Gary Dauberman, the creator and executive producer of Swamp Thing and co-writer of its excellent pilot episode, has spoken about his plans for the second season of the prematurely cancelled show.
Despite a strong debut, Swamp Thing was cancelled less than a week after the airing of its first outing, the details surrounding which were as murky as its titular quagmire and not immediately explained. Even more frustrating for its immediate fans, it remained marketed as must-watch TV, which was seen as a sign that Warner Bros. were uninterested in properly developing DC Universe and its content, but rather just using the streaming service to make money.
While being interviewed by ComicBookMovie.com recently, Dauberman was asked about what else had been planned for the series had it gone ahead, and here’s what he shared:
“The swamp is very much the kitchen sink of supernatural terror and, as you know, you can go into different subgenres of horror with that and I was really looking forward to exploring that in season two and getting into some of the more twisted horror tales from the later comics. It just would have got weirder. For people who don’t know the character, season one was telling people what Swamp Thing was all about, but season two was going to be more about getting into the deeper, twisted, weirder, and gross ideas.”
Swamp Thing had already gone some way towards realizing the phantasmagoria of its source material with its introduction of mystical and paranormal characters like the Phantom Stranger, Blue Devil and Madame Xanadu, and although not brought up in any way, there was a canonical possibility of John Constantine appearing when he inevitably exits the ever-revolving cast of Legends of Tomorrow, seeing as the character originated during The Saga of the Swamp Thing before being given his own series in the magnificent horror/fantasy Hellblazer.
Also, a late twist was taken directly from Alan Moore’s run writing the comics, incorporating some of the existential philosophy that the Warlock of Northampton infused into the character (“Am I man who turned into a plant, or a plant who dreamed he was a man?”)
Swamp Thing might have now retreated back into the Green, with the financial issues that blighted the show meaning that the #SaveSwampThing campaign will likely come to naught, but it’s encouraging to know that at least some people involved in the production treated the property with the respect it deserved.