Vincent D’Onofrio has made a name for himself stomping through the Marvel Universe as Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, a hulking, complex villain who’s just as terrifying when he’s whispering as when he’s smashing things. But if D’Onofrio ever decided to cross comic book lines and join the DCU, he’s already got a role in mind… Swamp Thing.
It all started with an exchange on X. A fan asked D’Onofrio if there was any character outside of Kingpin he’d want to play. His response… “Swamp thing.”
D’Onofrio’s love for the character runs deep and he’s been vocal about it before, saying back in 2024:
“These days, I don’t know why… I don’t [know] if you guys are into DC like I am. Obviously I like Marvel too because that’s my job. My comic books when I was a kid [were] Captain America, Spider-Man, Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing. I would really like to play Swamp Thing.”
If you’re familiar with D’Onofrio’s performances, you know he’s not the type to throw his name into the ring lightly, and it’s really not that hard to imagine him in the role.
Swamp Thing is already in development at DC Studios as part of their “Gods and Monsters” chapter, with Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold attached. The film is still cloaked in mystery, but Mangold offered some insight, saying:
“While I’m sure DC views ‘Swamp Thing’ as a franchise, I would be viewing it as a very simple, clean, Gothic horror movie about this man/monster.”
Mangold said he had been “toying for years with the idea of making a kind of Frankenstein movie,” and when James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins at DC, he “put in a friendly call” to pitch himself.
“Just doing my own thing with this, just a standalone.”
That Gothic horror vibe sounds like it’d pair incredibly well with D’Onofrio’s intense, brooding screen presence. Whether they go full-CGI, motion capture, or suit up in practical monster effects, he could absolutely carry the role.
The man is 6’4″, can shift his voice into anything from Shakespearean thunder to bone-chilling menace, and he knows how to bring gravitas to roles that teeter between humanity and monstrosity.
What do you think about about Vincent D’Onofrio as Swamp Thing?
