By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Before HBO Max, Warner Bros. dipped its toe into streaming through DC Universe, an app that collected the very long history of DC Comics in a priceless digital treasury, which was also home to streaming originals. Titans, Doom Patrol, and Harley Quinn all debuted on the service before joining Max during their multi-season runs, but the black sheep of the app’s original lineup, Swamp Thing, was canceled after one season, and it’s not available streaming on Max. The dark superhero horror series was a hit with critics and fans, praised for its special effects and honoring of the comic books genre-defining run in the 80s, but as always with Warner Bros., it cost too much, which meant it’s been banished to the Phantom Zone of Paid Video On Demand.
Swamp Thing Went Deep Into DC’s Roster
For those who have never read the comics, Swamp Thing is much darker and deeper than you’d think a series about a plant creature living in the swamps of Louisiana would be, which is why it should have been the perfect streaming series. There’s the hook, Doctor Alec Holland (Andy Bean) is killed while investigating a corporate conspiracy, then he’s reborn as the green monster (Friday the 13th 2009’s Derek Mears), and alongside Abigail Arcane (Crystal Reed), investigates the multiple mysteries surrounding the town of Marais. Then it gets weird, thanks to some deep DC pulls including Madame Xanadu (Jeryl Prescott), the Blue Devil (Ian Ziering), and The Phantom Stranger (Macon Blair, writer/director of the upcoming Toxic Avenger).
If Swamp Thing were simply the mutated form of Dr. Holland, it would be a simple story, but like the best streaming shows, it then goes much deeper. How much of Holland exists within the monster is not just a question in the subtext; it’s a major part of the plot. Part of the acclaimed New 52 run from the comics even made its way into the series, with The Rot, the force of death and decay, the opposite of The Green, a force of life and renewal, appearing in the series. With a plot unlike any other superhero series this century and an amazing take on the shambling mound of a “hero,” the series was destined to become a hit, and it did, but it wasn’t enough.
The Series Never Had A Chance
Swamp Thing was canceled before the first episode ever streamed, and while Warner Bros never gave an official reason, executives eventually admitted that it cost too much money. Modern Hollywood math relies heavily on tax breaks, which is why Marvel Studios is based in Georgia, and why Vancouver is the home of science fiction, so when the North Carolina tax breaks came up short, Warner Bros had to pick up more of the tab than they expected. The result was swift, with production cut short and three episodes removed from the first season’s lineup, causing the back half of the series to feel rushed, and promises to pick up the series later on The CW were as hollow as Anton Arcane’s heart.
Titans eventually became a fun series, Doom Patrol is a classic, Harley Quinn’s first three seasons make it one of the best animated series of all time, and even the later seasons blow away most of the DCU, and Stargirl joined the Arrowverse on The CW, but Swamp Thing remains the only one of the original DC Unlimited streaming lineup to be abandoned. Today, you can only watch the series through PVOD on Vudu’s Fandango at Home, a dramatic fall from grace for a series that won the 2019 Saturn Award for Best Streaming Superhero Series and managed to win over both critics and die-hard comic fans. You can’t watch one of DC’s best shows on Max, but you can stream 1,000 episodes of Property Brothers.
