SWAMP THING
SWAMP THING
Real Name: Swamp Thing, aka Alec Holland
Class: Earth elemental
Occupation: Guardian
Group Affiliation: formerly Parliament of Trees
Known Relatives: Abigail Arcane Cable Holland (wife), Tefe Holland (daughter)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: bayou outside Houma, Louisiana
First Appearance: Swamp Thing I #1 (October-November, 1972)
Powers: Swamp Thing had complete control over all forms of plant life. His consciousness could inhabit one or several bodies made from any available plant life, and these bodies could be instantly regenerated when damaged. He was capable of traveling into the Green, and with somewhat greater effort he could travel to Heaven, Hell, or backwards through time.
History: (Swamp Thing I #1, Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 (fb), Swamp Thing II #47 (fb, BTS)) - Scientists Alec Holland and his wife Linda were contracted by Washington to invent a bio-restorative formula that would solve any nations' food shortage problems. Lt. Matthew Cable was appointed as their handler, and a secret facility located in the Louisiana swamplands was set up for them. Businessman Nathan Ellery sent his goons to the facility, and tried to threaten Alec into giving them the formula one he’d finished it, but Alec showed them the door. When they were close to perfecting their formula Ferret and Bruno, thugs working for Nathan Ellery, barged into Alec's lab, knocked him out, and set a bomb. Alec woke up as the bomb exploded, and his corpse was blasted into the swamp. The corpse was drenched in the bio-restorative formula, and this affected the swamp's plant life, imbuing it with Alec's consciousness and memories. The newly conscious plant life formed a semblance of a human form and rose up from the bog as the Swamp Thing, the latest in a long line of Earth elementals created when Earth was in need of protection. The Swamp Thing originally thought he was a transformed version of Alec Holland, and longed to regain his human body. The men that killed Alec fatally shot Linda, but she was avenged by the Swamp Thing, who strangled them to death. Matthew Cable shot at Swamp Thing as he fled into the bayou, wanting answers for his involvement in the recent carnage.
(Swamp Thing I #2) - After years of waiting Arcane Arcane located Swamp Thing, and had his Un-Men, led by Cranius, bring him to his castle in the Balkans. Swamp Thing did not yet know Arcane, even though Arcane had encountered Swamp Thing’s future self in a time travel incident, and was easily coerced by the sorcerer. Arcane promised him his human body back, and used his magic to assume Swamp Thing's form and shaped a human body for Swamp Thing. Arcane had finally gained a body suitable for eternal life. When Swamp Thing realized Arcane's evil intentions he reversed the spell, and Arcane fell from a tower window while fleeing the enraged elemental. The Un-Men were unsure of what to do, knowing only blind obedience to Arcane, so they leapt out the window themselves.
(Swamp Thing I #3) - Swamp Thing’s destruction of Arcane’s castle freed the Patchwork Man, Arcane’s brother, who the sorcerer had resurrected and turned into an undead monster. Patchwork Man went into the village to find his daughter Abigail, who was in the company of Matt Cable, who’d come to the Balkans looking for Swamp Thing. He’d convinced himself that Swamp Thing was responsible for the Hollands’ deaths, and had vowed to destroy him. Abigail didn’t recognize her resurrected father, and was in terror. Swamp Thing thought Patchwork Man meant her harm, and the monsters clashed, resulting in Abigail nearly falling into a chasm. Patchwork Man saved her, but ended up plummeting into the chasm himself. With nothing left for her in the Balkans, Abigail convinced Matt to allow her to accompany him in the search for Swamp Thing.
(Swamp Thing I #4) - Swamp Thing hitched a ride on Matt and Abby’s plane out of the Balkans, but the aircraft later crashed in the Scottish moors. The MacCobb family took in Matt and Abigail, and warned of a monster prowling the moors. Swamp Thing investigated, and met with a werewolf. They clashed, and the beast threw Swamp Thing into quicksand. The werewolf was actually the MacCobbs’ son Ian, and they’d waited years to find a victim to transfer his curse to. The MacCobbs drugged Cable and Ian, and when they awoke in bondage the MacCobbs revealed their plan for a complete drug transfusion that would transfer the curse from Ian to Cable. Ian couldn’t bear the thought of someone living with his curse, snapped his bonds, and transformed into a werewolf. Swamp Thing, who’d dug his way out of the quicksand, arrived and clashed with Ian. He knew silver could harm a werewolf, and although the MacCobbs thought they removed all of the precious metal from their home they forgot the chandelier. Swamp Thing swung the chandelier in a circle as Jenna stepped forward to protect her boy. The chandalier broke, and Ian shoved his mother to safety, allowing the silver to pierce his skin and kill him. He was relieved that he’d never again harm another person. Abigail was amazed at Swamp Thing’s heroism, but Matt was unmoved, telling her he was still not worthy of any good will on their part.
(Swamp Thing I #5) -Swamp Thing made his way from the moors to a small port, and stowed away on a ship. He hid in cargo, but when he went on deck he was discovered by the horrified sailors and forced to go overboard. He washed up on the shore of Divinity, Maine, a small town filled with superstition and distrust of strangers. He was discovered and cared for by Rebecca Ravenwind and her simple brother Timothy. She told him a man named Gideon was persecuting her for being a witch, although she swore it was a lie. She was glad to have aided the swamp monster, and Swamp Thing promised to reward her kindness by saving her from persecution. Gideon’s mob caught up with them, and one roughneck used a scythe to sever Swamp Thing’s arm. He felt no pain, and learned more about his own power when it soon regrew. The mob started a fire, and this brought back traumatic memories of Swamp Thing’s birth. In a panic he toppled over a cliff. By the time he recovered the townsfolk were ready to burn Rebecca at the stake. Swamp Thing fought the angry mob, and saved Rebecca. She flew into the air, and accused Gideon of keeping Divinity loyal through ignorance and paranoia. She summoned a storm and turned every member of the mob into a flower. She told Swamp Thing she hadn’t lied to him. Timothy was a warlock, and he channeled his abilities through her, but he never meant anyone harm. Swamp Thing thought the town got exactly what it deserved.
(Swamp Thing I #6) - Swamp Thing made his way to Burgess Town, Vermont, where he met what appeared to be doubles of Alec and Linda Holland. They introduced him to Mayor Klochmann, who explained that he built a utopian town populated by robots of his own making. He modeled them after people he read about in obituaries, perhaps to give them a second chance at life. His robots were programmed without the baser parts of human nature; they knew only love and trust. “Linda” gave him a tour of the countryside, and he was possessed by a mad impulse to hold her and kiss her, but was ashamed at being so taken by the image of his late wife. Matt Cable and Abigail were investigating the town for Interpol, but before they could decide on a course of action the Conclave, who were also interested in Klochmann, arrived via helicopter. Mr. E. led a task force, projecting his voice through a remote controlled robot. Swamp Thing arrived back in town, but was to late to stop Mr. E from abducting Matt and Abby, and sending them off on his helicopter bound for Gotham City. Klochmann refused to work for E, so he had his task force gun down a number of the robots, including Alec and Linda. Swamp Thing was furious at seeing his “love” destroyed again, and attacked the robot, smashing it to pieces. The rest of the task force fatally shot Klochmann, turning the remaining robots against their programming, and making them beat the task force to death. Swamp Thing reflected that Klochmann’s new race of men were not really that different than humanity, they could still be undone by loss. Swamp Thing hitched a train ride to Gotham to find Matt and Abby.
(Swamp Thing I #7) - Swamp Thing tried to keep a low profile in Gotham, but when the GCPD spotted him they took him for a monster and started shooting. Swamp Thing fled, and by squeezing the underworld he learned where the Conclave was keeping Matt and Abby. He rescued them, and Matt demanded to know why a monster like Swamp Thing kept saving him, but Swamp Thing left in search of Mr. E. Batman was looking for E as well, but when he met up with Swamp Thing he wouldn’t listen to reason and attacked him. Swamp Thing didn’t want to fight, but Batman gave him no choice, and he briefly knocked out the Caped Crusader with a punch to the head before fleeing. They met again in the penthouse of Wayne Foundation board member Nathan Ellery, who turned out to be Mr. E. Swamp Thing finally learned that E was responsible for Swamp Thing’s creation and the death of his wife Linda Holland. Swamp Thing battered him, but couldn‘t bring himself to kill him. In a daze Mr. E fell from his balcony, seemingly to his death.
(Swamp Thing I #8) - With Batman hot on his heels Swamp Thing fled Gotham by stowing away in a delivery truck. He ended up in the Appalachians, and sought shelter from a snowstorm in cave, where he found an old man being mutilated by a grizzly bear. He snapped the bear’s neck, but the old man was done for. He thanked Swamp Thing, and told him he was running away from his hometown of Perdition. Years ago his father sought to replenish the mines with black magic, but only succeeded in conjuring an alien entity that kept the town hostage. He warned Swamp Thing to stay away with his dying breath, but Swamp Thing disregarded him, bringing him to Perdition for a proper burial. He was immediately beset by a mob, and thought about how sick he was of ignorant strangers attacking him, but the old man’s son, Jason, made the villagers see reason. They appeared to welcome him, but lost little time in luring him into the mines, where Swamp Thing confronted the alien M’Nagalah. M’Nagalah revealed that he consumed the villagers to grow his power, and if he reached his full mass before the universe was primed, he would conquer all. He suspected Swamp Thing would be an excellent meal, but Swamp Thing wrenched free a mine support beam and impaled the amorphous monster with it. This enraged M’Nagalah, who went into convulsions, bringing the entire mine down upon him. Swamp Thing was disgusted with the villagers for abusing his trust, but told them their days f worry were over.
