Swamp Thing is a character that's very near and dear to my heart, because Alan Moore's seminal run on the DC Comics character not only introduced me to him and his world, but this run made me love comics as a medium that can stand on its own - a feeling that still persists to this day.
The Swamp Thing is rather well-known to the comic book readers out there, but he isn't quite as well-known to mainstream audiences as some of his DC counterparts. If you weren't aware of existence, then it's probably even less likely that you would know the various adaptions that have been made about the character on both the big and small screens.
With that in mind, let's explore the various adaptions of the Swamp Thing character throughout the decades, and I hope you'll join me on this trip through the bayou!
Swamp Thing's origins in the DC Comics
Swamp Thing was created by the legendary duo of Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, and first appeared in the horror anthology House of Secrets in issue No. 92 in 1971. In this first story, a chemist named Alex Olsen was killed by his best friend, Damien, in a lab explosion. Damien proceeded to dump the body in the nearby swamp, and assured his work was finished, married Alex's wife, Linda. Unbeknownst to both, Alex did survive, but he came back as a vine and swamp encrusted creature without the ability to speak. He shambled home only to find Damien intent on killing Linda, due to Damien's belief that Linda would eventually find out the truth of Alex's death. The Swamp Thing then killed Damien. Linda was horrified by what she witnessed, and without being able to speak, Alex saw that there was no hope for their relationship to blossom again, and exiled himself into the swamp, to live out his days alone.
A very short but effective story that became so popular that the higher ups at DC called for the character to have his ongoing series. And so, with Wein and Wrightson at the helm, Swamp Thing was given his very own series about a year after his debut. The origins and the characters themselves are different from the original story, but the themes and certain story beats remained the same. The original story took place around the 1800s, while the ongoing series took place during then modern times of the 1970s. Instead of Alex Olsen, we have Alec Holland, who with his wife Linda, are tasked by the U.S. government to create a serum to end world hunger, and they succeed. However, a group of criminals called the Conclave desire the formula for their own ends, but Holland refused to give it up, which resulted in the criminals knocking him out, and rigging an explosive in the lab, leaving him to die. And so, caught in the explosion, Holland runs his enflamed body to the nearby swamp waters, where he later became Swamp Thing.
The Alec Holland Swamp Thing would be the main iteration of the character for most of his comic book existence, with some variations and retcons that came later, but that's an article for another time. Now that's his backstory, onto his movie and TV adaptions!
Swamp Thing: The Movie (1982)
The character's first foray into mediums outside of comics was in his very own movie, simply titled Swamp Thing, which was released in 1982. The movie was written and directed by Wes Craven, who would later make the iconic A Nightmare on Elm Street films. It followed the early comics relatively closely, with a few changes. Instead of Linda being his wife, she was his sister in the film, and instead of the Conclave coming after the formula, it's Anton Arcane, who would become the arch nemesis of Swamp Thing throughout his comics - as well as in this movie and its sequel (we'll get to that in the next section).
The film at the time of its release wasn't well received by either critics or audiences, but over time it became a cult classic. If you want my opinion on it, I'll say that while it does try to follow the comics and tell a tragic story, it's bogged down by a repetitive plot, over the top villains, and very poor costume and effects work. However, I do appreciate the filmmakers for what they did with the resources that they had, and while the elements of the comics that worked can be seen, it's quickly enveloped by the campy nature of the film as a whole.
I still recommend this for any Swamp Thing or general movie fan, because there can be enjoyment found in one of Wes Craven's early works.
The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)
The sequel to the 1982 movie, The Return of Swamp Thing had most of the same cast from the previous film, but with new faces added as well. Dick Durock and Louis Jordan returned to play Swamp Thing and Anton Arcane respectively, with the new addition of Heather Locklear as Abigail Arcane, the stepdaughter of Anton. The story follows Swamp Thing as he once again tries to foil the plans of Arcane who wants to unleash his army of mutated monsters on the world and to achieve immortality, but with his stepdaughter in the picture, it complicates matters for both Arcane and Swamp Thing.
This movie takes the campy aspects of the first film and kicks them up to eleven, because this movie is ridiculous, and the filmmakers knew it. This film has even hammier performances from both the villains and heroes, a nonsensical storyline, and over the top special effects. In fact, the only thing that I can say that this film did better than it's predecessor was in its special effects and costumes, so it has that going for it.
Between the two original Swamp Thing movies, I prefer the second one because it's more consistently entertaining than the first, but if I were asked which one is the overall better film, I'd say it's the first one, but not by much.
As a side note, in preparation for the release of this film, Greenpeace released a PSA where Swamp Thing warns of the dangers of polluting the environment, and like many PSAs, it's very unintentionally funny.
Swamp Thing: The TV Show (1990 - 1993)
Not long after The Return of Swamp Thing, a live-action Swamp Thing series aired on the USA Network, and ran for a surprising three season run (with a total of 72 episodes!) from 1990 to 1993.
The show followed the same basic formula from the previous films, with Swamp Thing going against Anton Arcane and fighting to stop the latter's plans, but there are key differences here, as well as some additions that this show made. Beside Swamp Thing, the show followed a divorced mother named Tressa Kipp and her son Jim who would become involved in - or at least end up in the line of fire between - Swamp Thing's and Arcane's skirmishes. Mark Lindsay Chapman replaced Louis Jordan as Arcane, and between the two of them, Chapman's performance was still hammy but more nuanced than Jordan, mainly due to the fact the the writers of the show gave Arcane more character development and a tragic backstory.
