Swamp Thing: The DCU Monster’s Origin and History Explained

The monstrous hero Swamp Thing is coming to the big screen thanks to DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU plan, the first part of which is dubbed Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Looks like we know which section of that title Swamp Thing fits in…

The character has gotten his fair share of cross-media attention in recent years, including being in the roster for the 2017 fighting game Injustice 2 as well as having his own live-action TV series on the DC Universe streaming app. Alas, that show only lasted one season, and the service itself is long gone as well now.

Still, Swamp Thing has had a long and interesting history at DC Comics. Here’s everything you need to know about the roots of this character (pun intended) and the role he plays in the larger DCU.

DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

Swamp Thing was expected to return to the big screen in Dark Universe, a horror-flavored DC movie inspired by the comic book series Justice League Dark. That project seemed perpetually trapped in development hell, and now it’s clear that James Gunn and Peter Safran have figured out a different way to bring the character to the big screen. In fact, Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold is said to be in talks to write and direct Swamp Thing for Warner Bros.

Note: This story was updated on Feb. 2, 2023. It was originally published when the DC Universe series was released.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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