History: (Swamp Thing I #1, 2) - After WWII Anton Arcane gained possession of a castle in the Balkans and populated it with Un-Men, twisted mockeries on man created using the dead and certain black magic. During this time he also discovered the newly dead body of his brother Gregor, and transformed him into the monstrous Patchwork Man. After years of waiting Arcane located Swamp Thing, and had his Un-Men bring him to his castle. Having been born only a few weeks before, Swamp Thing did not yet know Arcane, and was easily coerced by the sorcerer. Arcane promised him his human body back, and used his magic to assume Swamp Thing's form and shaped a human body for Swamp Thing. Arcane had finally gained a body suitable for eternal life. When Swamp Thing realized Arcane's evil intentions he reversed the spell, and Arcane fell from a tower window while fleeing the enraged elemental. The Un-Men were unsure of what to do, knowing only blind obedience to Arcane, so they leapt out the window themselves.

(Swamp Thing I #10) - The Un-Men collected Arcane’s shattered, dead body, and under Cranius’ supervision took him to Arcane’s old lab and rebuilt his body using synthetic parts and resurrected him. Without Arcane’s guiding hand the results were far from perfect, and Arcane was now a shambling undead monstrosity. Arcane resolved to find Swamp Thing and take his body, and came to America with his Un-Men. They found Swamp Thing in the graveyard of an old slave plantation, and attacked him. Arcane mercilessly beat him, and told him of his plans to enslave the human race. Swamp Thing was vanquished, but the talk of slavery awoke the spirit of Black Jubal and his fellow slaves that had died on the plantation. Jubal was killed by his cruel master protecting the woman he’d loved, and he vowed that all evil men on his land would suffer a horrible fate. As Swamp Thing went unconscious he saw them rip Arcane and the Un-Men limb from limb. Swamp Thing awoke and saw seven headstones bearing the name Arcane.

Comments: Created by Len Wein & Berni Wrightson

The Un-Men had a cameo in Swamp Thing IV #8.

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