Anton Arcane
Encyclopedia
Anton Arcane is a DC Comics
villain who first appeared in Swamp Thing
vol. 1 #2, and was created by Len Wein
and Bernie Wrightson
.
" as well as other monstrous biogenetic experimentations involving the dead. He was able to resurrect his deceased brother Gregori as the Patchwork Man
. He is also a skilled magician, which he is able to channel through his horrific experiments.
Living in the mountains of Europe with his niece Abigail, Arcane was introduced in Swamp Thing Volume 1 #2 after luring the plant based hero to his castle home. Arcane sought to use his scientific and magic abilities to transplant his mind into Swamp Thing's body. His attempt failed, however, and Arcane fell to his death, only to be resurrected by his minions in a new body. He then attacked Swamp Thing twice more before truly dying, the first time as a hulking corpse-like beast and later as a spider-like cyborg piloting a massive dragonfly-like vehicle. It is after his second death that his soul was consigned to Hell
.
Arcane's soul later escaped from Hell, and ultimately helped to summon the Monkey King into the world.
After a fight with Abigail that culminated in her leaving on foot to find Swamp Thing, Matt Cable (Abigail's husband) had an attack of conscience and drove after her. He'd been drinking heavily and wound up crashing his car, leaving him mortally wounded. Ultimately Arcane managed to possess Cable's body, and with it gained access to Cable's godlike power.
In his body, he masquerades as Cable, claiming a new job called Blackriver Recorporations and buying a mansion for them to live. Arcane combined his own magic with Cable's inherent psychic
powers to alter reality and the employees of Recorporations were the resurrected souls of deceased serial killers returned from Hell. He finally revealed himself, tormenting his niece and causing havoc and insanity by altering reality on a massive scale. For miles around natural and unnatural disasters occurred, people succumb to homicidal instincts and the resurrected serial killers returned to killing.
He once again battled Swamp Thing, accompanied by monstrous forms resembling Un-men, after killing Abigail and condemning her soul to Hell, all the while declaring the earth as his now.
It was during this battle that Arcane found that the Swamp Thing was an elemental and thus possessed semi-magical abilities allowing the Swamp Thing to combat him on a more even ground. The battle was enough for Matthew Cable to regain control of his body, and Arcane was exorcised
directly back to Hell. Cable later becomes coma
tose and dies, whereupon he becomes Matthew, a raven
living within The Dreaming
.
Arcane next appears as a demon
, having been promoted to this status by the Lords of Hell. He attacks Swamp Thing yet again, only to be defeated. In a later episode, Arcane temporarily repents his evil ways after having briefly found God
, who eventually banishes him back to Hell. Arcane is torture
d by the demon Josephine, whom he seduces into helping him escape. Swamp Thing defeats the two demons, causing their forms to morph together, and when last seen, it is revealed that the Arcane/Josephine being is pregnant.
of Swamp Thing directed by Wes Craven
. He also appeared in the 1989 sequel The Return of Swamp Thing
. In the Swamp Thing television series
, Mark Lindsay Chapman
played Arcane, and Don Francks
voiced the character in the short-lived Swamp Thing animated series
.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
villain who first appeared in Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
vol. 1 #2, and was created by Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
and Bernie Wrightson
Bernie Wrightson
Bernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...
.
Fictional character biography
Arcane is a scientist whose obsession with gaining immortality has led him to create monstrous creatures known as "Un-MenUn-Men
The Un-Men are a group of fictional characters in the DC/Vertigo Comics universe. Created by the writer/artist team of Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, the Un-Men made their first appearance in 1972, in the first and second issues of the original Swamp Thing comic book series...
" as well as other monstrous biogenetic experimentations involving the dead. He was able to resurrect his deceased brother Gregori as the Patchwork Man
Patchwork Man
Gregori Arcane, the Patchwork Man, is a fictional DC Comics horror character based upon Frankenstein's monster. He is the brother of Anton Arcane and also the father of Abby Holland. He was severely injured while stepping into a minefield, leading to his appearance, the work of his brother Anton...
. He is also a skilled magician, which he is able to channel through his horrific experiments.
