Among the many announcements that DC co-CEOJames Gunnmade this past Tuesday, one of the more exciting bombshells was the reveal of a brand newSwamp Thingfilm. While a number of A-list characters had films unveiled, like the Superman filmSuperman: Legacyand the Batman filmThe Brave and the Bold, there were also a number of upcoming screen adaptation announcements featuringmany lesser known characters, Swamp Thing being one of them. This new take on the character was described by Gunn as a “very dark horror story” that will cover his origin story, so it seems as though the creators behind the film are already on the right track to doing him justice. Swamp Thing has always inhabited and been one of the main faces of the eerier parts of the DC universe, so seeing this corner of the world already being made into a priority is hugely invigorating. This adaptation will be following in the footsteps of decades in comics, TV shows, film adaptations, and video games, but will only benefit from being able to pull from such a rich history.
The first appearance of Swamp Thing was inHouse of Secrets#92 in 1971, created by writerLein Wrightand artistBernie Wrightsonoriginally just for one early 20th century standalone story. The response to the character was so strong that he was given his own series, set in the modern day and with an alter ego. His initial self-titled run of 24 issues, beginning in 1972, proved immediately popular and remain one of the character’s most celebrated eras. This character’s stories are often foggy, murky, tragic tales told around the swamp that he inhabits as he fights off various super villains, monsters, and criminals. While Swamp Thing’s stories are typically told under the horror umbrella, he also crosses over into action, fantasy, and general superhero stories. His stories tend to grow into a larger scale when fighting alongside the Justice League Dark, a superhero team consisting of DC’s more supernatural leaning characters like Madame Xanadu, John Constantine, and Zatanna. While Swamp Thing is a character that has a pretty diverse range in the stories that you can tell with him, it’s encouraging to see DC starting out simple, kicking him off in the small scale.
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Who is Swamp Thing?
There are many different people that have been turned into various versions of the Swamp Thing, including characters like Alex Olsen, Tefé Holland, and Allan Hallman, but this upcoming film is most likely to focus on Alec Holland. This incarnation of the character is the only one to have been adapted beyond comic books. Alec Holland is to Swamp Thing what Clark Kent is to Superman, or Peter Parker to Spider-Man, the character’s most popular human form. Alec Holland became the Swamp Thing after getting caught in a lab explosion set off by thugs from the criminal organization, The Conclave, covering his body in a regenerative formula. Holland escapes the burning laboratory, but because of the formula covering his body, he fuses with the surrounding plant life of the swamp, turning him into the Swamp Thing. From here, he hopes to regain his original human body and be rid of this new monstrous form.
Swamp Thing’s Most Celebrated Run
Beyond the 1970s, Swamp Thing would go on to have a number of different runs in comics. His most celebrated run would be written byAlan Moorebetween 1984 and 1987, a new take in which Moore was given full creative control over the character. With this iteration, Swamp Thing is a monster from the get go, not a human-turned-monster. Alec Holland did exist in this universe, but after dying in a lab explosion similar to the character’s original origin, the plants that inhabited the surrounding swamp generated an entirely new being in the Swamp Thing, one that absorbed bits of Holland’s mind. While technically still an Alec Holland based story, this Swamp Thing only shares some of Holland’s memories, as opposed to having actually experienced them in a past form. It will be interesting to see whether or not Gunn and co. decide to go with a more human origin for their film’s Swamp Thing, or if they decide to go off of Alan Moore’s psychological horror take on the character. Since Moore’s run, a number of other celebrated comic book writers have taken on Swamp Thing, figures likeMark Millar,Brian K. Vaughan, andScott Snyder, just to name a few. While Moore’s run is the most celebrated yet, there are many others that DC could use as a jumping-off point for their film.
This Will Not Be the First ‘Swamp Thing’ Film
This will not be the first time that Swamp Thing has ever been on-screen. In 1982, aWes Cravendirected film simply titledSwamp Thingwas released. The film received mixed reviews, but would go on to get a sequel,The Return of the Swamp Thing. Craven’s film also inspired both a live-action show and an animated show, both simply titled after their titular character. In 2009, there was an attempt to reboot the character’s film franchise with a new adaptation spearheaded byAkiva Goldsman, but nothing ever came of it. Recently, the character had a one season, 10-episode series that was released straight to the streaming service DC Universe. Sadly, it was canceled after those at DC found the series to be too expensive to produce when looking at its small audience. Despite being canceled early in its run, the show has been acclaimed by fans of the character, with praise for Swamp Thing actorDerek Mearsin particular. The character has shown up in multiple animated shows and video games as well.
While DC’s upcoming slate of movies and TV shows are all exciting, nothing feels more exciting than the promise of a new take on Swamp Thing. Based off of the character’s history and that the upcoming film is being promised as a horror movie, it seems to be the most unique story of them all. Just after announcing the film,LoganandIndiana Jones and the Dial of DestinyfilmmakerJames Mangold’sname was attached to the project. With his directing track record andJames Gunn’s history of having a handin adapting obscure comic book characters, this new Swamp Thing film sounds like it’s going to rock. Until this new film hits theaters, catch up on some of the character’s classic issues, fire up the 2019 television show, and get yourself hyped up for what could be the best Swamp Thing yet.