(Swamp Thing I #9) - Swamp Thing made his way back to his old lab in Houma, hoping to find a way to restore himself to Alec Holland. He found his lab taken over by the alien Stalker from Beyond, who’d gutted his equipment to repair his spacecraft. Swamp Thing saw what he thought was his last shot at returning to human destroyed, and attacked the alien, who responded with force. Swamp Thing was rendered unconscious, and the alien mourned him, thinking he was dead, and hating himself for having resorted to violence. The alien dumped Swamp Thing in the bog, and was then confronted by Matt Cable, who was working with the Agency of Interstellar Discovery. They captured the alien, and while their duty was to gain scientific knowledge from it, A.I.D. leader Captain Brad Sampson wanted to kill it because it was different. Swamp Thing revived and watched Matt clash with A.I.D. trying to save the alien’s life. Swamp Thing freed the Stalker, and returned it to his lab so he could finish fixing his craft. The Stalker was touched by Swamp Thing’s gesture, but disgusted by how the humans had wanted to kill him for no reason. He flew off, but his ship malfunctioned, and crashed into the swamp, killing the Stalker.
(Swamp Thing I #10) - Swamp Thing saved the life of an old woman, Auntie De Luvian from escaped convict “Hunk” Dorrey, and was surprised when she didn’t run away from him. She said she’d seen too many things in her time to be scared. She told him a story about how the land they were on was once a slave plantation owned by the sadistic Samson Parminter. When he tried to take the slave Elsbeth for his own, her true love Black Jubal stood up to him. Samson had him burned at the stake, but Jubal promised all evil men like Samson who lived on the land would suffer. Samson dared Jubal’s spirit to rise up by killing slaves, and one day his body was found dismembered. Her story done, Auntie warned Swamp Thing that evil creatures were watching them. The evil creatures were Un-Men, who’d patched back Arcane’s body as a shambling undead monstrosity. Arcane still wanted Swamp Thing’s body, and mercilessly attacked him, while describing his plan to enslave the human race. Swamp Thing was vanquished, but the talk of slavery awoke the spirit of Black Jubal and his fellow slaves. As Swamp Thing went unconscious he saw them rip Arcane and the Un-Men limb from limb. Swamp Thing awoke and saw seven headstones bearing the name Arcane. He wandered back to see Auntie, but she was gone, and only a headstone labeled Elsbeth was in her place.
(Swamp Thing I #11) - Swamp Thing returned to the wreckage of his old lab and cursed his fate, striking the ground and wondering what he could have done to have deserved being a monster. Swamp Thing’s self pity was interrupted when he saw Abby and Matt, who’d turned over a new leaf, and finally realized that Swamp Thing had good in him. They were attacked by a mutant alligator, which Swamp Thing dispatched, but they were then beset by the Conqueror Worms, who knocked Swamp Thing out with a psionic blast, and spirited away Matt and Abby. Swamp Thing awoke, and followed their trail to New Eden, a domed city sunken beneath the swamp. The ruler of New Eden was Zachary Nail, a madman who wanted to start a new civilization, and kidnapped people to serve as his populace. Matt and Abby helped their fellow prisoners escape, but when they had Zachary helpless they learned that the Conqueror Worms were only using him, they were not his servants. The Worms also wanted to see a new civilization thrive, one that would serve as livestock for them. Swamp Thing helped battle the Worms, but Zachary had gone mad after seeing his dreams shattered, and set off the nuclear reactor that powered his city. Ruth, one of the prisoners, tried to reason with him, but he shot her dead. Her boyfriend Jefferson Bolt rushed Zachary, prepared to kill him, but Swamp Thing, realizing time was limited, knocked him out, and led the survivors out of New Eden right before it exploded with Zachary inside. Swamp Thing left Matt, Abby and the former prisoners, but when Bolt woke up he swore revenge on Swamp Thing for preventing him from avenging Ruth. Deep in the bayou Swamp Thing found a jewel with a seven-pointed star. When he touched it he was flung back in time to the Mesozoic.
(Swamp Thing I #12) – Swamp Thing fought off a dinosaur, and was assisted by an anachronistic caveman, who seemingly perished in the battle. The hell-jewel flared and sent Swamp Thing into the future, while the caveman recovered and picked it up. Swamp Thing appeared in Rome, circa 100 A.D. during a gladiator contest. His appearance startled a gladiator, the same man that he encountered in the Mesozoic, and his opponent stabbed him. The jewel then thrust Swamp Thing into Europe during the plague years, where he once again saw the man from the past. He learned that he was Milo Mobius, whose sorceress lover cursed to endlessly repeat his lie from the beginning of time. He tricked her into giving him immortality, but she swore he’d never enjoy it and seek death, but only someone who considered him a friend could end his life. The hell-jewel sent Swamp Thing to the civil war era, where he saw Mobius almost end his life once again, and he then ended up in the present. Milo told him he’d hoped the hell-jewel would attract him, and begged Swamp Thing to kill him. Swamp Thing refused, and when Milo ran after him he fell into quicksand. This final near-death catapulted him back to the beginning of time.
(Swamp Thing I #13) - Swamp Thing hypothesized that the mutant alligator that attacked Matt and Abby had been transformed by the bio-restorative formula that’d leaked into the swamp. He thought his theory was confirmed when he was attacked by a similarly mutated giant snake and frog, which both had roots growing on them. Before he could investigate further he was captured by Matt Cable, using weaponry designed by Professor Degrez of Project: Leviathan that wanted to study Swamp Thing. Matt released Swamp Thing to the care of Commander John Zero and a cell was set up for him at Fenwick Military Academy in Washington, D.C. Degrez studied Swamp Thing, but he escaped his cell. Military guards shot at him, but ended up gunning down Degrez before subduing Swamp Thing and placing him in a new cell. Zero put Matt Cable in charge of Degrez’ funeral, and disturbed Matt by hinting that Swamp Thing would be destroyed after they were finished studying him. Matt begged to be allowed to tray and talk to Swamp Thing alone, and after some pleading Swamp Thing revealed that he was Alec Holland. Matt’s conscience wouldn’t let him leave Swamp Thing to rot, so he broke him out o Project: Leviathan with Abby’s help, and burning the lab, hoping the guards would assume Swamp Thing was dead. He had Swamp Thing stowed in a false casket under Professor Degrez’ funeral, and after the service Swamp Thing dug himself to the surface, having been instructed to wait for Matt. While waiting he came across Alec and Linda Holland’s headstones and bemoaned the fate he fealt he forced on his wife. He decided Matt was too good a man to associate with a monster, and he shambled back to the swamp.
(Swamp Thing I #14) -Swamp Thing saved a misshapen child from a mob that raided the swamps. Swamp Thing received the gratitude of the boy, and his siblings, who were test subjects in a secret project tried to speed up human evolution. They were the Tomorrow Children, and the town of Prelude hated them, because the townsfolk thought they were devils, and blamed them for the mutated animals running around the swamp, but they were mutated by radioactive cannisters sunk into the swamp by the same project that spawned the Tomorrow Children. Swamp Thing was interested in the canister, which the children had recovered and hid in a tree hollow, hoping to examine it, and see if it held secrets that could return him to human form. He was dismayed when he saw the canister's chemicals had leaked away, but they had more pressing concerns when a Prelude mob came to finish off the Tomorrow Children. They burned the Children’s swamp home, but Jimbo, the only boy in town who’d befriended the Children, was trapped inside, having come earlier to try and warn his friends about the mob. Delta of the Tomorrow Children saved Jimbo, but sacrificed her own life in the process. The townsfolk finally realized the Children were not monsters, but Swamp Thing realized that their penance came too late. Jimbo begged his father to let the remaining Tomorrow Children live with them, but he told his son they would never be accepted in town. Swamp Thing was completely disgusted with the townsfolk, and shambled off into the swamp.
(Swamp Thing I #15) - Matt, Abby, and Bolt, hired Luke, a local tracker, to locate Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing was annoyed that Matt didn’t get the hint that he didn’t want to be found, and fled into the swamp. A fierce storm kicked up, and Swamp Thing was struck by lightning. He was found by Father Jonathon Bliss, who brought him back to his ramshackle church, and revived him. Swamp Thing was ready to leave when Bliss begged him to stay, saying his church had been vandalized by former members of his congregation that lost their way. Bliss had gone mad, and turned to black magic when his congregation left him. He’d summoned the demon Nebiros, whose essence was in a transcendental globe pending the location of a suitable host. Bliss lured Swamp Thing into a false sense of security, and then performed a spell that let Nebiros inhabit his body. Nebiros, in Swamp Thing’s form, captured Abby, Matt and Luke, and ripped out Luke’s soul. Bliss explained to his captives that Nebiros would bring about Armageddon, forcing mankind to repent and turn to god. Matt made him see the error of his ways, and Bliss tried to exorcize Nebiros, but the demon was too powerful. Matt escaped his bonds and destroyed the transcendental sphere, casting Nebiros from Swamp Thing’s body. Nebiros and Swamp Thing fought, but Nebiros’ otherworldly form could not sustain itself on the earthly plane without a host. Bliss offered himself up, but he was too weak a vessel, and was incinerated. Bliss knew full well what he was doing, and Nebiros’ consciousness was scattered across the universe. Swamp Thing, Matt an Abby left the church, only to witness Bolt being kidnapped and taken aboard a Conclave helicopter.
(Swamp Thing I #16) - Swamp Thing agreed to help Matt and Abby find bolt, and they boarded a flight to the Caribbean, with Swamp Thing hid in storage. A skyjacker ruined their carefully laid plans, and Swamp Thing was forced to reveal himself to save a stewardess’ life. Swamp Thing and the skyjacker tumbled from the plane, and landed in the ocean. Matt told Abby they had to stick to their plan of finding Bolt, and he assured her that Swamp Thing could take care of himself. Swamp Thing washed up on the island of Kala Pago, where he met Laganna, high priestess of the native Sepp. Kala Pago recently underwent a revolution, and the new government feared the power of her people, so they were slaughtered, leaving Laganna the sole survivor. She introduced Adam Rook, a soldier of fortune that she hoped would help her overthrow the government that killed her people. She wanted Swamp Thing to join her cause, but he had no use for war, and refused. Despite his reluctance he was drawn into a conflict between Laganna and government soldiers. She’d used her talisman to raise the murdered Sepp, who tore the soldiers to pieces. Swamp Thing couldn’t bear the atrocity, and destroyed the talisman, causing Laganna’s undead army to turn to dust. The soldiers gunned down Rook, and Laganna realized how awful her plans for revenge were. She surrendered to the soldiers, and as Swamp Thing left the scene he heard gunshots.