There are many cheesy moments, characters, and performances similar to the films, but there is also plenty of trauma, anguish, joy, etc., exhibited in the characters and the stories they're a part of. Does the series get repetitive? Yes, but I would argue that there was an attempt from the writers and showrunners to make a good TV show, and due to how long it lasted on air, I think they succeeded.
Before going into the next section, I wanted to state that Dick Durock played the character of Swamp Thing for over a decade, and despite the movies being not very good and the show being a decent outing, his portrayal was very well executed. Whenever he had to convey the pain and anguish of the character through all that makeup and prosthetics, he did it in a very genuine manner, especially in the '90s series where I felt like I was watching the comics come to life. So, great job Mr. Durock, and rest in peace.
Swamp Thing: The Animated Series (1991)
Around the same time as the live action series, FOX Kids aired an animated Swamp Thing show simply titled Swamp Thing, which aired from 1990 to 1991 and lasted only five episodes.
Unlike its live action counterpart, the animated Swamp Thing was aimed at kids and designed to be a copy of the then popular show Captain Planet, with the addition of wanting to popularize the toy line that went with the show. It took a much more kid friendly approach to the Swamp Thing character, where instead of him being a melancholic loner, he fights evil with the aid of sidekicks Tomahawk and Bayou Jack. And that evil once again came in the form of Anton Arcane, but he was also joined by his own henchmen called the Un Men.
Out of all the Swamp Thing media on this list, this is the only one that I haven't seen a single episode of, so I can't give my quick thoughts on it, but what I can tell you is that I heard the the toys from the show were actually pretty cool, so at least it had that going for it. Plus, since it only lasted five episodes, you don't need my opinion as to ascertain the quality of the show; you can watch it for yourself!
Unmade Justice League Dark Franchise
During the early days of the DCEU, Warner Brothers had different plans to create a shared cinematic universe to compete with Marvel Studios, and that plan involved the Justice League Dark. Essentially, Justice League Dark was a team comprised of magical heroes from across the DC Universe, and its roster included but isn't limited to John Constantine, Zatanna, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, and Swamp Thing.
The initial plan had famed writer director Guillermo del Toro to direct the feature film, but those plans never came to fruition. In a similar situation, J.J Abrams was asked to create a shared universe with the Justice League Dark characters in various films and shows, but those plans never saw the light of day either.
The Swamp Thing character was going to be a key player in the shared universe plans, with having the main villain of the unmade Justice League Dark project be the Floronic Man, an enemy mostly associated with Swamp Thing. But any more specifics to either the del Toro or Abrams projects are unknown, so we can only imagine what the movie would have looked like.
Swamp Thing in the DCAMU
While the live action DCEU movies were being released, Warner Brothers had another shared cinematic universe with the DC characters in the form of animation. Known as the DCAMU (DC Animated Movie Universe), these films mostly followed the New 52 continuity of comics at the time of its inception, and eventually a Justice League Dark animated film found its way into this universe.
Swamp Thing didn't play a significant role in the film, where he was only used as a cameo and to fight the big bad of that film near the end. However, he would make his next and last appearance in the DCAMU in the finale film Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, where he sacrificed himself in the fight against Darkseid and his minions. This version of Swamp Thing wasn't anything to write home about due mainly to the fact of how little screen time he got, but it was cool seeing him in that continuity of films.
Swamp Thing: The TV Series (2019)
Finally, after decades of remaining in the background in most DC comics adaptations, Swamp Thing received his own live action series on the now-defunct DC Universe streaming service. What made the announcement of this show so exciting for fans is that it would not only follow the Alan Moore comics of the '80s, but attached to produce the show was horror icon James Wan. Plus, the show promised to use mostly practical effects, which included Swamp Thing's design, which excited fans even more. Sadly, not long after the first episode premiered, the show was prematurely cancelled, cutting down its planned 13 episode run to 10.
The cancellation of Swamp Thing and the reasons behind it have been various, but it wasn't canceled as a result of the quality of the show. Far from it, because the show was very well-received by both critics and fans, and it has become even more beloved by fans in the years since the show's conclusion (and the eventual shutdown of the DC Universe streaming service).
As for my views on Swamp Thing, this show is the best representation of the character and his world outside the comics. The characters, especially Avery Sunderland and Abby Arcane, were so easy to hate and root for respectively, and the origins of Swamp Thing - due to the acts of greedy men - were executed with admiration for the source material and it managed to deliver its own unique, compelling adaptation of it to make it stand out for a TV audience.
The practical effects are both disgusting and beautiful to look at, especially when it comes to the Swamp Thing costume. Derek Mears played Swamp Thing, and his portrayal made me feel like the Alan Moore comics came to life in the most epic and tragic ways. While it's not a perfect show (the execution of the Alec and Abigail romance occasionally felt like it belonged more on Gossip Girl than on Swamp Thing) , the accolades this show has received are well-deserved, and I personally recommend it to everyone looking for a good series.
Swamp Thing also has made appearances in other shows and media, such as appearing in a few episodes of the animated show Justice League: Action (where he was voiced by Mark Hamill), and he was also a playable character in the game Injustice 2. Though these appearances weren't as significant to the character or as interesting as the adaptions mentioned on this list, they were worth mentioning as they are still a part of his iconic history of adaptations.
Swamp Thing has become a classic character in the DC comics canon, and with news that DC Studios head James Gunn has hired writer/director James Mangold to make a Swamp Thing feature film in the new DC Universe, there will be plenty more Swamp Thing goodness for everyone to enjoy in the future!