Swamp Thing can inhabit and animate vegetable matter anywhere (including alien plants, even sentient ones) and construct it into a body for himself. As a result, bodily attacks mean little to him. He can easily regrow damaged or severed body parts, and can even transport himself across the globe by leaving his current form, transferring his consciousness to a new form grown from whatever vegetable matter is present in the location he wishes to reach (he even grew himself a form out of
John Constantine's meager tobacco supply on one occasion).
Swamp Thing possesses superhuman strength of undefined limits. While Swamp Thing's strength has never been portrayed as prominently as many of his other abilities, he demonstrated sufficient strength to rip large trees out of the ground with ease and trade blows with the likes of
Etrigan.
Swamp Thing can control any form of plant life. He can make it move to his will or accelerate its growth. This control even extends to alien life, as he once cured
Superman of an infection caused by exposure to a Kryptonian plant that was driving Superman mad and causing his body to burn out its own power.
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After the run of Mark Millar, Swamp Thing had also mastered the elements of fire, earth, water and air, the parliaments of each later killed by
The Word, implying that he has retained these abilities and has the power once held by the Parliaments. This has yet to be explained.
The new Swamp Thing (a resurrected Alec Holland) has not only been given the full Elemental powers his predecessor once had, but also a
White Lantern Power Ring with full control over its power.