(Swamp Thing I #17) - Swamp Thing, Matt, and Abby all arrived on the Caribbean island where the Conclave had Bolt stashed away. The Conclave imprisoned Matt and Abby alongside Bolt, and they learned that Mr. E was resurrected by the Conclave‘s scientists, but was left crippled. E no longer wanted the secret of the bio-restorative formula, he only wanted Swamp Thing dead. Swamp Thing was hot on E’s trail, and E used a remote video screen in his stronghold to demand Swamp Thing confront him, or watch his friends die. E revealed his long term plans to Matt and company, Dr. Pretorius had invented the Ultra Cerebralociter, which would destroy the minds of every capable leader on Earth, which would allow E to set himself up as world emperor. E hoped his robotic sentries would kill Swamp Thing before he entered his inner sanctum, but Swamp Thing persevered and confronted his hated foe. With Linda’s death still tormenting him, he picked up E’s wheelchair and smashed him into the Ultra Cerebralociter. Loose wires electrocuted E, and his rampaging robotic sentries destroyed the rest of the Conclave. Swamp Thing and his allies left the island by helicopter, but ran out of fuel and were forced to crash land.
(Swamp Thing I #18) -Swamp Thing and company crashed in south Florida, and came upon Serenity Village, which Matt described as a geriatric Disney World. Swamp Thing was confident they would be fine on their own, and made his way into the swamp, not caring that it was Florida, and not his home base. Swamp Thing was attacked by four-armed devils, and managed to kill them, but he realized Serenity might hold danger for his friends, and rushed back. He found Matt, Abby and Bolt held captive by Aubrey Trask, the leader of the elderly at Serenity. He was in his physical prime, and explained that he resented being sent off to die in a retirement him and began studying the occult to make himself young again by draining the life force of Serenity’s real administrator. He was going to sacrifice Swamp Thing’s friends to restore the youth of his fellow retirees, but his visiting son, Nicholas Trask, burned the Ebon-Tome that gave Aubrey his powers. The strain of returning to his original age killed Aubrey, and Swamp Thing and his friends reflected sadly on the pitiful scene of Nicolas standing over his dead father.
(Swamp Thing I #19, 20) - Deep in Benson’s Swamp in Florida, Swamp Thing stood over a lye pit, and considered ending his existence. Before he could make a rash decision he felt an irresistible urge to venture deeper into the swamp. He came across a government excavation, and unable to hide himself, caused a panic. The resulting chaos caused Swamp Thing to be wounded by an exploding bulldozer, but still he plowed onward. Swamp Thing was being drawn by a pseudo Swamp Thing that had grown from the arm he lost two years ago in Divinity, Maine. This false Swamp Thing had been seeking out his double all that time, and made friends with an ancient Native American, Ho’Tah Makanaw, who took him to the Grotto of Eternal Youth that had kept him young for over a century and a half. Halstead, the head of the government excavation, dynamited a boulder, inadvertently destroying the Grotto. Makanaw was outraged that the last thing he had was destroyed by the white man, and sent the pseudo Swamp Thing on a rampage through nearby Gatorsberg. Swamp Thing battled his double, but it was a stalemate. Halstead arrived, along with Matt, Abby, and Bolt, who thought Swamp Thing had gone mad. They watched helplessly as Halstead dynamited the pseudo Swamp Thing, and thought their friend had been killed.
(Swamp Thing I #21) - Swamp Thing was adducted to a space platform by the alien madman Solus, who connected oddities to amuse and worship him. He explained that he was part of a race of god-like beings, but was exiled for murder, set adrift in the space platform, and implanted with nodules that would explode if he ever touched planetary soil. Solus subdued Swamp Thing, and sent him to the cells populated by other captives. Cellanth, a prisoner Solus was enamored with, used her charms to distract him long enough for Swamp Thing and his compatriots to escape their cells. Solus was furious, and used his psionic powers to force the prisoners to fight. He killed Cellanth, and immediately hated himself for murdering his “queen.” The prisoners ganged up on him, and he fell from the space paltform, hanging on for dear life. The prisoners damaged the space platform until it was ready to explode, and used his teleported to return to their own homeworlds. Swamp Thing felt pity for Solus, because he was an outcast himself, but when he tried to pull him back onto the platform, Solus attacked him. Unfortunately for Solus Swamp Thing’s body was made of terra firma, and the madman exploded. Swamp Thing used the teleported to return to Earth, finding himself in the western U.S.
(Swamp Thing I #22) - Swamp Thing wandered the Arizona desert until he was assaulted by a group of men in radiation suits from Project Safehaven who mistook him for a straggling mutant from their facility. He was brought to Safehaven by force, and met the mutants imprisoned there. Kate Solom showed him around, and explained that a government nuclear test irradiated her town, turning everyone into mutants that developed a deadly strain of virus that killed anyone they cam into contact with. The government kept them in isolation at Safehaven for the safety of the world. Her son John introduced himself and told Swamp Thing he was planning an escape, partially for the need for freedom, but also because he wanted the world to know what the government did to him. Swamp Thing was unsure of who to side with, John or Kate, who supported the government. It was soon out of his hands, as John staged a revolt, and got passed the government guards. He was prevented from escaping by his father Dr. Solomon, head of Project Safehaven, who shot him dead to save the outside world. Solom recognized that Swamp Thing wasn’t a mutant, and told himt o leave. In despair over his actions Solomon blew up himself and the Safehaven. Swamp Thing liked the kinship he felt with the mutants, and made a decision to return to his old home in Oregon.
(Swamp Thing I #23, 24) - Swamp Thing contacted his brother Edward Holland, a biochemistry expert, and explained what had happened to him. Edward and his research student Ruth Monroe toiled at finding a way to restore Swamp Thing's humanity. They recreated Alec Holland's lab, and the chemical composition of the swamp that birthed the monster. They put him in the lab, set off an explosion, recreating him origin, and waited. Sabre of the Colossus organization, who wanted the secrets of the bio-restorative formula, took this opportunity to attack Swamp Thing, and they battled into the recreated swamp, which was set ablaze by the chemicals covering Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing alone emerged, and was restored to humanity. Alec adjusted to his newfound normalcy, and Ruth, who reminded him of Linda, offered him a chance to start his life afresh with her. Edward got jealous, and began to plot against his brother. Alec and Ruth were on the road when they were attacked by Thrudvang, another agent of Colossus. Alec saved Ruth from the monster, and lured Thrudvang onto a rope bridge, which he cut, sending the villain into the chasm below.
(DC Comics Presents #8) - Swamp Thing came across an old newspaper reporting a fight between Superman and Solomon Grundy, and noted the similarities between himself and Grundy. Both were inhuman monsters born of the swamp, and he hoped that if he learned more about Grundy he’d have insights about curing his condition. He found Superman and Grundy battling in the sewers, and tried to articulate himself to make them stop fighting, but when that failed he pinned back Superman’s arms and allowed Grundy to knock him out. Grundy was convinced they were friends because they were both monsters and Swamp Thing led him deeper into the sewer, discovering a rudimentary lab stocked with chemicals. He convinced Grundy to give him a skin sample, but after hours of study concluded that he and Grundy were fundamentally different, and that Grundy was not even alive in the normal sense of the word. Superman wanted to prevent Grundy from resurrecting from Slaughter Swamp, so he took a sample of swamp water and gave it to Dr. Klyburn of S.T.A.R. Labs. This disturbance caused Slaughter Swamp to produce 60 Grundy clones, all bent on attacking Superman and S.T.A.R. Labs. Swamp Thimng had no success in getting them to calm down, so Superman used a chemical from Klyburn to destroy the Grundys one by one. Swamp Thing was outraged, even though Grundy didn’t fit some definitions of life, neither did he. He tried to shout at Superman, but the hero avoided him after their earlier fight, and Swamp Thing watched helplessly as Superman dispatched the Grundys.
Sunderland carried out a covert military operation, blasting a hole in Swamp Thing's head, and bringing his body to Sunderland Corporations to unlock the secret of Holland's bio-restorative formula.
(Saga of Swamp Thing #21) - Washington; Sunderland hired the Floronic Man to study Swamp Thing's body, which was being stored in a cryochest. After completing his study the Floronic Man deduced the truth about Swamp Thing, that he was a plant that thought it was Alec Holland. Sunderland and Floronic Man parted on bad terms, so the Floronic Man used Sunderland's automated computer systems to raise the thermostat in Swamp Thing's cryochest. The allowed Swamp Thing's body to regenerate, and he soon stumbled across the Floronic Man's report, which sent him into a mindless rage. He killed Sunderland, and set off for the Louisiana swamps.
(Saga of Swamp Thing #22-24) - Louisiana; Swamp Thing went into
shock from learning his true origins. He rooted himself into the swamp and
spent three weeks dreaming; his mind eventually traveling into the Green.
He discovered the presence of Floronic Man's corrupting influence in the
Green, and wrenched himself back into reality. He caught up with Floronic
Man and convinced the villain that his war against animal life was pointless,
reminding him that plant life and animal life needed each other to survive.
