Justice League Action is Warner Bros. Animation's latest cartoon offering inspired by the DC Comics Universe and is finally making its way to air in North America. The first season of the show has aired in its entirety overseas and is now garnering popularity and acclaim in the States. In a similar vein to the Justice League: Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold series, Justice League Action has an impossibly large cast and goes out of its way to highlight some of the lesser known characters from across the pantheon. It celebrates what is weird and wonderful about these heroes.
With Swamp Thing making an upcoming appearance on Justice League Action - hot on the heels of his Justice League Dark animated film debut - a new teaser clip has announced that he will be voted by the legendary Mark Hamill (Star Wars, Batman: The Animated Series).
A new clip from the next Justice League Action episode, titled The Zombie King, dropped on IGN's YouTube channel (watch it below) confirming that Hamill will take on the role of Swamp Thing. Hamill was long attached to the project and originally listed on IMDb as providing the voice for the Joker (which he still is).
It's ironic to see Swamp Thing facing off against Solomon Grundy in this video, as Hamill, himself, voiced Solomon Grundy in the original Justice League cartoon. He is also, of course, famous for his portrayal of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series before going on to reprise the role in Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, as well as various animated movies and video games. For many people, Hamill's Joker is the quintessential performance of the character. It will be interesting to see if he can make as indelible a mark on Swamp Thing as he was able to make on the Clown Prince of Crime.
There is no way to not be excited about Hamill debuting on Justice League Action. This new show is such a joy - a real celebration of the trappings and tropes that geekdom loves about DC Comics - that it is certain to incorporate a certain amount of levity in Swamp Thing, who is normally portrayed as rather down and dour. With Hamill's reputation for voicing rather dark characters, the sassier performance seen in this peek at his Swamp Thing could really be a lot of fun.
On the other hand, this could be looked at as stunt casting - as a way to get people invested in a character that is not traditionally top tier. While that is a brilliant marketing move and will not doubt work, it could turn off some of Justice League Action's more cynical fans. Hardcore, true-to-page Swamp Thing readers may not be inclined to like this more humorous portrayal of the Protector of the Green, but they should be encouraged to give the full episode a chance before making a final judgement.
Justice League Action episode 5 "Zombie King" airs on Cartoon Network on February 4, 2017.
Source: IGN