Swamp Thing

SWAMP THING

Real Name: Alec Holland

Class: Earth elemental

Occupation: Champion, former scientist

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: Alice Holland (mother, deceased), Edward Holland (brother), Larry Holland (father, deceased), Linda Holland (wife, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Houma, Louisiana

First Appearance: Swamp Thing I #1 (November, 1972)

Powers: Alec Holland was a brilliant scientist. As Swamp Thing he 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 IV #15-18 (fb)) - <1972> Alec studied botany at Louisiana State University under Dr. Liang, and researched the carbon cycle of swamps, proposing that it represented an untapped source of biofuel. Liang recommended him to Professor Jordan Schiller, and Alec discussed his idea of healing the ecosystem by studying the swamp, proposing the idea of bio-restorative chemicals. At a McGovern rally Alec net fellow student Linda, and was immediately attracted to her. She enjoyed time working together, but Linda made it clear she had a boyfriend, although she wouldn't discuss him. Her lover was Schiller, and their relationship had to be kept secret to avoid a scandal. Schiller admired Alec, and, wondering if Linda might not be happier with him, started pushing her away. Government agents including Matt Cable interviewed Schiller about Alec, headhunting for promising researchers for the company Genomics Corporation. Linda finally tired of Schiller, and asked Alec to spend the night. Alec went to breakfast with the government agents, and accepted the job at Mantosan, convincing Lina to become his assistant.

(Swamp Thing I #1, Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 (fb), Swamp Thing II #47 (fb, BTS)) - Alec Holland married Linda and began their work for 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 once 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.

(Swamp Thing II #78) - Swamp Thing gave Abby the gift of sending her astral form to Heaven again,. She met Alec Holland again, and was thrilled to tell him of her pregnancy with her Alec. Alec showed her a vision of Earth, where his wife Linda was being reborn as a boy. Alec told her that gender was assigned to flesh only, not souls. They shared an embrace before Abby had to depart.

(Swamp Thing IV #1, 2) - Swamp Thing returned, with the Alec Holland part of his mind and soul missing, and Constantine knew he was too powerful to be so detached from humanity, so he animated Alec Holland s corpse and hid Swamp Thing's human half inside of him. Constantine told him he intended to mend Swamp Thing s mind, and was mildly apologetic for using Alec s body as Tupperware. John and Alec got a hotel room, but management realized there was something wrong with Alec, and called the police. John hypnotized the officers, and had them give him and Alec a ride to Colorado, where Swamp Thing had become one with the Earth.

(Swamp Thing IV #3-6) - Constantine had Abby Arcane talk to Swamp Thing but he rebuffed her, so he told her about his plan for the resurrected Alec. Alec was overjoyed to see Abby, but as he reached out to hold her one of his arms fell off. John, Alec and Abby journeyed to Germany where he sensed an elemental war between Swamp Thing and Tefe was about to begin. Alec told Abby he loved her for always staying by his side, but she told him that all she wanted was or things to be back to normal between them, although she was doubting that could ever be possible. Abby talked to Tefe, who d claimed her birthright as a flesh elemental of the red with the help of Sargon the Sorcerer, and was ready for a fight to the death with Swamp Thing, who Sargon convinced her wanted her power. Sargon was actually manipulating her to tap her elemental power so he could reach godhood. Swamp Thing was forced to slay Tefe, and absorbed the power of the Red. Constantine sent the reanimated Alec Holland 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.

Comments: Created by Len Wein & Bernie Wrightson.

Alec Holland had cameos in Swamp Thing I #2, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 17, 23, Swamp Thing II #75 and Swamp Thing IV #7, 19, 23.