DC's upcoming Swamp Thing movie could be the first step towards a superhero ensemble movie years in the making: Justice League Dark. James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU slate promises a variety of formats, styles, and characters, mixing lesser-known figures with long-time DC icons. One of the characters who will participate in the DCU's first wave of releases is Swamp Thing, who despite his popularity, has had trouble attaining critical and commercial success in his 1982 and 1989 movies, or his 2019 series.
In DC Comics, Swamp Thing is the "Avatar of the Green" — a monster that protects nature from human and supernatural threats. The first Swamp Thing's real identity is Dr. Alec Holland, a scientist whose failed experiment to end food shortages literally blows up in his face, prompting him to flee to a swamp and wash himself of the chemicals. However, Holland was transformed into a hulking monster from both the chemicals and the swamp water. Swamp Thing soon befriends John Constantine and eventually joins his team of occult superheroes, the Justice League Dark. Now, the DC Universe's Swamp Thing movie can follow the same pattern.
Swamp Thing Makes Justice League Dark More Likely
The DCU's first chapter, "Gods and Monsters", will honor its name with the introduction of a new Superman as well as the monster team Creature Commandos, alongside Swamp Thing. This wide variety of characters can allow DC movies to explore new corners of its source material and expand its reach much faster and more organically than previous live-action attempts. Unlike the DCEU, James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Universe will dive into the occult from the get-go with Swamp Thing. It's possible that other members of the Justice League Dark such as Zatanna and Deadman could arrive soon and lay the groundwork for a Justice League Dark movie.
DC Has Tried To Get A Justice League Dark Project To Work For Years
A DC Studios Justice League Dark movie would finally materialize a project that has remained in development hell for several years. Guillermo del Toro started working on a live-action Justice League Dark film as early as 2012, which he developed concurrently with Zack Snyder's now-dead "Snyderverse". However, Del Toro's Justice League Dark stagnated, and despite his efforts, he was no longer attached to the project by 2015, when it passed onto Doug Liman's hands before landing in J.J. Abrams'. Since 2017, J.J. Abrams developed the project as an HBO Max show, but 2023 put a final nail in its coffin with the cancelation of Abrams' Justice League Dark.
Justice League Dark's HBO cancelation may sound like bad news, but it could be a positive sign for a future attempt, as a new Justice League Dark project can now start from scratch alongside the rest of the new DC Universe. Without any links to previous drafts, the DCU's Swamp Thing movie can become the first movie in a Justice League Dark franchise. It could even be the DC Universe's first Justice League movie, released before Superman and Batman form their own team.