Living in the mountains of Europe with his niece Abigail, Arcane was introduced in Swamp Thing Volume 1 #2 after luring the plant based hero to his castle home. Arcane sought to use his scientific and magic abilities to transplant his mind into Swamp Thing's body. His attempt failed, however, and Arcane fell to his death, only to be resurrected by his minions in a new body. He then attacked Swamp Thing twice more before truly dying, the first time as a hulking corpse-like beast and later as a spider-like cyborg piloting a massive dragonfly-like vehicle. It is after his second death that his soul was consigned to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
Arcane's soul later escaped from Hell, and ultimately helped to summon the Monkey King into the world.
After a fight with Abigail that culminated in her leaving on foot to find Swamp Thing, Matt Cable (Abigail's husband) had an attack of conscience and drove after her. He'd been drinking heavily and wound up crashing his car, leaving him mortally wounded. Ultimately Arcane managed to possess Cable's body, and with it gained access to Cable's godlike power.
In his body, he masquerades as Cable, claiming a new job called Blackriver Recorporations and buying a mansion for them to live. Arcane combined his own magic with Cable's inherent psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
powers to alter reality and the employees of Recorporations were the resurrected souls of deceased serial killers returned from Hell. He finally revealed himself, tormenting his niece and causing havoc and insanity by altering reality on a massive scale. For miles around natural and unnatural disasters occurred, people succumb to homicidal instincts and the resurrected serial killers returned to killing.
He once again battled Swamp Thing, accompanied by monstrous forms resembling Un-men, after killing Abigail and condemning her soul to Hell, all the while declaring the earth as his now.
It was during this battle that Arcane found that the Swamp Thing was an elemental and thus possessed semi-magical abilities allowing the Swamp Thing to combat him on a more even ground. The battle was enough for Matthew Cable to regain control of his body, and Arcane was exorcised
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
directly back to Hell. Cable later becomes coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose and dies, whereupon he becomes Matthew, a raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
living within The Dreaming
The Dreaming (comics)
The Dreaming is a fictional place, a comic book location published by DC Comics. The Dreaming first appeared in the Sandman vol. 2 #1, , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. The Dreaming is the domain of Dream of the Endless....
.
Arcane next appears as a demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
, having been promoted to this status by the Lords of Hell. He attacks Swamp Thing yet again, only to be defeated. In a later episode, Arcane temporarily repents his evil ways after having briefly found God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, who eventually banishes him back to Hell. Arcane is torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d by the demon Josephine, whom he seduces into helping him escape. Swamp Thing defeats the two demons, causing their forms to morph together, and when last seen, it is revealed that the Arcane/Josephine being is pregnant.
In other media
Louis Jourdan portrayed Arcane in the 1982 film adaptationSwamp Thing (film)
Swamp Thing is a 1982 horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. It tells the story of scientist Alec Holland who becomes transformed into the monster Swamp Thing through laboratory sabotage orchestrated by the evil Anton Arcane...
of Swamp Thing directed by Wes Craven
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
. He also appeared in the 1989 sequel The Return of Swamp Thing
The Return of Swamp Thing
The Return of Swamp Thing is a sci-fi-comedy film released in 1989, and directed by Jim Wynorski. It is based on the DC Comics title Swamp Thing and is a sequel to the 1982 horror film Swamp Thing directed by Wes Craven; however, it had a lighter tone than the previous film...
. In the Swamp Thing television series
Swamp Thing (TV series)
Swamp Thing, also known as Swamp Thing: The Series, is a science fiction, action/adventure television series based on the DC Comics character Swamp Thing. It debuted on USA Network on July 27, 1990 and lasted three seasons for a total of 72 episodes...
, Mark Lindsay Chapman
Mark Lindsay Chapman
Mark Lindsay Chapman is an English film and television actor.His credits include: Max Headroom, Dallas ,...
played Arcane, and Don Francks
Don Francks
Donald Harvey Francks or Iron Buffalo is a Canadian actor, vocalist and jazz musician.- Life and work :Francks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a drummer, poet, native nations champion, motorcyclist, author and peace activist...
voiced the character in the short-lived Swamp Thing animated series
Swamp Thing (1991 TV series)
Swamp Thing was an American animated television series based on the DC Comics character Swamp Thing. The series was short-lived, with the pilot episode airing on October 31, 1990 followed by four additional episodes airing weekly from April 20 to May 11, 1991...
.