(Saga of Swamp Thing #25-27) - Abby Arcane asked
for Swamp Thing's help when her autistic students were being tormented by
Kamara, the Monkey-King. Swamp Thing destroyed the demon with the help of
Entrigan. (Saga of Swamp Thing #28) - Swamp Thing retrieved the skeleton of Alec
Holland from the bayou and gave it a proper burial. This allowed the spirit
of Alec to free himself from the earthly plane and ascend into Heaven. (Saga of Swamp Thing #29-31) - Swamp Thing discovered the body of Abby
Arcane. Anton Arcane, in possession of Matt Cable's body, had sent Abby's
soul to Hell. Swamp Thing beat Arcane to a pulp, allowing Matt to cast
the sorcerer's soul out of his body and back to the nether world. (Saga of Swamp Thing Annual #2) - Swamp Thing traveled to Hell to reclaim
Abby's soul. He was forced to fight off a legion of the damned, including
Anton Arcane, but he prevailed with the help of Entrigan. (Saga of Swamp Thing #32) - Swamp Thing encountered Pog and the crew of "Find the Lady". They were seeking a new planet
to inhabit after having been forced off theirs by a race of monkeys called The Lonliest Animals of All, and Swamp Thing had to break the news to them that an equally brutal species ruled Earth. (Saga of Swamp Thing #34) - Swamp Thing and Abby Arcane confessed their love for each other. To celebrate the beginning of their
relationship Swamp Thing grew hallucinogenic tubers for Abby to eat, enabling her to see the world as he did. (Saga of Swamp Thing #35, 36) - Swamp Thing's body was destroyed after an encounter with Nukeface. He sent his mind into the Green
to attempt to form another body. (Saga of Swamp Thing #37) - After weeks of effort Swamp Thing formed most of his new body. John Constantine came to his swamp,
and told him that he was a plant elemental. Constantine hinted at knowing much more about what Swamp Thing was than he did, and promised to discuss these matters further if Swamp Thing met him in Rosewood in a week's time. (Saga of Swamp Thing #38,
Swamp Thing II #39) - Rosewood, Illinois; Constantine told Swamp Thing that he
had not completely destroyed the vampire population of Rosewood, a number of
them now lived in an aquatic settlement. Running water could destroy the
vampires; they could only live underwater because Rosewood’s water body was
stagnant. Swamp Thing formed a new body from a mountain and let its’ river
merge with Rosewood, wiping the vampires out. Constantine told Swamp Thing to
meet him in Maine in two weeks time. (Swamp Thing II #40) -
Kennescook, Maine; Swamp Thing encountered Phoebe, a werewolf, and watched on
helplessly as she committed suicide. Constantine arrived and told Swamp Thing to
go back home to Louisiana. (Swamp Thing II #41, 42) - Louisiana; dead slaves that
worked on the Robertaland plantation rose from the grave as zombies. Swamp Thing
burned Robertaland to the ground after he realized that it was the source of
their power. (Swamp Thing II #43) - Wandering through the swamp Swamp
Thing failed to notice a hallucinogenic tuber drop off his own body. The tuber
was later discovered by hippy Chester, who took it home. (Swamp Thing II #44) - Swamp Thing encountered the
murderous Boogeyman in his swamp. The serial killer had never seen anything like
Swamp Thing before and fled, ultimately falling into a bog and drowning. Swamp
Thing saw a pattern emerging in all the monstrosities he had recently confronted
across America, but admitted he would need Constantine to explain it to him. He
was instructed by Constantine to travel to San Miguel, California, and
Constantine promised this would be the last leg of their mission before he
revealed everything he knew to Swamp Thing. (Swamp Thing II #45) - San Miguel, California; Swamp
Thing visited the abandoned Cambridge mansion, haunted by every person ever to
have been killed by the Cambridge repeater firearm. A group of thrillseekers
were being menaced by the ghosts, and one of them told Swamp Thing the haunting
would only stop if the ghosts heard the sound of hammers, a stipulation the
ghosts made when they first demanded that Amy Cambridge build the house. Swamp
Thing pounded his fists on a table until the ghosts vanished. Constantine
appeared and told Swamp Thing he wanted him to see first-had the effects the
Crisis was having o Earth. (Swamp Thing II #46) - Swamp Thing and Constantine
witnessed the effects of the Crisis, blood red skies and people and beasts from
many different time periods displaced into the present day. They were teleported
to the Monitor’s satellite by Alexander Luthor, Jr. Constantine introduced
Swamp Thing to Luthor, who had a plan to make sure reality survived the Crisis,
and told Luthor that Swamp Thing would ensure that the spiritual realms survived
the after-effects of the Crisis. Constantine told Swamp Thing that after the
Crisis ended reality would be unstable and vulnerable for a time, and the
ancient cult of the Brujeria were taking advantage of this situation to summon
the Shadow Creature to destroy Heaven. To do so the Brujeria needed a worldwide
belief in monsters and the darker things in life; they were the ones responsible
for the rash of nightmarish incidents that Swamp Thing had contained over the
past few weeks. He told Swamp Thing they would travel to South America to battle
the cult, but first he wanted Swamp Thing to visit the Parliament of Trees in
Brazil, where he promised Swamp Thing would finally learn the truth about his
origins. (Crisis on Infinite Earths #4) (Swamp Thing II #47) - Swamp Thing told Abby he might be
gone for a while. As they kissed and said their farewell the couple was unaware
that amateur photojournalist Howard Fleck was taking pictures of them. Swamp
Thing traveled to Brazil, where Constantine led him to the Parliament of Trees.
Swamp Thing Alex Olsen of the Parliament told Swamp Thing he was the latest in a
long line of plant elementals, like the rest of the Parliament, and Swamp Thing
learned the histories of his predecessors. Swamp Thing could only join the
Parliament when his time wandering Earth was through, but he still had plenty of
work to do, so they asked him to leave. (Swamp Thing II #48-50) - Swamp Thing destroyed the
Brujeria, flooding their underground cave with dirt and crushing them with
tree-roots, but he was not in time to stop them from creating their messenger,
the Voladora, and sending her off to awaken the Shadow Creature. Constantine and
Swamp Thing scrambled to come up with a plan to deal with the Shadow Creature,
then split up. Swamp Thing traveled to the afterlife ad recruited the help of
Deadman, Phantom Stranger, Spectre and the Demon, and they prepared to make a
stand against the Shadow Creature in Hell. One by one Swamp Thing’s allies
fell to the Creature until Swamp Thing tried talking to it. Reflecting on what
the Parliament taught him about nature he offered insights to the Shadow
Creature that it’s place in the universe was necessary, that good would grow
stronger after dealing with it. His talk sparked something in the Shadow
Creature. It sped towards Heaven, and merged with God. (Swamp
Thing II #51) - With the help of Deadman and Phantom Stranger Swamp Thing
traveled from the Afterlife back to Louisiana. He met John Constantine, who came
to the swamp to say his goodbyes before heading back to England. He was
distressed to learn that Abby was in Gotham City awaiting trial for crimes
against nature, a charge brought against her once the public learned she was
having a relationship with Swamp Thing. (Swamp
Thing II #52) - Swamp Thing sped to Gotham City to free Abby from jail. He made
a stopover in Arkham Asylum to greet Floronic Man and forgive him for his past
abuse of the Green. Swamp Thing burst into a Gotham courthouse and demanded
Abby’s release. When his demand was refused Swamp Thing tapped into the Green,
causing Gotham to be overgrown with plant-life. (Swamp
Thing II #53) - Batman asked Swamp Thing to turn Gotham back to normal. Swamp
Thing refused, so they fought and Batman was defeated. After Swamp Thing gave
the city another ultimatum Batman talked to Mayor Skowcroft, convincing him that
Abby hadn’t committed a crime, and that it would be in everyone’s best
interests if charges against her were dropped. Swamp Thing removed the
overgrowth from Gotham, but as he was about to be reunited with Abby he was
attacked by Dwight Wicker and the D.D.I., who wanted to avenge the death of
General Sunderland. They cut him off from the Green using a communications
scrambler invented by Lex Luthor, then seemingly killed him using napalm. (Swamp
Thing II #55, 56) - Swamp Thing appeared on the planet Blue Heaven, using alien
vegetation not connected to the Green to form a new body. He stayed on the
planet, exploring it and even creating plant-replicas of people he knew from
Earth to keep him company. Finding this to be ultimately pointless he destroyed
his creations and gathered up the courage to try and grow a new plant-body
elsewhere in the universe. (Martian
Manhunter II #11 (fb)) - Swamp Thing arrived on a mostly barren planet, but his
appearance awakened the sentience of the local plant life. Swamp Thing guided
the Hssfsstss in exploring themselves and their planet before he left to find
his home. (Swamp Thing II #60) - Swamp Thing grew a
technorganic body from a planet-sized entity. The entity forced Swamp Thing to
mate with her, and afterwards Swamp Thing swiftly fled across the universe to
find a new place to grow a body. (Swamp Thing II #65) - Swamp Thing entered the
Green and sought an audience with the Parliament of Trees, hoping they would
consider their rejection of him as immature when he revealed his journey across
space. They rejected the very concept because no Earth Elemental had ever left
Earth, and were unconvinced that he was actually Swamp Thing, believing, like
the rest of the world, that he was dead. They touched minds and saw he was
telling the truth, but revealed that in his absence they'd created the soul of a
new Earth Elemental, and that having two elementals operating outside of the
Parliament would throw the natural world into chaos. Because he had the right of
prior status they told him to destroy the Sprout's soul. Swamp Thing rebuffed
them, telling them that he was different from them, and that since he'd decided
to withdraw from society the Sprout could serve as their new champion, and left
the Green. Swamp Thing returned to the bayou to find John Constantine with Abby,
and Constantine told him there was a new caper that needed his attention. Swamp
Thing made it clear he'd withdrawn from the world and would no longer have part
in Constantine's schemes. When Constantine decried the troubles of the world,
including governments willing to burn the world to a cinder and superheroes
making a mockery of due process, and told him to wake up, Swamp Thing simply
replied that Constantine wouldn't understand his decision because he was just a
human. This greatly offended Abigail's sensibilities, and she ran off crying,
rightly stating that Constantine always ruined everything, including her
peaceful life with her lover. Swamp Thing was angered and manipulated the flora
in Constantine's guts to put him in excruciating pain. He told Constantine that
the Parliament of Trees had created a new Earth Elemental in his absence, and
told him he could shoulder the problems of the world. Constantine reflected that
it wouldn't be a bad idea to get his hooks into the new elemental. (Swamp Thing II #67) -Abigail and Swamp Thing frolicked in
the bayou, and she commented that things were getting dull, and maybe she could
watch him beat up a super villain. Swamp Thing assured her that he intended to
use his mind to resolve future conflicts, not his fists. He asked Abby if she’d
be satisfied with her material existence after seeing Heaven. She knew what he
meant, but told him she wasn’t quite ready for that journey yet. Abby wanted
to visit town to see Chester and Liz, and asked Swamp Thing to see if the Sprout
had found a host yet, as she’d gotten a little attached and wanted to know
that his retirement was assured. Swamp Thing visited the Parliament of Trees,
who were inscrutable as always, and they let drop that the Sprout was in
Slaughter Swamp. Swamp Thing arrived in Slaughter Swamp to find that Sprout had
taken over the body of Solomon Grundy. Sprout thanked Swamp Thing for standing
up for him in front of the Parliament, and explained Grundy’s origins. Grundy
died in a swamp and was reborn, and the Sprout wondered if he was a failed
attempt at making a Plant Elemental. He planned on adding the last element,
fire, by subsuming Grundy’s body in a blaze at Slaughter Swamp Pulp and Paper.
