There’s considerable debate about who the next “Arrowverse” superhero should be. There are a lot of good candidates. Some people hope for a Green Lantern or a Doctor Fate spinoff, but there’s a great superhero story that no one seems to be talking about: Alan Moore’s Saga of The Swamp Thing. There are three compelling reasons why The Swamp Thing would make a great new TV superhero series.
One: Location
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Most superheroes defend a city. The Swamp Thing operates out of rural Louisiana swampland, defending nature. Smallville worked rural, but nothing, even outside of DC, has done quintessentially southern. There are just not superhero movies taking place in the American South. For that matter, there aren’t a lot of TV series period that take place in the South, save for shows like Hap and Leonard. The American South is a completely unexplored area for the Arrowverse and would offer a big and unique opportunity.
Two: John Constantine would return
Fans were disappointed when Constantine was canceled, but if someone did a Swamp Thing series, John, by necessity, would appear. He’s the Swamp Thing’s biggest name ally and, arguably, closest friend. He first appeared in a Swamp Thing comic. There isn’t really a way to write a Team Swamp Thing without Constantine as a member. It might even serve as a great bridge to a renewed Constantine.
Three: It deals with serious issues
The Swamp Thing story deals with major issues: alcoholism, abusive relationships, the question of who someone really is. But the main issue is, “What does it mean to be human?” The Swamp Thing isn’t technically human; he’s a plant. He comes to terms with the fact that he isn’t Alec Holland, the human, but that he’s still a “person” in the eyes of his friends and himself. It’s a very serious and classic science fiction theme that could be explored in depth in an extended series.
I don’t have any reason to believe that CW execs or writers are actually looking to tackle The Swamp Thing in any form. It’s entirely unlikely that he’s at the top of most lists of possible or likely adaptations. The Swamp Thing story would make a great TV series that could go in interesting new directions.
