Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing
Real Name	Alec Holland, Swamp Thing (after discovering he was never Alec Holland)
First Appearance	House of Secrets #92 (July, 1971) [Alec Olsen], Swamp Thing (Vol. 1) #1 (October–November, 1972) [Alec Holland]
Creators	Len Wein, Bernie Wrightson
Team Affliations	Parliament of Trees, White Lantern Corps, Justice League Dark
Alias	None
Base of Operations	The Louisiana Bayou
Powers	Possession and Control of Plants, Living Plant, Rapid Regeneration, Mutate and Grow plants, Teleportation through plants
Skills and Abilities	Biochemistry mastery
Tools and Weapons	Can create tools and weapons through his body

Swamp Thing is an elemental enemy and a superhero in the DC Universe. He has also been the subject of two feature films and two short lived TV series (one animated, one live action).

Origin

When Alec Holland created a Bio-Regenerative Formula in a swamp, he became the target of assassins who bombed Alec's lab. Alec, covered in flames and the Bio-Regenerative Formula, ran into the swamp and never came out, replaced by the monstrous but gentle Swamp Thing.

Biography

Alec Holland's Life and Death

The childhood and background of Alec Holland remains largely unknown. Alec Holland was a brilliant scientist and botanist who, with his wife Linda, were working on a revolutionary Bio-Regenative Formula that could "make forests out of deserts"). Working in an isolated lab in the Louisiana swamps, the couple were approached by Bruno and Ferrett, agents of the Nathan Ellery (at the time known only as Mr. E), who was known as the mysterious Mr. E, who desired the formula for his own reasons. The two men broke into the lab and knocked Holland out and placed a time bomb in the lab. When Alec awoke, he soon was caught in the blast. While dying and on fire, Alec ran into the swamp and soon drowned in the swamp. Though Alec died, the Bio-Regenative materials made the plants grow and absorbing the remains of Alec Holland. The new creature was awakened sometime later as a beast made entirely out of plant matter with the memories of Alec Holland.

Dark Genesis

After Alec's funeral, Linda was murdered by Bruno and Ferrett, but the creature (later referred to as the Swamp Thing), angered beyond measure, murdered the two in retaliation. However, when Defence Department Intelligence agent (and friend to the Hollands) Matt Cable discovered Linda's body, he incorrectly assumed that the Swamp Thing is responsible for her murder.

Not long after, Swamp Thing was kidnapped by strange mutants called the Un-Men and taken before the mad scientist Dr. Anton Arcane in his castle. Arcane offers Swamp Thing to return him to his human form of Alec Holland (with both parties unaware that Swamp Thing merely believes he is Holland), in exchange for Swamp Thing grant him his monstrous body. Swamp Thing initially considers it, but after learning that Anton Arcane has sinister ulterior motives, he battles and kills him.

After his defeat of Arcane, Swamp Thing decides to explore Arcane's castle, only to find a zombie like creature called the Patchwork Man. Though the Patchwork Man was not evil (and even tried to help the Swamp Thing), it proved dangerous when it destroyed Anton's castle in a fit of rage. The destruction attracts the attention of Matt Cable, who had followed Swamp Thing's trail to the village below the castle, as well as Abigail Arcane, Anton's neice who was unaware of her uncle's nefarious nature. When Abigail and Matt arrive at the castle, they encounter the Patchwork Man, who Abigail recognizes as her father (as he was, unbeknownest to her, was transformed by her evil uncle long ago). From then on, Abigail joins Matt on his quest to solve the mystery of the Swamp Thing.

Swamp Thing would go onto have further horrific adventures including battling a werewolf in Scotland, protecting a witch in a puritanical town in Maine and discovering a strange town of robots. In this last adventure, he found himself targetted by an evil secret society called the Conclave. Deciding that the Conclave needed to be defeated, he went to Gotham City to confront them. He eventually run up against, than teamed up with Batman and the two worked together to defeat the Conclave, and its leader Mr. E, who was the villain who was responsible for ordering the death of Alec and Linda Holland. With this, Swamp Thing avenged their deaths.

Powers

Regeneration, breathes carbon dioxide, super strength, and sometimes super speed.