The Louisiana bayou seems to be where it’s at. At least, judging by the number of actors to recently join the cast of DC Universe’s upcoming Swamp Thing. Last week, word broke that Andy Bean had been cast as Alec Holland while Derek Mears would play his swampy alter ego, and today Deadline announced that actor Kevin Durand has been cast in the role of one of his oldest adversaries—Jason Woodrue.

Described as a “prickly genius,” Swamp Thing’s Jason Woodrue is a biogeneticist without equal and he knows it.  Brought in to study the unique properties of a small town Louisiana swamp, Woodrue becomes fixated on unlocking the potential contained within—leading to tragic and monstrous consequences.

That’s not too far removed from the Woodrue of the comics, though fans likely picked up that there’s no mention of his better known name—the Floronic Man. The truth is that Jason actually has a pretty complicated comic book history, encompassing a handful of alternate identities, and he predates Swamp Thing by nearly ten years. His first appearance was in 1962’s THE ATOM #1, where he called himself the Plant Master. He picked up the Floronic Man moniker much later in THE FLASH #245.

Jason Woodrue’s path would cross with that of Alec Holland’s most famously at the start of Alan Moore’s run on SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING, and intriguingly, it involved another Swamp Thing nemesis who has also been announced and cast for the show. In SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #21, Averly Sunderland tapped Woodrue to investigate how Alec Holland became the Swamp Thing, and it was Woodrue who learned that Holland was in fact dead, but his memories had been absorbed by the swamp’s nearby plant life. However, ultimately Woodrue’s relationship with Holland would sour dramatically. Sunderland fired Woodrue when he learned about Holland’s demise, and in response, Woodrue locked Sunderland in the lab with Swamp Thing, who ultimately killed him.

We don’t know if we’ll see this storyline play out the same way (or at all) on the DC Universe series, but regardless, it’s clear Woodrue isn’t a guy to be messed with.

As for Durand, he’s pretty formidable as well, at least in the acting realm. He’s probably best known for his recurring roles in Lost, Vikings and The Strain. However, he’s dabbled in comic book fare as well, playing Fred Dukes in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The Swamp Thing cast is shaping up nicely, and we can’t wait to see this one go before the cameras. But what about you? Let us know your thoughts on this latest bit of casting below? Are you ready to see the Floronic Man brought to life? How much do you think he’ll freak all of us out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and make sure you subscribe to DC Universe now so that you’re ready when Swamp Thing rears his monstrous head on the service next year.