History Characters / SwampThing

* BeenThereShapedHistory: Claims to have seeded Earth with life, imbued humanity with the "gift" of its capacity for mindless violence, and inspired the works of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe, Creator/AmbrosePierce and Creator/HowardPhillipLovecraft by touching their minds.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: In the original run, Abby was barefoot quite often because....well, swamps.

* TomatoInTheMirror: The major concept of the Creator/AlanMoore run on the comics, which became the definitive interpretation of the character: he was ''never'' Alec Holland. He's just a ghost in weeds.

* WasOnceAMan: He used to be an ordinary person, until his formula, a derivative of the SuperSerum that gave ComicBook/PoisonIvy ''her'' [[GreenThumb plant-manipulating abilities]], transformed him into a sapient plant.

* ArchEnemy: To Swamp Thing. He is by far the most persistant and personal antagonist.
* AxeCrazy: Could seriously rival ComicBook/TheJoker as one of the most depraved, homicidal villains in the DCU. His "accomplishment" include, among others, molesting his sister as a child, experimenting on his wife, practicing a lifestyle of necrophilia, cannibalism, depravity, and satanism that got him kicked out of school and once indirectly raping his own niece. You know he's bad when even ''the Joker'' is terrified of him.

* MadScientist: He is a brillant enough scientist to create synthetic organic matter, which he uses mostly to create monsters under his control or find ways to become immortal.

* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler: Is probably the supreme example of this trope in DC. All those reality-shattering villains behind the many Crisis events? They were nothing but its unwitting puppets. Not only that, but when Darkseid and the other cosmic threats come to it, it promptly overwhelms and takes control of them. Played with, as it isn’t actuslly evil at all, but rather corrupted by Pariah's madness.]]

* {{Transplant}}: He became Matthew the Raven in ''ComicBook/TheSandman''.

* CosmicRetcon: ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' erased her from existence.

* DealWithTheDevil: Her immortality is the result of one. When she dies, she gets stuck with Etrigan.

* ThePerilsOfBeingTheBest: She's really good at killing things. Unfortunately, this comes with the problem of people seeking her down to kill her, in the belief it will give them her immortality. And of course, the more she kills the more her reputation grows...

* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Dishes a major one at the end of ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueIncarnate''. Darkseid has merged with all his incarnations, turning him into his ultimate form. He then goes to face the Great Darkness head on, more than confident he's the Darkness's superior. He's so, ''so'' very wrong. Darkseid ends up a mere slave in the Darkness's army of other heavy-hitters like Ares, Nekron, and Eclipso. Or rather, [[HinackingCthulhu Pariah's army]].]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: Hoo boy. [[spoiler: ComicBook/JusticeLeagueIncarnate would reveal that it has been this trope to ''every'' Crisis-level villain. ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths the Anti-Monitor]], [[ComicBook/ZeroHour Extant]], [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis Superboy-Prime]], [[ComicBook/FiftyTwo Mister Mind]], [[ComicBook/FinalCrisis Mandrakk (who was an avatar)]], [[ComicBook/TheMultiversity the Empty Hand (who is the hand the Darkness used to take the Presence’s)]], [[ComicBook/DoomsdayClock Doctor Manhattan]], [[ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal Barbatos]], [[ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal the Batman Who Laughs]], ''all of them''.]]

* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:Dishes a major one at the end of ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueIncarnate''. Darkseid has merged with all his incarnations, turning him into his ultimate form. He then goes to face the Great Darkness head on, more than confident he's the Darkness's superior. He's so, ''so'' very wrong. Darkseid ends up a mere slave in the Darkness's army of other heavy-hitters like Ares, Nekron, and Eclipso.]]

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Is set to be this for ''ComicBook/DarkCrisis'', with Pariah as TheHeavy due to him killing the ComicBook/JusticeLeague and leading the Dark Army.]]

* EvilerThanThou: [[spoiler: Is probably the supreme example of this trope in DC. All those reality-shattering villains behind the many Crisis events? They were nothing but its unwitting puppets. Not only that, but when Darkseid and the other cosmic threats come to it, it promptly overwhelms and takes control of them.]]

* CannibalismSuperpower: [[spoiler: he eats the King of Petals to get his powers.]]

* DarkIsNotEvil: Ironically, despite being the literal source of evil, it doesn't seem to be actively malevolent or malicious in and of itself. During its manifestation, each person it encounters is greeted the same way; by the Great Darkness asking them to define what "evil" actually is, because it doesn't understand what ''itself'' is supposed to be. Characters like ComicBook/TheSpectre and ComicBook/{{Etrigan}} give it a simple BlackAndWhiteMorality-based response, and the Great Darkness reacts with disappointment before casting them aside. Finally, Swamp Thing gives it a more nuanced response, describing Evil as a necessary part of the cosmic balance, and is sent on his way in peace. Shortly thereafter, the Great Darkness finally meets its counterpart, the Great Light, and instead of fighting, the two peacefully clasp hands, seem to run together, and finally vanish. [[spoiler: The ComicBook/InfiniteFrontier era would put it firmly back into this trope ''big-time''.]]

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Is set to be this for ComicBook/DarkCrisisOnInfiniteEarths with Pariah as TheHeavy due to him killing the ComicBook/JusticeLeague and leading the Dark Army.]]

* CompositeCharacter: Post-Rebirth continuity makes it so this Swamp Thing was always the real Alec Holland.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Levi is 26, but looks to be in his early to mid forties.

* UndeadAbomination: A huge skeletal being, the embodiment of decay and decay, that kills and reanimates every living thing it comes in contact with, with designs to cleanse the entire universe of life? Yep. Sethe fits the bill.

* BeenThereShapedHistory: Caused the Antonine Plague of the second century A.D., the Bystantine Plague of the Sixth Century, and the Black Death.

* BodyOfBodies: Like the Swamp-Thing, Sethe is an incorporal being that forms a physical body to interact with the world. In Sethe's case it is gigantic, demonic scarecrow-like body made from rotting flesh and bone knitted together. His minions much the same: hideous mix-and-match creatures made from different animal and human corpses.