Grundy violently rejected the Sprout being in his mind and attacked Swamp Thing,
reducing him to pulp. Swamp Thing was unable to fight back because his powers
were again jammed by a disturbance in the magnetic field. Grundy bathed himself
in toxins at the Pulp plant, forcing Sprout to exit his body. John Constantine
revived Swamp Thing’s body, and he puzzled over the identity of whoever was
altering Swamp Thing’s powers. John told him that the Parliament wanted his
mind, and the existence of two elementals wandering Earth upset the balance of
things, so they probably wanted him dead. (Swamp Thing II #68, 69, 71(fb, BTS), 74 (fb, BTS)) - Swamp
Thing traveled to the Green to meet with the Parliament of Trees, and was
greeted by Alex Olsen, a previous Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing asked flat out if the
Parliament was trying to kill him, and Alex replied that it was time for him to
end his earthly existence and join the Parliament. Swamp Thing told him that the
love of Abigail Arcane tied him to the world of humans, and Alex was horrified,
saying that humans were destroying the Green. Swamp Thing asked if the
Parliament was open to debate, and Alex showed him a committee formed to deal
with him and the Sprout and told him he was welcome to join. Swamp Things
discussion and bonding with the Parliament ended when the Sprout found a new
host, Alan Bolland, a schizophrenic sociopath, The harmony of the Green was
broken, and Wild Thing was born. With Wild Thing running amok in Metropolis, the
committee decided to cut their losses and dissolve Swamp Things mind, and force
him into the Parliament. Swamp Thing found it difficult to hang on, and was
nearly ready to take his place with them, until thought of Abigail restored his
consiousness. He reached out into the other Greens he’d encountered in his
space-faring days and landed in the Gray of the moon, unleashing a wave of
energy that incinerated the committee and stabbed into the very mind of the
Parliament. Swamp Thing removed the Sprout from Wild Thing, refusing to let the
new plant elemental be an atrocity, and hid the Sprout on the moon. He placed
the minds of the committee inside of Wild Thing, where he hoped they would
languish. Swamp Thing vowed never to let the Parliament get the chance to take
him again. He left the Green as Alex Olsen begged him to tell him what he’d
done with the committee. (Swamp Thing II #70) - While Swamp Thing made love to
Abigail, John Constantine was checkeing in with his contacts, mystical and
otherwise, to learn how the presence of two plant elementals was disrupting
nature. He pieced together that nature was now at war with itself, resulting in
a severe electro-magnetic disturbance. The Parliament needed a new body for the
Sprout, and nature was conspiring to create situations where a proper plant
elemental could be formed. Constantine learned that a plane would crash in a
fiery wreck in Slaughter Swamp, a perfect opportunity for the creation of a new
Swamp Thing. John visited Swamp Thing and told him of the damage he was doing to
nature, and Swamp Thing agreed to help him find Sprout a body. Constantine made
sure not to tell Swamp Thing that a planeload of people would have to die
alongside the man getting the “Alec Holland treatment.”
(Swamp Thing II #71) - Swamp Thing prepared to retrieve the Sprout from its’ hiding place on the moon, and promised Abby he would be home soon. Abby realized that what he was doing was exceedingly difficult, there were more ways to create a failed elemental than a successful one. Swamp Thing collected the Sprout and headed back to Earth. He feared the disruptions to the Sprout’s birth were corrupting it, and this was confirmed when it started throwing a fit and talking like Solomon Grundy. Constantine boarded the plane fated to go down in Slaughter Swamp, and after locating Gary Holland, the template for the new Swamp Thing, he gave him a mutated carrot so the Sprout could locate him. Constantine disappeared from the plane and made his way to Slaughter Swamp, where the crash occurred as predicted. Swamp Thing approached the crash with Sprout, and seeing the souls refusing to move on he helped them to the light. This ruined the chances of the Sprout having Gary as a host, and Constantine was furious. Swamp Thing was angry that Constantine had not made clear the level of sacrifice necessary for the new Swamp Thing to be born. Constantine replied that it was usually best for him to keep such dark things to himself, and the point was moot because the passengers had all died for nothing since the Sprout was still disembodied.
(Swamp Thing II #72) - Swamp Thing confided in Abby about how desperate his situation was. Unless he abandoned her for the Parliament, the natural world would continue to go haywire. He started to regret what he set in motion by sparing the Sprout, feeling he was to full of his own power to have heeded the Parliament’s warnings. He also told Abby he didn’t know what the end result of his actions would be, and when Abby begged him to think of a way to solve things without leaving her he admitted that thinking was not his strong suite since he inherited the impeded brain function of the mortally wounded Alec Holland. Swamp Thing promised he would not give up on finding a solution, took the Sprout, and left Abby in search of Constantine, who he hoped would help. John found the next man chosen by the Parliament to be Swamp Thing, Alden Hollandaise, an employee of the Sunderland Corporation. Alden was marketing Rattinite, a fertilizer made from recycled nuclear waste, and John realized he was a horrible choice for the bridge between man and nature. John interrogated Alden, and stood by as he lit a cigarette and ignited the bags of Rattinite in his office. Alden burned to death, and John made sure to keep Swamp Thing and the Sprout away from him, so he wouldn’t become the next Swamp Thing. Before Swamp Thing left Sunderland Corp., he visited the cryogenic tank where General Sunderland’s body was stored, and he realized how much his memories of Sunderland haunted him.
(Swamp Thing II #73) - The Parliament of Trees sent Swamp Knucker, a dinosaurian plant elemental, out of the grove to kill Swamp Thing. Knucker devoured Swamp Thing, but Swamp Thing managed to take control of Knuckler’s physical form. John Constantine realized that Chester was the next chosen human to become a plant elemental, and sensing he was a good choice, tried to convince him to let it happen. Swamp Thing appeared and forbade Chester from sacrificing himself, and bound the Sprout’s essence to Abby so it would be safe while he found a way to dispose of Knucker.
(Swamp Thing II #74) - Swamp Thing brought Swamp Knucker to Mars, hoping his primal power would never return to Earth to threaten it. Swamp Thing and Knucker both saw the vestiges and potential of life on Mars, and Swamp Knucker did exactly what Swamp Thing hoped he would, he realized a chance for creative potential and personal freedom, and started creating plant life on the planet. Swamp Thing returned to Earth to find John Constantine lying under a bridge, near death. He used his body to create an exoskeleton for John, and his tendrils braced John’s body, healing him, and entered his brain to search for damage. Swamp Thing learned every detail Of John’s quest to heal the Green by consulting his occult contacts. One Amazonian shaman foresaw Abigail giving birth as a resolution to the Green’s civil war. In Louisiana Abby was being attacked by the renegade Wild Thing, another synchronistic event that led to a fire and the chance of the birth of a new plant elemental, and Swamp Thing came to her aid, destroying the renegade. This freed the Parliament committee members Bog Venus, Kettle Hole Devil, Ghost Hiding In The Rushes and Saint Columba. They initially attacked him, but Swamp Thing brokered a peace by telling them of the Greens on other planets and other galaxies. They left Earth for the stars to pursue their own individuality, and to escape the consequences of the Green’s civil war on Earth. Swamp Thing was determined to devour and destroy the Sprout to save Earth from the fallout of the Green’s war, and he sent Abigail home so she wouldn’t have to witness it. Swamp Thing came close to committing the deed, but found he didn’t have the heart for it.
(Hellblazer #8) - Constantine visited the Americas to check in on Swamp Thing, but when he traveled by train he was confronted by the ghosts of those who died in his occult schemes. In a panic he threw himself from the train. Swamp Thing recovered his broken body and left him outside a hospital for treatment.
(Swamp Thing II #75) -Swamp Thing could see no resolution without destroying the Sprout, and prepared to eat it, but Abby stopped him. She told him she’d risk anything for the Sprout because of a certain feeling she had, but Swamp Thing reminded her that the entire planet was at stake. He could see no way around his dilemma, so Abby suggested he expand and evolve his vegetable brain until he came up with a solution. Abby drifted off to sleep, and Swamp Thing allowed his brain to grow and change, putting him in contact with Earth itself. He gained perspective on the hubris of the human race, the tentative and chaotic connection plant elementals had to the world, and the role of superhumans and gods. His mind contemplated the nature of the afterlife, and the quantum fabric of reality itself. He saw the synchronicity storm he’d created, but at the quantum level it was malleable, especially by someone like himself in its’ center. He had a vision of the future where other elementals would succeed him, clothed in flesh, not vegetation, and realized being reborn in a womb could heal the Sprout. Abby hacked away Swamp Thing’s newly evolved brain, telling him he’d been silently contemplating for a month and a half. Swamp Thing told her he had a solution…she was going to have his child.
