Ram V has had a successful run on DC Comics' Swamp Thing. This proves that fans have a hunger for horror-themed monster comic books. But Marvel has not taken advantage of this trend with their own swamp-dwelling hero, leaving that ground to DC. More than ever, it is time for Marvel to re-invent their Man-Thing character.

In 1971, Marvel and DC Comics both debuted their own swamp monster themed protagonist. While Marvel created Man-Thing in the pages of Savage Tales #1, DC created the far more popular Swamp Thing in House of Secrets #92. Despite Man-Thing's earlier creation, the work of Alan Moore elevated Swamp Thing in the 1980s and left character firmly entrenched as a pop culture icon.

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Man-Thing's origin is quite similar to Swamp Thing. Ted Sallis had been researching a new drug and came under attack from spies hoping to capitalize on his research. In order to escape, Sallis injects himself with the serum but crashes into a swamp where he transforms into a horrific creature.

While Swamp Thing still has the mind of Alec Holland, Man-Thing exists more on instinct and basic consciousness. The mind of Ted Sallis is almost completely absent. His enemies range from hulking, giant demons to fascist criminals. This gave the title a broad, fun range of characters to include in Man-Thing's adventures including cult favorites such as Howard the Duck.

Marvel comic book fans would likely embrace a revival of the concept. Though he has had some recent one-shots and a 2017 miniseries by noted horror author R.L. Stine, Marvel has yet to commit to turning him into a true counterpart to Swamp Thing.

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The 1970s was fertile ground for horror themed books, as well as creature feature stories. Titles such as Dracula, Hulk, Swamp Thing and Man-Thing made for some of the best-selling comic books and proved to be fertile ground for creative storytelling. Writer Steve Gerber's run on the character was responsible for much of the initial success of Man-Thing. Gerber took him on a journey of magic, fantasy, horror and tragedy, similar but distinct from the stories of his DC counterpart.

One of the strengths of a title like Man-Thing is the character often exists in isolation from the other superheroes, and could present readers with a series that doesn't require too many tie-ins. A new fantasy horror saga featuring the hero might also capture some of the DC readership whose support for Ram V's Swamp Thing got the title extended from ten issues to sixteen. In contrast, Man-Thing's most memorable, impactful stories are still rooted in the 1970s and 1980s.

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While Man-Thing and Swamp Thing do have much in common, their stories in their first series were completely different. Man-Thing always leaned in as much to fantasy as horror, while Swamp Thing was far more grounded in the horror aspect, invoking the likes of the Universal Monsters pantheon. Man-Thing's series had the added bonus of feeling like a much vaster and richer lore, which left Man-Thing as the guardian of the Nexus of Realities - arguably as important a task as Swamp Thing's Protector of the Green duty.

Marvel has plenty of writers who would be more than suited to a Man-Thing revival including the aforementioned Ram V who has been writing the current run of Venom with Al Ewing. Other writers who could be more than suited to a Man-Thing revival include Donny Cates (Hulk & Venom) or Ed Brisson (Ghost Rider). Classic writers such as Roy Thomas, who co-created the Man-Thing along with Marvel icon Stan Lee, would perhaps be an ideal choice to channel the Bronze Age's tone and style.

Comics have always been at their best when the major publishers offer a range of genres within their roster that maximizes their potential reading audience. Reviving and revamping Man-Thing for modern sensibilities would be a smart publishing move, especially at a point where Swamp Thing's title is doing so well. There are even reports that Man-Thing may be set to debut in live action so now is the ideal opportunity to get ahead of the MCU and establish the character in the Marvel Universe.

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While some might say Marvel would be copying DC, it would be worth noting that Man-Thing actually appeared before Swamp Thing. And despite many revamped titles sometimes completely re-designing characters, Man-Thing's unique design would be better left unchanged. The rejuvenation of this title should respect the Gerber run but bring something new to the horror genre.

The success and near instant fan-favorite status of Ram V's Swamp Thing shows that the monster-horror sub-genre of superhero books is still popular in 2022. With Marvel having their own counterpart to Swamp Thing, it seems wasted potential to not give Ted Sallis' cult classic Man-Thing the same treatment.