Who is more powerful – DC’s Swamp Thing or Marvel’s Man-Thing? At first glance, Swamp Thing and Man-Thing are very similar superheroes. While Swamp Thing might be the better known of the two – thanks in part to his recently – and regrettably – cancelled live-action series – the characters made their comic book debut within a few months of each other. Technically, Marvel pipped DC to the post as Man-Thing first appeared in a May 1971 issue of Savage Tales while the first iteration of Swamp Thing came a little later with a July 1971 issue of House Of Secrets.
Swamp Thing and Man-Thing’s origin stories share quite a few similarities too. The version of Swamp Thing that appears in the superhero’s self-titled series started life as a scientist named Alec Holland who invented a bio-restorative formula designed to solve famine at his lab in the Louisiana swamplands. After thugs planted a bomb in his lab, Alec was set ablaze in the explosion and dove into the swamp to put out the flames. Though Alec was killed in the explosion, his body was drenched in the bio-restorative formula which caused his consciousness to merge with the swamp’s plant-life and create Swamp Thing.
Man-Thing, meanwhile, was once a biochemist named Ted Sallis who worked at a top-secret laboratory in the Florida Everglades developing a new super-soldier serum. While fleeing from a terrorist group, Ted injected himself with the serum but crashed into the swamps. There, the serum and magical energies of the swamp combined and mutated Ted into the humanoid plant-like creature that is Man-Thing.
The two heroes are cut from a similar cloth, but who would win in a Swamp Thing vs. Man-Thing scenario? Marvel’s Man-Thing has several enviable abilities going for him. Alongside possessing superhuman strength, Man-Thing is almost immune to harm because his plant form isn’t entirely solid which means things like bullets or knives will often pass right through him. He also secretes a potent acid with the power to burn those who fear him. On the downside, Man-Thing didn’t retain any of Ted Sallis’ human intellect and is barely sentient.
Early on in Swamp Thing’s history, he may have been a fairer match for Man-Thing but under Alan Moore’s writing, the superhero’s abilities were fleshed out a great deal. Nowadays, Swamp Thing has control over all forms of plant-life both earthly and extraterrestrial. He can use plants to attack his enemies and can transfer his consciousness to any plant matter and generate a new bodily form, meaning attacks have little effect on him. And unlike Man-Thing, Swamp Thing retained Alec Holland’s intelligence.
While both superheroes would no doubt prove formidable opponents in a battle against other Marvel and DC characters if it were a Swamp Thing vs. Man-Thing fight the former would probably emerge the victor, thanks to his ability to control all plant-life which presumably would include the power to make Man-Thing bend to his will too.
