The Forgotten 'Swamp Thing' Series That Validated James Gunn's DCU Plan

Swamp Thing has been part of DC lore since Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson introduced the character in 1971, and he reached the big screen in a Wes Craven film in 1982 followed by a 1989 sequel. As a figure from DC's horror line and event comics like 'Brightest Day,' he fit naturally into James Gunn's DCU plans — yet DC already produced a strong take on the character in 2019 that few people recall.

The 2019 show ran for ten episodes on the DC Universe streaming app and was canceled days after its premiere. It blends the original Wein/Wrightson tale of Alec Holland's transformation with Alan Moore's retcon that Swamp Thing is a plant-based entity that absorbed Holland's consciousness.

The series begins with Alec Holland (Andy Bean) becoming Swamp Thing (Derek Mears) and then reveals midway that Holland is dead and the creature is a separate being, marrying classic horror with Moore's tragic reframing and folding years of storytelling into one cohesive season.

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