Anton Arcane

First Appearance: Swamp Thing #1Best Writer: Len WeinBest Artist: Berni WrightsonIt’s not often that heroes get to stare into the eyes of the villains who killed them — okay, maybe it is — but there was a special brand of evil in the heart of Swamp Thing’s nemesis. Anton Arcane, like Spider-Man’s Venom, is terrifying because he doesn’t take a form you can just kill or send to a sup... read more

Arcane is a scientist whose obsession with gaining immortality has led him to create monstrous creatures known as "Un-Men" as well as other monstrous biogenetic experimentations involving the dead. He was able to resurrect his deceased brother Gregori as the Patchwork Man. He is also a skilled magician, which he is able to channel through his horrific experiments.

Living in the mountains of Europe with his niece Abigail, Arcane was introduced in Swamp Thing Volume 1 #2 after luring the plant based hero to his castle home. Arcane sought to use his scientific and magic abilities to transform his body into Swamp Thing's form, while changing Swamp Thing back into Alec Holland. At first very grateful to be human again, Alec soon overheard Arcane discussing his evil intentions now that he can carry them out. Alec then succeeds in breaking the spell Arcane cast, and sacrifices his humanity, so Arcane becomes a frail old man again. Pursued by Swamp Thing, Arcane fell to his death, only to be resurrected by his minions in a new body. He then attacked Swamp Thing twice more before truly dying, the first time as a hulking corpse-like beast (only to be destroyed by vengeful ghosts) and later as a spider-like cyborg piloting a massive dragonfly-like vehicle. It is after his second death that his soul was consigned to Hell.