Warning! Spoilers ahead for Justice League Dark #29 from Andy Lanning and Ron Marz
DC Comics' latest crossover event Endless Winter saw the terror of the Frost King returning to the DC Universe after his defeat in the 10th Century. Now, he's unleashed a new and even more deadly blizzard across the entire planet, forcing the Justice League of the modern era to take action, while also seeking support from those who fought him in the past: the ancient and first Justice League. While some of them were defeated during the first conflict with the Frost King, a new hero has risen whose essentially a hybrid of Marvel's God of Thunder Thor and the Batman villain Poison Ivy.
Every chapter of Endless Winter thus far has featured flashbacks to the past DC Universe, seeing the Frost King's first attack on the world. Warriors and champions such as the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta, Viking Prince, Black Adam, and one of the first versions of the Swamp Thing banded together to meet the Frost King in battle. However, the Frost King was truly just a man from Greenland with a family who manifested terribly powerful and uncontrollable cryokinesis powers. Unfortunately, when the fear of his fellow townspeople became too great, they attacked and one of the Frost King's children was caught in the crossfire. This lead to the first Endless Winter that was fueled by the Frost King's pain, rage, and suffering. The resulting battle with the ancient Justice League also saw the Frost King killing both the Swamp Thing and the Viking Prince, though the Viking Prince's sacrifice is what imprisoned the Frost King for so long up until the present day
Now that the Frost King has broken free, the modern-day Justice League and Justice League Dark have sought guidance from Wonder Woman's mother Queen Hippolyta. Together, they manage to call forth the disembodied spirit of the Viking Prince to ask him for his help, who confirms that the Frost King's family could be the key to stopping his power and reaching the man underneath. However, it seems as though the Viking Prince is going to be to do more than just offer helpful words, as Wonder Woman arrives with a piece of the Swamp Thing himself. Merging together, the spirit of the Viking Prince inhabits the Swamp Thing, creating an epic Norse/Plant hybrid hero to aid the Justice League in their fight.
While this new revamped version of the Swamp Thing is pretty cool with the whole Norse aesthetic, it also brings to mind Thor's recent exploits during Marvel's summer Empyre event, where the God of Thunder unlocked his powers from his Mother Gaea, gaining control over the Earth itself and the plant-based alien army of the Cotati for a time. Basically, it was as if Thor got Poison Ivy's powers over plant life, and this new DC hero definitely looks like he fits that description as well.
Likewise, fans wouldn't be out of the ballpark to expect that this new Viking Swamp Thing will be similarly epic in future issues of Endless Winter. It's likely he'll prove to be an epic ally in the fight against the Frost King, and it's always fun to see characters undergo wild new transformations - even if they're only temporary as this one will most likely be. The Viking Prince was at peace in Valhalla after all. As soon as the Frost King is taken care of and no more, the Viking Prince will most likely return to his afterlife, and the Swamp Thing will revert back to the elemental he once was. Regardless, the next few issues of Endless Winter are bound to be pretty extraordinary as the heroes near their final showdown with the Frost King in DC Comics.
