DC: The 10 Best Swamp Thing Quotes | Screen Rant
DC's Swamp Thing is one of the most existentially conflicted characters in comic book history. With that comes some truly great quotes.
When the character first debuted, Swamp Thing was a somewhat silly green monster from DC's horror comics. However, as time progressed the character became much more fleshed out and writer Alan Moore helped to propel Swamp Thing to the forefront of popular comics.
Over the years, the protector of the Green has not only battled monsters but also his own existential dread in the swamps of Louisiana. Whether he is fighting villains or other heroes, Swamp Thing can always be counted on for a good quote.
One of Swamp Thing's biggest struggles throughout the comics was with identity. No longer the human Alec Holland and never sure of his identity as the Swamp Thing, he eventually found a community amongst the elementals in the Green.
Unfortunately, in issue #65 of Swamp Thing, he was rejected by the Parliament of Trees because they perceived him to be dead. Unlike in the past where he would tumble into a pit of existential despair, Swamp Thing showed growth by instead reminding the Parliament that, because of his communion with the universe, he has become something greater than before.
As soon as he took over as head writer on Saga of the Swamp Thing, Alan Moore wasted no time in giving the character a political bent. Issue #20 of Saga saw the temporary resolution of Swamp Thing's battle with Arcane and it allowed him to speculate about Arcane's place in a world full of monsters.
Though not as obvious as some of DC's more political characters like Green Arrow, Swamp Thing's personal speculations shined a light on the real world. The ultimate irony of the Swamp Thing character is that he himself is a monster who must fight other monsters, even if they are humans.
Swamp Thing's appearance as a playable character in Injustice 2 was greeted with much fanfare from fans of the comics. Though he usually stays out of the squabbles of the DC heroes and villains, Swamp Thing is persuaded to join Batman's cause when he learns that the Green is in danger from Superman's regime.
The fighting game doesn't give Swamp Thing a lot of time to speak, but he still delivers a quote that perfectly sums up his cause. In the game, he proves to be a formidable ally for Batman even though they have feuded in the past during the Saga of the Swamp Thing comic series.
After communing with the Green, Swamp Thing learned that he had the tremendous power to harness all of the Earth's plant life. Though it is an important power, he also sees it as a burden and is further weighed down by his responsibility.
In issue #64, Swamp Thing muses on what his powers mean for his complicated relationship with humankind. He has seen the way that the Parliament of the Trees avoids human contact and yet he cannot relate to them. By asking questions about his powers, Swamp Thing shows that he is more human than god.
After being lured to Gotham City in issue #52, Swamp Thing begins a reign of terror that brings him into direct confrontation with Batman. Unlike the other elementals of the Green, Swamp Thing shows that he is driven by the very human concepts of vengeance and is unable to fully disconnect himself from the human world.
Despite his mighty quest for vengeance, Swamp Thing also shows he is capable of forgiveness when he finds that he has more in common with his old enemy Jason Woodrue than he once thought. The last shred of humanity is what drives him on and yet tortures him at the same time.
Swamp Thing often straddles the line between hero and anti-hero, and much to his chagrin he frequently finds similarities between himself and his enemies. Issue #20 of Saga of the Swamp Thing finds him musing on the fate of his enemy Arcane. Though he is seemingly defeated, Swamp Thing seems almost sad that such a monster had to be destroyed.
It is only after he has vanquished his foes that he sees the inhumanity within himself and it is at the heart of his existential crisis. Seeing himself as a monster not only puts him on the same level as his enemies but also further separates him from the human world that he clings to so tightly.
The eventful Swamp Thing journey to Gotham City in issue #52 saw him turn the entire city into the primordial jungle from which it came and that draws the ire of the Caped Crusader. Before that though, he is accosted by several guards who attempt to shoot him with their guns.
Swamp Thing subtly implies that the humans are merely animals and are therefore susceptible to the guns, however, he is something more. Though he waffled between his humanity and his near god-hood frequently, Swamp Thing took that instance to prove that he is much more than a mere human being.
Throughout the comics, Swamp Thing often found moments to rectify his connection to nature and would wield it as a weapon against his enemies. Though his motivation is to reunite with Abbey, he can't help but put himself above humanity by comparing himself to other natural forces.
At the heart of his angry conquest of Gotham in #52 is the two diametrically opposed forces that operate within the Swamp Thing. The very human motivation of his love for Abbey is in direct conflict with the fact that he is beginning to see himself as something more than human.
In many classic monster stories, such as Frankenstein, the creature is often goaded into becoming a villain by the evils of mankind. In many ways, Swamp Thing conforms to that classical monster trope when the human world incessantly infringes on his relationship with Abbey and his connection to the Green.
Issue #52 cast Swamp Thing as a pseudo-villain but he is poked and prodded into that position by government forces who want to destroy him. His transformation of Gotham shows that his quote is more than an idle threat even if it brings him into direct conflict with the supposed forces of good in the form of Batman.
Before he got an existential facelift by Alan Moore, horror film director Wes Craven was tapped to write and direct a film adaption. Though the movie played off of the sillier aspects of the earlier comics, it still stayed true to what the Swamp Thing was at heart.
Similar to the comics, the film focused on Swamp Thing's relationship with the human world and he battles his familiar foe, Arcane. Much like nature in the real world, there is beauty within the seeming disorder of it all. Swamp Thing is able to appreciate nature's beauty because he has become a part of it, even though he wishes to remind humans that they are too.