The DC Universe is chock-full of lore and stories that explain the inner workings and history of how its characters and forces collide. Some of the overall governing ideas are the eight elemental realms that charge and commune with the elemental beings of the universe and multiverse: The Green, Red, Black, Grey, White, Clear, Metal, and Divided.

Some of these realms are much more obscure, but realms like The Green play a huge role in Swamp Thing created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson. These realms have gone to war with each other and each one has its own mysterious Parlament that governs and communes with the elemental heroes like Animal Man, Poison Ivy and Green Lantern. Now, we're taking a quick look at each of these realms and how they interact with the fabric of the DC Universe.

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The Green

Swamp Thing

The elemental force that connects all plant life in the DC Universe is ruled by the Parliament of Trees. The Parliament of Trees is a host of elementals that live in the Green and commune through one mind and vibe with all of the plant life in the living universe. Characters like Swamp Thing, Poison Ivy, and Earth-2's Green Lantern Alan Scott all commune with The Green.

The Red

The Red realm presides over all animal life in the universe and is ruled by a collective of totems called the Parliament of Limbs. Animal Man is the original representation of The Red. Animal Man is recruited by a group of Shamans known as the Animal Masters to fight against Antagon -- the dark side of the Red Realm. The most popular representation of The Red realm is Beast Boy. Beast Boy taps directly into The Red to transform into any animal in the Animal Kingdom.

The Rot

Animal Man The Rot

Also called The Black, The Rot is the force associated with Anti-Life and works opposite of the Red and Green realms. The Parliament of Decay is run by the Arcane Family who battle against Swamp Thing and the forces of The Green. For example, Wither is a little known character who is a succubus and member of The Parliament of Decay.

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The Grey

DC Comics villain, Solomon Grundy

The Grey is a fungus that breaks down all it comes in contact with. The Grey acts a lot like The Black in the Earth-2 universe and is considered to be the dark side of The Green. An asteroidal impact brought The Grey fungus to Earth and an elemental by the name of Matango volunteered to be overtaken by The Grey so the Parliament of Trees could study it. Eventually, Matango gave in to The Grey's corruption and started a Parliament to rival The Green and the Parliament of Trees. The most famous representation of The Grey is Solomon Grundy who is also known as the Man of Grey.

The White

Swamp Thing The White

The White is ruled by the Parliament of Vapors and dictates over the gas, air, and vapor elementals. Sam Zhao, the Avatar of The White, has helped the Lantern Core and was involved in the war between Earth and Apokolips in Earth-2: World's End by Mike Johnson, Marguerite Bennett, Daniel H. Wilson, Ardian Syaf, Paulo Siqueira, Eddy Barrows and Jorge Jimenez.

The Clear

The Clear is also known as The Blue and it's the realm that communes with all of the aquatic life in the universe. Obviously, Aquaman is the most famous and notable emissary of The Clear. However, DC released an entire undersea epic called Drowned Earth by Scott Snyder, Dan Abnett, James Tynion IV, Francis Manapul, Tom Napolitano and many others. This Justice League and Aquaman crossover focused on Atlantis and the Triumvirate of cosmic sea gods attempting to drown the Earth. Drowned Earth is one of DC's best examples of showcasing The Clear and expanding its scope well beyond Earth's oceans.

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The Metal

SwampThing Futures End

The realm of The Metal is a sentient artificial intelligent universe that was formed at the beginning of the 21st century. The Metal doesn't produce metal-based abilities, it only directly aids individuals who are connected to The Rithim. The Rithim is the Parliament that rules the Metal and is also known as The Calculus. This universe governs the mathematical and scientific properties of the DC Universe.

The Divided

DC's bacterial realm is called The Divided and is the microscopic kingdom in which life, illness, mutation, and death spawn from and is more considered a force of nature than a true elemental realm.

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