Throwback Thursday: Man-Thing, Guard of the Swamp & Nexus of Realities
May 20, 2021
A unique creation of science and magic, Man-Thing is a powerful hero saddled with immense responsibility and challenging circumstances. With his hulking form of deep green vegetable matter and glowing red eyes, Man-Thing is one intimidating figure whose goals are simply to protect the swamp and complexly to guard the Nexus of Realities. Since Man-Thing turns 50 this month, we thought it was time to dig up some dirt on this man of verdant vegetation.
Man-Thing was created by the team of Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Gray Morrow for Savage Tales #1 in May 1971. This would be one month before rival publisher DC Comics would debut Swamp Thing, leading to speculation from historians about just who "ripped off" who. Rumor has it that Swamp Thing co-creator Bernie Wrightson and Man-Thing co-creator Gray Morrow were roommates at the time and may have influenced each other. Despite similarities in look and origin, neither Marvel or DC pursued legal action against the other.
A large humanoid swamp monster who lives in the Florida Everglades, his appearance differs greatly from his contemporaries. He also has many exceptional abilities, including the power to regenerate by absorbing plants and their energy. He can manipulate plants, is empathic, and can secrete corrosive chemicals. Adding to this already impressive repertoire, he has superstrength, enhanced durability, and he can teleport.
Dr. Ted Sallis was a young biochemist from Omaha, Nebraska working in the Everglades on Dr. Wilma Calvin’s Project, with a team that included Dr. Barbara Morse (the future Mockingbird). They were working on recreating the Super-Soldier Serum that created Captain America, and though the team had been warned that Advanced Idea Mechanics was also in the area, they continued to work. Still, Ted took precautions with the formula he was working on, memorizing the details and destroying his notes.
Ted had broken security protocol by bringing his girlfriend Ellen Brandt (later retconned as his wife) to the site. He was attacked by a pair of henchmen and was shocked to find that Ellen had betrayed him. Ted escaped and fled the area with the only sample of his serum, then injected himself to survive further attacks.
His car crashed into the swamp where magical forces mingled with the serum to transform him into the plant creature, Man-Thing. Ted’s mind was also manipulated by the serum, leaving him with an inability to speak and only a vague recollection of his past. He attacked Ellen and the people who accosted him, burning her with the acid he could now secrete when exposed to negative emotions.
Though Ted’s original mind is gone, he can access his human consciousness on occasion and has even returned to his human form in a few stories.
AIM tried to steal the formula again, but Man-Thing and Ka-Zar were able to stop them. After Man-Thing decided to make the swamp his home, he met the sorceress Jennifer Kale and shared a psychic link with her. She was able to see his identity as a man and their story revealed that the swamp had mystical properties as the Nexus of Realities.
He became the guardian of the Nexus, protecting it from ghosts and demons, time-travelers, land developers, and other manner of criminals. In this period, he met Howard the Duck who became stranded in this reality and befriended the nurse Ruth Hart and radio DJ Richard Rory.
Man-Thing was captured and put on display at the New York Museum of Natural History, which sent him into a frenzy of rage. Later he faced Maybell Tork, the Demons of Liberation, and the reality bending Brian Lazarus. While traveling through the Port Everglades he got involved in a cursed battle between the satyr Khordes, an immortal pirate crew, and Dr. Maura Spinner, the reincarnation of their former captain.
While stopping the Mad Viking on a rampage, Man-Thing was captured by townspeople and thrown into a sewage treatment plant. He escaped, stopped the Mad Viking, and ended a book burning led by Viking and Olivia Selby. He joined Ghost Rider, Morbius, and Werewolf as the Legion of Monsters to stop Starseed. After fighting Molecule Man, he was captured and forced to fight the Hulk but managed to escape.
Dr. Karl Oheimer used cerebral regeneration to restore Ted’s mind, and when the doctor was killed, a sentient Man-Thing killed those who sought his serum. Once he returned to the swamp, his mind faded again. Another attempt to restore his mind was led by the sorcerer Baron Mordo, who wanted to use him against Dr. Strange. Jennifer Kale helped Man-Thing retake control of his mind and stop the plot, and Ted’s mind was lost again.
At the conclusion of the first Man-Thing series, writer Steve Gerber introduced himself as a character in the comic. As writer on the second volume, Chris Claremont took things one step further. Not only did he put himself in the comic, he became Man-Thing for a brief period. Man-Thing joined Sheriff John Daltry and Barbara Bannister to stop a Thog attack. During the event, Ted was cured and Claremont took his place as Man-Thing to defeat Thog. Dr. Strange saved the writer and Ted returned to being Man-Thing.
While working with Hulk, Man-Thing met a new Glob, this time Sumner Beckwith, and was nearly killed when she used the Star Brand to power the Nexus in a bid to rule all of reality. Dimensional travel splintered the Nexus of Realities, so Dr. Strange recruited Man-Thing and Ellen Brandt to restore it. The history of the Men of Lineage was revealed when Man-Thing was possessed by K’ad-Mon, and he discovered that he and Ellen were predestined to meet.
Man-Thing, Ellen, and K’ad-Mon found the Nexus fragments. The Fallen Star Amodeus Q. Termineus wanted to stop them from saving the Nexus, so he plotted to destroy all of existence. Termineus used the last fragment to break the healing Nexus, but Man-Thing used his nature as the Man of Lineage and Ellen’s love, as well as the help of Job Burke (their long-lost son) to restore reality.
He appeared in the Civil War event when SHIELD agents attempted to make him register under the Superhuman Registration Act. After that Phil Coulson recruited him to join the Howling Commandos.
In the Empyre story the Cotati led by Ventri were able to control Man-Thing. Doctor Voodoo then took control of Man-Thing to free Matthew and the Black Knight. After that, Doctor Voodoo used Man-Thing to fight the Cotati. Once Doctor Voodoo removed his control, he left to assist Scarlet Witch while Man-Thing continued fighting the Cotati.
Man-Thing has had epic battles to protect reality and ones closer to home to protect the swamp. He has been treated like a monster, but still tries to be a good guy. For a man made of plants, he is anything but a delicate flower.
Rated T+
Parental Advisory
Rated T+
Parental Advisory
Keep an eye on PREVIEWSworld.com's Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram for more character profiles! And if you're interested in more Sunspot tales, head to your local comic shop and check out the following.
This article originally appeared in Gemstone Publishing’s e-newsletter Scoop.
