In the DC Universe, three distinct elemental forces continually shape and bring balance to the multiverse at large, and are championed by only a few select beings who make it their mission to protect and preserve each to the best of their abilities. Through these forces, all that is life and all that is death are encompassed, serving as the cornerstones of Earth and how it operates in the greater scheme of the universe.

Over the course of the greater history of the DC Universe, numerous powerful forces have had a hand in crafting and maintaining the delicate status quo of the world, with the three elemental forces of The Green, or the force that connects all plant-based life, The Red, or the force that connects all animal-based life, and The Black, or the force that is the embodiment of death and decay, working either in tandem or in opposition to one another to govern all life under the sun.

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Coupled with a “parliament” from each that communally works to uphold the unwritten rules needed to accomplish such a goal, each force also appoints their own champion to help in a “boots on the ground” sort of way to fulfill their force’s needs, whatever they may be. Acting as the avatars and protectors of their respective forces, the illusive behemoth known as Swamp Thing, the sometimes Justice League member, Animal Man, and the overall collective known as The Rot, each fight for their right to survive and thrive in a world that needs balance, while at the same time putting their forces to work in the most effective ways possible.

Swamp Thing, Champion of The Green

Swamp Thing TV Show

Being an elemental force associated with all plant life, it’s a no brainer who the champion of this particular force is: the leafy hero called Swamp Thing. Depending on which continuity is being ran with at the moment, Swamp Thing is generally understood to have come about after an explosion in his lab led scientist Alec Holland to dive head first into a nearby swamp to douse the flames. In conjunction with a mixture of chemicals present at the time reacting to the plant life inside of the swamp, the bubbling concoction eventually reformed itself into a humanoid shaped, sentient plant complete with Alec’s consciousness and memories, as well as the powers of The Green built right in.

Consistently called upon when The Green needs some tending to or when another force tries to overstep its boundaries (more on that later), Swamp Thing is quite possibly the best and arguably only choice to act as the avatar of all things plant-based. Whether being able to transport himself across long distances via the near infinite root systems across the globe, to being able to control and talk to any and every plant within a wide ranging area, to quite literally regenerating himself from a handful of soggy mulch, Swamp Thing shows a gentle mastery over The Green yet is no stranger to unleashing its full power when the situation calls for it.

Animal Man, Champion of The Red

Up next is Buddy Baker aka Animal Man, the usual go-to champion of the animal-based force of The Red. Through Buddy’s natural power set, he is allowed unprecedented access to The Red and is able to draw on the skills and unique traits of any animal life form he chooses, effectively wielding their strength and abilities to defend The Red and in turn help The Green, which by extension, also means helping Swamp Thing whenever the need should arise.

Being The Red’s main champion, and when he’s not tending to his day job as an actor and stuntman, Buddy has spent years fighting back the agents of The Black, and while recent continuity wipes have changed Buddy Baker from the sole Avatar of the Red to his daughter, Maxine, instead, Buddy still takes the cake as the one hero who continuously makes it his duty to serve and protect The Red and all animal life within it, even if the powers entrusted to him overwhelm his fragile human body from time to time.

The Rot, Champion of The Black

The Parliament of Decay in the Rot in DC Comics

Saving the final, most deadly and most controversial force for last, The Black is an unusual beast to say the least. More often than not, The Black is championed by a descendent of the Arcane family (read the Big Bad of Swamp Thing lore), with The Rot being used more as a blanket term for The Black and its various minions. Usually hell-bent on overpowering the other two forces to upset the delicate balance of all that is and will be, The Rot’s agents sow discord through taking away the very life that The Green and The Red try so hard to keep going.

And while it’s easy to say that the death, decay and destruction brought about by The Rot is the evilest version of these main forces, the simple fact is that every positive needs a negative, and even with the combined might of The Green and The Red bolstering the defenses of life itself, living means nothing if death doesn’t come knocking at one point or another. So although The Rot lines up in direct opposition to what are essentially the most primal and raw forms of the elemental forces, death will never be fully vanquished, and as any number of its avatars over the years proves, you can’t have too many champions in a fight led by a jolly green giant and a guy that can talk to animals.

From Swamp Thing championing The Green, to Animal Man defending The Red, to The Rot (and any number of its underlings) representing The Black, the DC Universe is kept in balance by forces unseen as they hover just below the surface of a world that cannot survive without them. They’re important – immensely so – and even with their champions fighting the good fight (or bad fight if you’re in The Rot’s corner), each has their own unique place in the grand tapestry of DC Comics. And while there might be a whole laundry list of other forces at work that help to keep everything else in check, it’s the big three along with their respective champions that bind them all together, and in turn, the entirety of the DC Universe.

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