(Hellblazer #9, Swamp Thing II #76) - Constantine pondered a way to destroy the Damnation Army, and his only solution rested in tricking Swamp Thing. He summoned Swamp Thing, using tobacco for him to grow a body, and told him he’d figured out a way they could save the world together. Swamp Thing didn’t bother to listen to Constantine’s plan, using his roots to enter John and take control of him. Swamp Thing would use Constantine to impregnate Abigail, and from the pregnancy the Sprout would be reborn, a human with elemental powers. The usually pacifistic Swamp Thing realized he enjoyed manipulating the man that had twisted him around his finger for so long. He left John’s apartment to board a plane for the States, and realized John genuinely cared about his fellow tenants, seeing his apartment as a calm in the storm of his dark life. Swamp Thing was momentarily touched, but at the airport he met John’s former comrade Funky Flashman, who tried to convince him they could make big money having Swamp Thing fight other superheroes, and Swamp Thing’s good will dried up. John/Swamp Thing met with Abigail at their home in the bayou, and Abigail was dedicated but tentative, not trusting Constantine, and remembering when her uncle Anton had possessed Matt Cable during their marriage. Swamp Thing reminded her that it had to be John, because the synchronicity storm had drawn the two of them together. Abigail offered her wedding ring, which she’d taken from the comatose Matt Cable, and Swamp Thing eagerly accepted it, proving it was not one of Constantine’s tricks. Swamp Thing probed John’s bloodstream to make sure he was disease free, and found that despite his promiscuity he had lucked out. He briefly detected the demonic taint of Nergal in his blood, but didn’t realize it for what it was. They consummated their union, and the Sprout entered Abigail.
(Hellblazer #10) - John’s spirit wandered the astral plane, when the demon Nergal realized he’d broken his promise to prevent nature and man from merging by assisting Swamp Thing. Nergal pursued him through the astral plane, and he was forced to retreat into the Green, and from there into his own body, as Abby finished making love to it. She was disgusted, and left, telling him they had no further business. John asked Swamp Thing if he fought Nergal in the Green, and the elemental responded that Nergal fled, but warned John that his revenge would come, and he mentioned Newcastle.
(Swamp Thing II #77) - Abigail grew distant from Swamp Thing, admitting she was bothered by how, and with who they conceived their child. She ran off to get perspective, and once she hit Huma, she went to a bus stop, about to leave town, when she met John Constantine, who convinced her to have a drink with him. Swamp Thing wallowed in pity in the swamp, trying to create a more human form in an attempt to please Abby, and feeling jealous of Constantine. Abby returned with Constantine in tow, after he’d convinced her to return home with Swamp Thing.
(Swamp Thing II #78) - Swamp Thing contemplated the many bodies he’d created for himself and then discarded over the years, an extension of himself, and in a way his own children. He entered Abby’s body to investigate the health of their child, and gave her the gift of sending her astral form to Heaven. Swamp Thing was pleased looking in on his child, and returned Abby to her body, but his own had assumed a feminine form. In a sympathetic pregnancy he’d made himself a woman pregnant with himself. Abby helped him through the difficult labor, and the newborn Swamp Thing briefly considered being raised by Abby as his mother before growing instantaneously into a man.
(Swamp Thing II #79)- Swamp Thing’s astral self invaded the computer records of the D.D.I., which was being shut down due to their involvement in the Iran/Contra scandal. He wanted to know bout every last person responsible for his destruction in Gotham City, and learned that Lex Luthor designed the weapon that struck him down. He went to Metropolis to take care of Luthor, fully aware that he’d have to contend with Superman. Swamp Thing tried twice to gain entry to LexCorp, but was rebuked by Superman, and on his next attempt Lex Luthor briefly caught his astral form in a static electric field. Swamp Thing was enraged, with both Luthor and humanity, and was ready to reign destruction on LexCorp before Superman stopped him. Swamp Thing told him that Luthor had tried to kill him, but Superman replied that his evidence wouldn’t hold up in court, and he wasn’t even sure if it was illegal to attempt to kill a plant. Swamp Thing responded that since man cared nothing for the law of nature, he cared nothing for man’s law. He asked Superman why human beings were the only species on Earth he bothered to protect, and Superman told him that he didn’t have all the answers, but he looked out for mankind in a way he’d care for a petulant child, they needed him and he loved them. Swamp Thing would never interfere in a lofty goal, and told Superman he could deal with Luthor in his own way.
(Swamp Thing II #80) - Abigail started nesting, which Swamp Thing accepted as typical mammalian behavior while pregnant. He crafted furniture for their home so their baby would feel comfortable. Abigail sensed that now that she was content and overjoyed with their life he’d tell her he had to leave, like so many times before. He admitted he wanted to go to Brazil to make sure the Parliament would cause them no more trouble, and Abby reluctantly agreed to let him go. Swamp Thing visited the Parliament to let them know he’d solved the problem with Sprout Alex Olsen told him that had been the Parliament’s plan all along, to create a human plant elemental, although he only recently became aware of it because the elders tapped deeper knowledge with their roots than he did. Swamp Thing resented the fact that he’d once again been manipulated by the Parliament, and put through hell because of them. Alex warned him that the elders foretold his end was coming, via an attack from extraterrestrial invaders. Alex also said the oldest member of the Parliament looked forward to meeting Swamp Thing soon. Swamp Thing refused to listen anymore, and returned home to Louisiana. He started panicking about the Parliament telling the truth, and since Abby wasn’t home he made a wedding ring for her from his own body to symbolize their love, should anything happen to him He connected with the Green, and as the Parliament predicted the Dominators, who were part of an invasion targeting Earth, used a matrix disruptor network to fling Swamp Thing into Earth’s past. Their weaponry and technology was all plant-based, and they dearly feared facing an elemental.
(Showcase '93 #4) -Gaea empowered Blue Devil with the worldseed, or the essence of the Earth, to defend it against Galaxa. The mystic vibrations were sensed by Swamp Thing among others.
(Green Lantern III #81) - Coast City; Swamp Thing was among the heroes who attended a memorial service for Green Lantern Hal Jordan. As a tribute to Hal and the destroyed Coast City Swamp Thing turned the barren Coast into a lush garden.
(Spectre III #62) - Corrigan decided to give up the mantle of the Spectre, at last seeking peace in death. Craemer arranged for his bones to be buried in a small grave, and performed a funeral service, with all of the friends Corrigan met as the Spectre attending, including Swamp Thing. The Spectre-Force vanished and Jim ascended to Heaven.
(Hellblazer #184) - John Constantine went to the burned ground where the Parliament of Trees once stood and contact Swamp Thing. He explained that the world of death was bleeding over into the land of the living, and there was mention of a shadow hound tied up in it, but Swamp Thing said he represented one part of Earth and dislikes rising up against another of the world's aspects. John thought he was just being lazy, and succeeded in the difficult task of angering the elemental. Swamp Thing said the Green ran close to the Subtle Realms, and if he learned anything was amiss he'd contact Constantine.
(Hellblazer #185) - Swamp Thing went to the Green and learned that two entities had recently escaped the Subtle Realms, and went to Iraq to report back to John Constantine. He also told him that they had been on Earth before, 200 years ago in Tasmania.
(Swamp Thing IV #1-3) - Swamp Thing abandoned Abby to return to nature. He made himself a mountain in Colorado, and attuned himself to the Green. He was disgusted to find it turned into the image of a human city, with plants turned into anthropomorphosised parodies. He saw it as a blight, and was furious when he probed, and realized Tefe had created it. Abby followed him to Colorado, and climbed the mountain to enter the cave of his face. He rose up as a being of lava, and reminded her that he was no longer her Alec Holland. Abby told him there had to be a reason elementals always had a human template, they needed a tether to mankind. Swamp Thing told her he’d long past moved on, and needed no connection to man. She pointed out that the avatars he created for himself were still in humanoid form, and thought he was trying to convince himself of something he didn’t believe. Swamp Thing rebuffed Abby, who met up with John Constantine. Constantine said every mystic sensed an elemental war coming between Swamp Thing and Abby, and he’d reanimated Alec Holland, and imbued him with the remains of Swamp Thing’s human side in hopes of reuniting them. Swamp Thing sensed Sargon the Sorcerer plotting against him in the Black Forest of Germany. Sargon had shown Tefe the Red, the domain of animals, and was convincing her that Swamp Thing coveted the last domain of nature that was not his. He animated a rock golem to impersonate Swamp Thing, and had it attack Tefe.
(Swamp Thing IV #4-6) - The false Swamp Thing ripped off Tefe’s arm and crushed her spine, telling her she had three days to relinquish the power of the Red to him. Tefe healed herself, and allowed Sargon to teach her how to use her newfound powers. He continued to pound into her mind that it was her destiny to save the world from Swamp Thing, and that she had to show him no mercy. Abby came to Germany in the company of John Constantine in hopes of averting the elemental war. Tefe blamed Abby for screwing her up, and told her she wasn’t interested in apologies or explanations. She was convinced Abby was on Swamp Things side, and warned her not to get in the way of her battle. When the real Swamp Thing confronted Tefe she gave him no chance to talk, but immediately attacked him. He’d healed the Green, and wanted to work with her to restore the elemental balance, but she was fully in Sargon’s sway. Sargon was using his ruby of life to tap Tefe’s elemental power to achieve godhood. John Constantine arrived to try and end the elemental war. Swamp Thing was forced to slay Tefe, and absorbed the power of the Red. Constantine sent Alec to confront Swamp Thing, and as he held Tefe’s charred form he damned Swamp Thing until Swamp Thing incinerated him. This freed the human side of Swamp Thing’s mind from Alec’s form, and it reunited with Swamp Thing’s elemental power. He had a human template once again, and was back to his old self. He saw what he had wrought in battling Tefe, and was horrified. Swamp Thing used the power of the Red to resurrect Tefe, who was clearly traumatized by her death. With all the elemental powers concentrated in one being, Sargon could tap into all of them, and turned Swamp Thing’s powers against him. Constantine anticipated this, and knew that Swamp Thing’s newly rediscovered humanity could defeat Sargon. Swamp Thing dispersed all of the elemental powers from his own form, confident they would all find worthy champions, and he disappeared into the Green. Without a power source to tap Sargon sputtered, and cursed Swamp Thing for denying him godhood. Abby knocked him out by clubbing him over the head with a branch. Constantine used Sargon’s rub y of life to reform Swamp Thing as an earth elemental in Louisiana, but Abby said she had had enough, and just wanted to get away and give her daughter a normal life.
