Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Harley Quinn Season 5, episode 3While the hype is justifiably big for James Gunn’sSupermancoming later in 2025, the first DC release of the year has me very excited about the weirdest upcomingDCUmovie in the works. While not connected to the new DCU that has just begun with 2024’s animatedCreature Commandos, the latest season ofHarley Quinnis underway. As such, a recent episode sees Poison Ivy returning to a key DC Comics location, one that could have big implications for the DCU’s future when it comes to theSwamp Thing.
Thus far inHarley Quinnepisode 5, Harley and Poison Ivy have decided to make a permanent move to Metropolis after Ivy is given a job by Lena Luthor to work on the city’s green initiative. However, things get complicated rather quickly when it’s revealed that Ivy’s ex and former professor Jason Woodrue is part of the team, the man who tried to kill her and steal her work, the reason why Ivy had to turn herself into a plant/human hybrid to survive being locked in a room full of toxins.Now,Harley Quinnseason 5, episode 3 sees Ivy returning to The Green, a cosmic force in the DC Universe that could be a pretty big deal in the DCU’s futureSwamp Thingmovie.
2025’s First Release Puts The Spotlight On An Underrated & Seriously Powerful Part Of DC’s Comic Universe
Harley Quinn Season 5 Returns To “The Green”
Poison Ivy believed she had killed Woodrue at the end ofHarley Quinnseason 5, episode 2. However, the third episode saw Ivy suffering from nightmares and visions of Woodrue in her head, prompting her to try and clear her mind by visiting the cosmic realm known as The Green. As established in the original DC Comics,The Green is a cosmic divine and powerful elemental force connected to all plant life in the multiverse, just as The Red is the cosmic force connected to all animal life. Given her unique physiology as a plant/human hybrid, Ivy can access the Green as needed.
However, Woodrue was waiting for Ivy within the divine cosmic realm, having been transformed into theFloronic Manthanks to Ivy’s vines and the toxins she’d spilled, having tried to end Woodrue the same way he once tried to kill her. As a result, the duo battle within The Green, with Woodrue gaining the upper hand.However, Harley eventually destroys Woodrue’s physical body in the real world, saving Ivy by the episode’s end (and Frank, who also entered The Green to help Ivy).
Harley Quinn Season 5 Has Made Me Even More Excited To See How The DC Universe Handles Swamp Thing & The Green
The Swamp Thing Will Be Directed By James Mangold
Overall, this new episode serves to be a fun reminder of The Green’s powerful potential in the DC Universe. While predominantly tied to Poison Ivy inHarley Quinn, the cosmic force is almost always associated with Alec Holland aka Swamp Thing. Case in point, The Green first debuted inHarley Quinnseason 3 in an episode that also features the classic plant monster.
To that end, seeing The Green being featured in such a recent DC project in 2025 does make me pretty excited about its potential role in the DCU’s futureSwamp Thingmovie. While details are still slim,we do know thatLogan’sJames Mangold is set to directSwamp Thing, with a story that will focus on the Gothic horror dichotomy of Alec Holland’s life as both man and monster. Within that, The Green could certainly play a key factor, especially considering that Swamp Thing is the cosmic force’s chosen avatar and champion in the comics, giving Holland a purpose and drive with his monstrous plant form.
DC’s Current Track Record Makes The First Swamp Thing Movie In 35+ Years A Genuinely Exciting Prospect
Putting Spotlights On Underappreciated Characters
While obviously not connected to the new DCU, Swamp Thing has had past live-action projects, beginning with theSwamp Thingmovie in 1982 directed by Wes Craven and starring Dick Durock which received a sequel in 1989. Swamp Thing also had a three-season series in the early 90s, also starring Durock, and a single-season series in 2019. That said,The Green playing a more pivotal role in Mangold’sSwamp Thingcould be the best way to distinguish itself from these past iterations.
James Gunn’s New DCU Comments Give Me Hope That He’ll Redeem One Of DC’s Most Underrated Characters
James Gunn’s DCU will include many underutilized characters and his latest comments suggest he has plans for a character who deserves redemption.
Either way, I’m very excited to see the firstSwamp Thingmovie since the 1989 sequel, especially considering that the DCU already has an impressive track record giving more underappreciated characters a spotlight, like the Creature Commandos.It also seems like the DCU is more willing to lean into and explore the weirder and more supernatural sides of the universe, which should be great news forSwamp Thingwhenever it releases from Mangold and DC Studios.
