Holland to an extent.
Holland died in his experiment, but because Swamp Thing gained his memories when he entered the swamp, Swamp Thing only thinks he’s Holland, which makes for an extended identity crisis for the defender of the Green.
5. The human side of Swamp Thing
Holland’s official run as Swamp Thing has changed over the years. While his earliest somewhat-run as Swamp Thing started with Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 1, Holland has had other more official runs as Swamp Thing. By “more official,” we mean there are other runs where Alec Holland was officially physically transformed into Swamp Thing, rather than just his memories.
Other DC Comics events and official titular runs showcase the White Lanterns recreating Holland’s body and transforming him into the green giant. Along with similar arcs, Holland’s helmed the Swamp Thing mantle without fusing any part of himself with any elemental predecessors.
On the surface level, Holland and the previous Swamp Things (like Alex Olson and Alec Colin) might look like an overgrown semi-aquatic houseplant. However, Holland is one of the best superheroes because he uses his humanity in conjunction with her drive to protect the Green. Having a meta-human wife and an elemental daughter also help him fortify his bonds to humanity and uphold his environmental mission.
6. Powers
In any incarnation, Swamp Things’ abilities come from the Green. As long as the Green is around and thriving, he is also pseudo-immortal. If there are plants around and if climate change doesn’t destroy the world, Swamp Thing can live theoretically forever, especially since it’s tough to hurt or kill him.
He holds several heightened abilities and powers thanks to his elemental status. But, the main force behind Swamp Thing is his elemental control. Meaning he can control flora-based life and contort plants into restraints, weapons, and even turn them into sentries. Beyond that, he packs a heck of a punch because his strength is connected to the Earth and the Green. So, the healthier the Earth is, the stronger Swamp Thing becomes.
7. Suggested reading
Comparative to all things elemental, green, and borderline mythical, we aren’t even knee-deep in the swamp yet. Don’t worry though, we have a few suggested Swamp Thing comics and cameos that can help you at least attempt to prepare for the unpredictable DC Universe show. Plus, we have some suggestions if you want to read beyond Alec Holland’s run as Swamp Thing:
- House of Secrets (1971) #92
- Swamp Thing (1972)
- Saga of the Swamp Thing (1998)
- Swamp Thing: Roots (1998)
- Swamp Thing: Love in Vain (2005)
- Swamp Thing: Spontaneous Generation (2006)
- Swamp Thing: Infernal Triangles (2006)
- Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing (2011)
- Swamp Thing (The New 52) (2015)
- Swamp Thing: The Root of All Evil (2015)
- Swamp Thing: Season’s End (2016)
- Swamp Thing: Trial By Fire (2016)
Next. Ramona Young talks finding her place on Legends of Tomorrow. dark
We’re not sure what exactly to expect from DC Universe’s Swamp Thing. However, we know enough to brace for a horror-filled and environmentally-themed premiere season.