(Swamp Thing IV #7, 8) - Cryptozoologist Coleman Wadsworth was being funded by Max Ramhoff, a big-game hunter who wanted to use Wadsworth's research to find cryptids to kill and make into trophies. Wadsworth tracked Swamp Thing to Louisiana, but passed out when he saw the elemental. Swamp Thing nursed him back to health with grubs and fish, and Wadsworth was astounded that he was an intelligent being and not a beast. Wadsworth said he'd always been more comfortable with animals than people, and Swamp Thing said he was lonely and had a vision of domestic bliss as Alec Holland with Abby and Tefe until there was a knock at the door and he was confronted with images of war and violence, as well as Ramhoff. Swamp Thing told Wadsworth he'd led evil into his home and chased him off. The fleeing Wadsworth ran into Ramhoff and his assistant Dekker, who intended on making Swamp Thing his next trophy. Swamp Thing ran into Columbia Cooper, a student at Tefe's new school. Tefe started in a new school, and wasn't sure how to answer her classmates questions about herself because her memory of her previous life was still murky. She started telling her classmates she thought her father lived in the swamps of Louisiana, and they branded her a freak, but Columbia suspected she was telling the truth. Swamp Thing sensed danger coming, and told her to hide behind him before he was confronted by Ramhoff and Dekker. Dekker was an angel banished from Heaven for the heresy of declaring humans an elemental force, and years agoo he'd met Arcane, who impressed him because he'd once left his human form behind and gained the power of Swamp Thing for a brief time. Dekker thought that a man who conquered an elemental would prove the human element, and chose big-game hunter Max Ramhoff to serve him. Columbia started flirting with Ramhoff, and he lost interest in trying to shoot Swamp Thing, which would have been a futile gesture anyway. Dekker raged at his failure, and when Wadsworth came running in to warn Swamp Thing Dekker killed him. Swamp Thing was devastated that he couldn't save a man trying only to help him, and Dekker Tee-Toniday Columbia brought Tefe to the swamps hoping tu reunite her with her father, but Swamp Thing hid, his failure to save Wadsworth had convinced him he was not yet ready to reenter society.
(Swamp Thing IV #9-12) - Swamp Thing struggled to remember his life with Abby when a disturbance in the Green destroyed his body. His mind entered the green, and he saw a foulness ripping it's way through the Green. He found the infection where Arcane's soul had traveled through before being loosed on Earth. Years ago Swamp Thing met a lonely little Creole girl, Sallie, and grew a swamp plant for her. As an adult she was all alone, and, desiring companionship, made a golem from the swamp and placed the tuber from Swamp Thing's plant inside it. She attempted to bring it to life, but her spell reached Hell, where Arcane felt the call to Earth. He convinced his mistress the demon Josephine to free him from Hell, and once he animated the golem he used a Sumerian summoning spell to bring Josephine to Earth, where she possessed the body of Sallie's dead mother. Swamp Thing met a chloroplast that called itself the Holland-Mind that gave him a seed and helped him reform his body. He came across Sallie fleeing through the swamp, and grew valerian root to calm her before handing her over to an old Creole man he'd been observing and deemed to be kind. The old man said he'd take her to the hospital, and told Swamp Thing it was good to have the gumbo man back in Louisiana. Josephine's presence corrupted the swamp and it's fauna, allowing Swamp Thing to track her down. Arcane saw his arch enemy no longer remembered him, and revealed his plan to manipulate Swamp Thing and take over his body, acknowledging that he'd failed before, but felt confident because Swamp Thing was in no state to defend himself. Arcane and Josephine vanished, and the opening they'd made in hell disgorged the demonic bounty hunter Brother Walker and his companion Worm who were after the escaped infernal pair. Walker and Worm drained his memories concerning Arcane, but Worm deemed them useless melodramatic wallowing, and after Worm sniffed out Sallie they went to find the woman who'd inadvertently cracked open Hell. Arcane planned to put Josephine inside Tefe, but his body was falling apart so they hitched a ride, decapitated the driver, and Arcane took his body. Arcane's damage to the Green caused Tefe to hemorrhage, and she was in the hospital. Arcane broke into her ward, but was disappointed to see she no longer had powers even though she still had a connection to the Green. Swamp Thing followed the demons, bursting into the hospital, where Abby was in the waiting room with her new boyfriend Jake. She blamed Swamp Thing for bringing more madness into her life, and Swamp Thing felt hurt, saying he was only trying to help safe Tefe, and slunk away. Arcane kidnapped Tefe, leaving behind a message saying he was at the local cathedral, so Abby changed her mind and asked for Swamp Thing's help. Arcane was also being pursued by Walker, who'd brought Sallie with him, but Arcane's time in Heaven allowed ghim to manipulate the holy power of the church, allowing him to shrink Walker to the size of a bug. Abby and Swamp Thing arrived, and Arcane used his power to possess Swamp Thing's body, forcing his mind and soul into Josephine. He apologized for betraying her, but said that if he simply expulsed Swamp Thing's soul he would have simply grown another body from the Green. Arcane bartered with Walker, convincing him to take Josephine to Hell, and Swamp Thing with her, in exchange for unshrinking him. As Josephine / Swamp Thing was dragged to Hell Sallie sacrificed herself, being swallowed by Josephine, and allowing Swamp Thing to grow a new body from the tuber she still had on her. Swamp Thing formed his new body, and grew tendrils to thrust Arcane into the pit after Josephine. Swamp Thing said goodbye to Abby and Tefe, saying he could not stay with them, and brought Sallie's body to the swamp, where he allowed it to consume her whole.
(Swamp Thing IV #13, 14) - Swamp Thing took up residence in Sallie's shack, and slept in the bed, trying to reenact a semblace of being a normal person. Swamp Thing had seen Abby's girlfriend Jake at the hospital, and gleaned that Abby cared for him. In his dreams he briefly formed a body in Jake's apartment using one of his houseplants, terrifying Jake. A demon from Xaphan's court visited Swamp Thing, saying Hell had healed the rend that Arcane's brief escape had left on Earth, but told Swamp Thing to finish tending to the damage in the Green. Jake begged Abby to explain how she knew Swamp Thing, but she rebuffed him, saying she wanted to be alone. He pleaded to meet Swamp Thing, but she shut the door on him. Tefe snuck out to tell him her mother loved him, which was why she pushed him away, and entering a world of monsters would bring him no peace. Jake's father Ray disappeared into the swamp, and he asked Tefe to ask for her mother's help. Abby relented, but told Jake to wrap his mind around the fact that Swamp Thing was her husband and Tefe's father. Tefe wanted to accompany them, but Abby said it was important she make the trip just between her and Jake, and Tefe stormed off. Abby and Jake found Swamp Thing, who said he was happy Abby was moving on with her life, and after she appealed to whatever was left of his human side he agreed to find Ray.Swamp Thing found an extradimensional creature posing as a preacher had formed a congregation, and was using their faith to power his abilities. He'd long ago gotten lost in Hell, and had escaped to Earth through the tear Arcane left. He kept asking Swamp Thing to have faith, but the elemental replied that what he experienced in exploring mysteries was something altogether different. The preacher planned to fly his followers to the moon, where a portal to his own dimension awaited, and sped up his schedule fearing Swamp Thing would try to stop him. Swamp Thing prevented Ray from going, but felt it wouldn't be right to interfere in the faith of others, and hoped they found something akin to Heaven once they reached the moon.
(Swamp Thing IV #15-18) - Swamp Thing refused to enter the Green, tired of his duties, wishing to forget what he knew of his old life, and not wanting to remember more. The Holland Mind in the Green reached out to his old college professor Jordan Schiller, who was doing research into the enlarged dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico that was affecting the Mississippi River, using the floral bacteria in his own body. The Holland Mind guided him with dreams about teaching Alec Holland in college, and his own brief fling with Linda, reminding him of his happiest moments as a younger man. He convinced a Cajun man to ferry him to Swamp Thing's shack, and the Holland Mind possessed him to talk to Swamp Thing. The Holland Mind chided him for neglecting his duties to the Green, which was an organism, and as such needed constant care. Swamp Thing reluctantly agreed so the Holland Mind would leave him alone and entered the Green. Swamp Thing was met by a creature made of machinery and cytoplasm that clearly didn't belong in the Green. After disposing of the creature a large fetus-like creature emerged from it. It was an eco-sorcerer, and was operating the creature from it's own dimension.. Back on the earthly plane Swamp Thing demanded to know what the Holland Mind was, and it revealed that when Swamp Thing sacrificed himself his knowledge was not destroyed, but entered the Green to become the Holland Mind. The Holland Mind said there were hundreds of creatures like Swamp Thing just encountered in the Green, and told him to start solving the problem by healing the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. The Eco-Sorcerers created the nitrate-amalgamate manifestation, a creature of pollution and machinery that spread the Gulf's dead zone, causing massive storms. Swamp Thing confronted the creature, who had no idea who created it or what it's purpose was. Swamp Thing overgrew the creature, halting the spread of it's toxins, and Swamp Thing's algal body helped restore the dead zone to normal, calming the storm. Swamp Thing returned to the Green to be confronted by an army of the cytoplasm creatures, and used the Green to traveled to the home of the Eco-Sorcerers. The Eco-Sorcerers trapped Swamp Thing in machinery that pumped him full of toxins, destroying his body as fast as he could regenerate it. They were led by the Seed Gatherer, who'd made a deal with Mantosan Genomics Corporation to complete a hostile takeover of nature itself. They planned on using the Earth's plant life to fuel their machines, and the Gatherer realized his acquisition would be complete once he bent Swamp Thing, and thus the Green, to his will. Swamp Thing told the Gatherer he was killing him, so he reduced the amount of toxins flooding Swamp Thing's body, allowing Swamp Thing to break free. After a hard look at the moral and ethical choices Swamp Thing killed the Gatherer and the Eco-Sorcerers so they could no longer damage the Green. He returned to Earth, and asked Schiller to leave him. Schiller had fond memories of Alec and Linda, but Swamp Thing remembered none of them.
