What WarnerMedia did to DC Universe’s Swamp Thing is nothing short of shameful. The comic book adaptation premiered on the streaming service in 2019 with some good hype behind it. But the show almost instantly had its legs cut from under it when it was cancelled immediately after the first episode aired. This fatal blow came op top of the series already having had its thirteen-episode order reduced to ten, with WarnerMedia citing “creative differences” as the reason.
It later emerged that the show received such shoddy treatment because North Carolina had unexpectedly reduced their tax rebates, meaning that through no fault of the creative team, the first season came in way over budget. Since then, it’s migrated from DC Universe to The CW, who aired the existing episodes in winter 2020.
Fans of the show had hoped that the network might pick it up for a second season and fold it into the Arrowverse, especially as their “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover had a brief cameo from Swamp Thing and designated the show’s world as Earth-19. But now, sadly, it looks like the game’s officially up, as an article on TV Line has squashed any hopes of a return, saying:
“Considering how quickly DCU pulled the plug, and then factoring in that the sets are long gone and any cast contracts are quite expired, sources tell me that all signs point to a Season 2 not happening, anywhere.”
This is a real shame. Sure, the first season wasn’t perfect, but the show was clearly going places. Best of all, as it was taking a lot of inspiration from Alan Moore’s classic 1980s run on the title, there was the potential for it to head in some weird and wonderful directions in the future.
In any case, while this version of Swamp Thing might have been ripped out by the roots, I’d love to see another stab at the elemental superhero sometime soon.
