Man-Thing has a history at Marvel Comics, stretching back 50 years. Yet the character has long been in the shadow of DC’s Swamp Thing, leading many to consider Man-Thing “Marvel’s version of Swamp Thing.” While there are similarities - both are swamp creatures who used to be human - there are also intriguing differences between the two. What is even more fascinating is that they debuted within months of one another—Man-Thing in May 1971’s Savage Tales #1 and Swamp Thing two months later in House of Secret #92.
How exactly did this happen? How did two remarkably similar characters appear within months of each other at different companies? It is seemingly just a case of parallel thinking, where two people had the same idea at the same time. Man-Thing was born out of a conversation between Stan Lee and then-editor at Marvel Roy Thomas; once the details were nailed down, Thomas handed the scripting duties off to Gerry Conway. When Swamp Thing received his own title a year later, Roy Thomas recalled talk of legal action, but it went nowhere.
Man-Thing was originally scientist Ted Sallis, a biochemist who was working on duplicating the Super Solider Serum that created Captain America. One night, Sallis brings his lover Ellen to the lab, where she betrays him to the scientific terrorist organization Advanced Idea Mechanics, or A.I.M. Fleeing, he injects himself with the Serum and then crashes his car into the swamp. There, the Serum works with magical forces inside the swamp to turn Sallis into Man-Thing.
That origin is remarkably similar to Swamp Thing’s, but the aftermath is where the two diverge. After Swamp Thing’s transformation, he retained Alec Holland’s memories and experiences. Sallis had no such luck and most of his humanity was erased in his transformation, leaving him only vague memories of his time as a human. Man-Thing does not traditionally speak either, although some portrayals have had him talk.
The magical forces in the swamp that gave birth to Man-Thing are the result of the Nexus of All Realities, a gateway to other dimensions. After his transformation, Man-Thing became the guardian of the Nexus, which often brought him into conflict with many terrifying extradimensional beings, giving the comic a horror tone.
One of Man-Thing’s most notable powers is his ability to secrete a special chemical that, when subjected to intense emotions such as fear, can burn someone; hence his tagline: “whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing’s touch.”
Man-Thing is also super-strong, capable of going toe-to-toe with heavyweights such as Captain America and Spider-Man. He is also exceptionally durable and can withstand much punishment. If he happens to be hurt badly, he can regenerate his body and is even capable of oozing through tight openings.
Again, many of these powers also belong to Swamp Thing, but Man-Thing lacks the ability to control and manipulate plant life like Swamp Thing. Man-Thing is also heavily reliant on the swamp, which means he must stay in it to keep his powers.
Man-Thing has long lumbered in the shadow of Swamp Thing. The latter has had two movies, two TV shows and a cartoon; Man-Thing, meanwhile, has had only sporadic appearances and a SyFy channel movie. That might soon change, though. Steve Orlando will be writing a series of three one-shots featuring the character in honor of his 50th anniversary and these will see him team up with the Avengers, Spider-Man and the X-Men.
On the surface, Man-Thing and Swamp Thing seem similar, but a deeper look shows the two are quite different. Man-Thing’s history and stories are as rich and varied as Swamp Thing’s, and the fact he has preserved for 50 years despite his sporadic appearances speak to the character’s greatness.
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