(Swamp Thing IV #19) - The Holland-Mind found the last bit of Swamp Thing's mind in the thoughspace. The Mind, appearing as cartoon character Willie the Crow found Swamp Thing's memories of Alec Holland as a child and as a young man enjoying being in love with Linda. The stray thoughts were marred with the memory of Alec Holland's brutal death, and gave up their individuality to become whole. The Holland-Mind told Swamp Thing it was complete, and if he accepted the Mind he'd be a god again. Swamp Thing said he enjoyed being an inconsequential being, and rejected fully integrating and transcending for the time being, but the Holland-Mind told him their reintegration was inevitable.
(Swamp Thing IV #20) - Schiller stayed in Swamp Thing's cabin, but he still refused to speak to his old professor. News of Swamp Thing's return spead throughout the bayou, and a number of Cajuns set up camp by his cabin. Swamp Thing disliked the attention, and after settling into the swamp created a new miniature body for himself to get away from it all. His new body was destroyed by insects, so he made a smaller body, but had to fend off single celled organisms. He repeated the process of making bodies, encountering bacteria, viruses, and eventually the fusing of atoms. He had a vision of a bar where John Constantine was drinking, and the mental transmission warned him that he could penetrate the microverse no further. The transmission assumed Constantine's form because Swamp Thing feared him, although he could not remember why. The transmission warned him a gatekeeper would keep him from growing smaller, and would burn him to a crisp if he attempted it. Swamp Thing, realizing he could no longer run away, reluctantly returned to his original body and greeted his admirers, growing plants to aid the sick among them.
(Swamp Thing IV #21, 22) - Swamp Thing talked with Schiller, admitted he remembered loving Abby, but his memories caused pain and he didn't want to explore them. Developers took control of part of the swamp ravaged by the Eco-Sorcerer's storm, and a Cajun woman, Marcel, begged Swamp Thing to convince her love William Dupuis to abndon his house, which was on the developer's property, because she feared they'd hurt him. Swamp Thing talked to William, who was full of stories he claimed possessed him. He refused to leave his home, and told Swamp Thing he wasn't much of a good gumbo man if he refused to fight the developers. The head of the developers shot William dead with a shotgun, unleashing the stories and legends in his head. The folklore monster Toad King killed the developer, and told Swamp Thing he recognized him as ruler of the swamp but he and his Bayou Boys would keep outsiders away with force. Swamp Thing worried about the legions of creatures Dupuis' unleashed with his death, but his worries melted away when Abby came to visit him. it was her 50th birthday, and she'd been recollecting all their good times, and they embraced. Swamp Thing revealed that the last time he'd healed the Green he'd seen his love for Abby as interwoven with the Green and inseparable from it, but he'd drawn back and staid away from the Green since. He said Abby remained an abstract to him, but she told him they could start anew before rushing off. Swamp Thing followed her, and saw her transform into Linda Holland, reminiscing with Schiller about their grand love. The entity was neither Linda nor Abby, but the biblical Hagar released with Dupuis' death, seeking the adoration of any man wou'd accept unconditional love. The revelation deeply disturbed Swamp Thing, and this manifested as plants growing from his head and overgrowing the entire Creole camp. The Holland Mind sensed that he was prepared to be completely reintegrated.
(Swamp Thing IV #23, 24) - Swamp Thing formed a seed pod around himself and in his mind he relived the horrors he'd seen over the past year, from Arcane and Josephine to the Seed Gatherer, and decided he was terrified of regaining his full memory, knowing other terrors awaited him. The Holland Mind reached out to him, reminding him he was not alone, and Swamp Thing's visions switched from his enemies to his friends and all those he'd touched with his good deeds. The only person not there was Abigail, and he wanted to see her on her birthday. The Holland Mind told him he'd chosen to grow and become wiser, and he allowed himself to join the Holland mind, reintegrating himself. Swamp Thing emerged from the pod with his elemental powers, and greeted the Creole that were watching him. The people were unhappy with how Swamp Thing's uncontrolled growth wrecked their camp, but Swamp Thing promised he'd discuss the matter later. He also told Schiller that they had much to talk about now that he had embraced his elemental nature, but first he had to deal with Hagar, who was in pain and poisoning the swamp with her hate. Swamp Thing offered Hagar true love if she'd come with him to the river, but she was offended when she realized he was not offering himself. They clashed, and ended up by the Bywater construction site, where Toad King and the stories were on a murderous path. He released the MGC sludge monster, and directed it upriver. The creature had no previous experiences or expectations, and suggested that Hagar could have it's love. She wasn't sure if it would be enough, but was tired of fighting, and agreed to go away with it. Swamp Thing restrained Toad King and his followers with roots so they could do no more harm, and told Marcel and William, an innocent story that resembled a child, to head back to the Cajun camp. He then visited Abby as a bush of roses to wish her a happy birthday.
(Swamp Thing IV #25) - Abby was thrilled to see Swamp Thing after a year with no contact, and recognized the change in him, and how he was acting like a human again. She wasn't sure if her life needed anymore complications, but asked Swamp Thing to spend the night and hold her. When she woke he was gone, but had created a beautiful and unique garden for her, with a message formed from wood saying he'd wait for her until she was ready to call on him. King Toad sent his sons Bob and Nerk to wreck havoc in Houma, and they attacked Abby and one of her charges at the women's shelter where she worked. She fought them off, but Nerk killed her charge, and Abby reflected that she missed the wonder Swamp Thing brought with him, but death also seemed to follow him.
(Swamp Thing IV #26) - Swamp Thing allowed the swamp to decompose the bodies of the construction workers slain by Toad King, feeling complicit in their murder for hiding the evidence and selfish for leaving their family members with false hope they were still alive. He visited Toad in the prison tree, and Toad berated him for caring about humans when he was supposed to be a swamp god. Swamp Thing replied that he'd given up godhood, and Toad called him weak and unworthy. Swamp Thing went to the Cajun camp, promising he'd rebuild, when he was confronted by a mother who'd lost her child when he'd overgrown the swamp. Swamp Thing found the child dead in the swamp, and absorbed him into his body, absorbing his memories as well. Swamp Thing relived his death, and felt immense guilt for what he'd caused, but as the memories went back he felt the bliss of being a newborn loved by a mother. He grew a fruit from the happy memories and gave it to the mother, so she could eat it and feel at one with her child.
(Swamp Thing IV #27-29) - Swamp Thing quarantined all of William Dupuis's folklore creations, but kept the prison tree next to the refugee camp to keep an eye on them. Toad King called to his "momma" Marcel saying he was being unfairly treated, and she tried to convince Swamp Thing to kill the King and his kin, to no avail. Police and the media were getting suspicious about the unexplained disappearances in the swamp, and helicopters flew overhead at night. Toad King warned Swamp Thing and Marcel that outsiders would end their way of life. Refugee Tee-Tonti was also worried, and told Swamp Thing that the Cajuns had no other home, so if outsiders came and attacked they'd defend their land. Swamp Thing disliked the idea of his utopia marred by violence, but promised Tee-Tonti his people would be safe under his protection. The Floronic Man's body reformed in the swamp and when he met Toad King the King said he was unjustly imprisoned for telling the truth and doing what was right. The Floronic Man told him he'd free him if that would please Swamp Thing, and Toad said it definitely would. Nerk, wanting revenge on Abby for injuring him, found explosives at a construction site, and set them off, turning Houma into a blazing inferno. Abby and Tefe responded, and when Nerk threw explosives at Abby Swamp Thing saved her. Nerk said he believed in dying for his cause, racing into a crowd of police officers with explosives, but Swamp Thing decapitated him before he could harm anyone else. Swamp Thing combated the blaze in Houma with hardwoods to break the fire, and moisture-filled plants to absorb the heat. Abby realized she wanted to be back in the swamp and be a family again. Tefe was with her friend Zaina, and said after they'd had a long talk she'd meet up with her parents. Back at the camp Toad King still had Woodrue's ear, and Woodrue reformed his body, demanding his "friend" Swamp Thing appear before him. Tee-Toni demanded Toad King and Woodrue leave the camp, and after the King slashed him with his claws he responded by stabbing him. Woodrue freaked out about violence which he said was sure to upset Swamp Thing, and instinctively shot wooden spikes up from the ground, killing Tee-Toni, and wounding Toad King, who wandered off. Swamp Thing left Abby's side to confront Woodrue, chastising him for bringing violence to the swamp. Woodrue pleaded that he stopped doing bad things and was full of good, but Swamp Thing said he saw no evidence. Swamp Thing's rejection shattered Woodrue's psyche, and he again split into miniature versions of himself with incomplete minds and fled into the swamp. Swamp Thing mourned Tee-Toni, realizing the irony in his promise to the man that he'd keep him and his kin safe from harm. Swamp Thing destroyed the rest of Toad King's children, having the earth swallow them up. News reports flooded in about upcoming military action in the swamp sponsored by MGC, and Swamp Thing said he was prepared to retake his role as the swamp's protector, and Abby and the refugees stood by him.
(Hellblazer I #215) - John Constantine told Swamp Thing that his sister Cheryl was being buried, and asked Swamp Thing to put some flowers on her grave. Swamp Thing complied, growing a breathtaking garden on Cheryl’s grave.
Comments: Created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.
Swamp Thing had cameos in Demon II #1, Demon III #51, Hellblazer #40, Swamp Thing II #33, 54 and 81.
Swamp Thing received profiles in Who's Who: the Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #22, Who's Who In The DC Universe #15 and Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer #1.
Swamp Thing started calling Abby his wife shortly after their relationship began, so I suppose their mutual indulgence in hallucinogenic tubers marked a sort of marriage ceremony.
There was a pin-up of Swamp Thing in Vertigo Gallery: Dreams and Nightmares #1.
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