What makes a person themselves? Is a person their mind? Their memories? A soul? What if something forms based off your memories, is that you? Is it something else? Someone else? These are some of the questions Swamp Thing’s mere existence explores. How so? Let’s find out!
Alec Holland was a biologist seeking to revolutionize the world by solving any issue with food shortage with bio-restorative formula. His work would garner all sorts of attention, unfortunately, some of it was from the criminal underworld. The Conclave, a criminal organization, saw Alec as a threat and proceeded to break into his lab and set it to explode. To make matters worse, Alec was inside the lab when this happened so they would rough him up, throwing him into his own containers of bio-restorative. As the bombs went off, Alec would jump into the nearby swamp, dying.
The restorative had a bizarre reaction with the nearby plants and Alec’s dead body, while Alec had passed on, the imprint of his memories and personality would be passed on to the plants who began to take on human shape. As Alec Holland died, Swamp Thing was born. This new being still believes itself to be Alec Holland, since it recalls his life and shares his personality now, raising many philosophical dilemmas.
Taking revenge on those who killed him and “turned” him into the Swamp Thing, he would wipe out the Conclave and begin a life of protecting his swamp. He would eventually come to terms with the fact that he technically wasn’t Alec Holland at all but merely an ongoing echo of who that man was and becoming his own person in the process as he experienced his own life and trials. Life was never the same for Swamp Thing, he would even befriend the niece of the man who once ran the Conclave, Abby Arcane.
Helping Abby, he would spread his protection to the nearby areas of the swamp, fighting all manner of magical and scientific oddity. He would realize that his powers over plant life stemmed from The Green, an energy force made of all plant life across the universe, Swamp Thing was yet one in a line of many who protects all plant life. Abby’s uncle would return by possessing her ex-husband and the shock of this sends her soul to Hell. Swamp Thing would travel the Green and Hell itself to bring her back to her body, the two would admit they loved one another and begin a relationship once returning to Earth.
The Green would reveal to Swamp Thing that there was also The Red, their equivalent to animal life along with its champion Animal Man and The Grey, the domain of the dead with their champion, Solomon Grundy. His work with magic and otherworldly beings meant that he was a frequent collaborator with John Constantine, noted practitioner of magic.
When the White Lanterns resurrected many heroes who died, there was a bit of a snafu with Swamp Thing. Alec Holland was resurrected but this meant, his traits used for the foundation of Swamp Thing were undone in the process, leaving the Swamp Thing as a mindless beast. Alec would be allowed to stay alive and fuse with the Swamp Thing to become a new one altogether.
In the New 52, Alec Holland is haunted by the Swamp Thing who was once a World War II pilot transformed by The Green to be its protector. He tells Alec it is his time to be the Swamp Thing and to help the world and The Green but warns him of the white-haired woman. When Alec meets Abigail Arcane, he’s terrified to see she has white hair and his powers begin to take form as vines come to him. Thus begins Alec Holland’s existence as the Swamp Thing and his bizarre adventures.
There you have it! Swamp Thing has been around for quite some time and been on the big screen, the small screen, and animated many times over. His story changes from adaptation to adaptation but the core is the same, he’s a man made of swamp stuff. See you next time!
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Swamp Thing
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Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
