Matthew Cable
Matthew Cable | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Swamp Thing (vol. 1) #1 (October–November 1972) (as Matthew the Raven): Berni Wrightson |
In-story information | |
Full name | Matthew Joseph Cable |
Species | Raven, previously Human |
Matthew Joseph Cable is a character appearing in
Henderson Wade played Matt Cable in the television series based on the comic book series of the same name for the DC streaming service.
Fictional character biography
Swamp Thing/Doom Patrol
Matthew Cable is a government agent assigned to protect Alec and Linda Holland as they work on their bio-restorative formula deep in the Louisiana bayou. Cable fails to save them from the machinations of the Conclave, a secret organization that wants the couple to work for its own ends, and the Hollands are killed. When the Swamp Thing rises from the bayou, Cable believes it was responsible for the Hollands' deaths and sets out to avenge his friends' murders. Cable's search take him through the Balkans, where he meets
Cable encounters the Doom Patrol during this time (in the 1977 Showcase series) as well.[2]
Eventually, Cable's mind becomes damaged, which gives him the ability to alter reality. His marriage with Abigail begins to deteriorate, leading Cable to abuse his power; he creates decaying forms to arouse and please him through obscene, sexual acts, which strain his marriage even further. Cable only seems to be able to access his power while stressed or intoxicated.
After a fight with Abigail that culminates in her leaving to find the Swamp Thing, Cable has an attack of conscience and drives after her. Having been drinking heavily, he ends up crashing his car, mortally wounding himself. A huge, unnatural fly appears and offers to revive Cable, who agrees, allowing it to crawl down his throat. In reality, Anton Arcane, who died and went to Hell, finds a way out by way of Cable. He possesses the fly and then Cable's body, and with it gains Cable's godlike power.[3] Eventually, Cable manages to send Arcane back to Hell, but at the cost of the effects of the car crash catching up with him, and only after Arcane molested and killed Abigail (the plot point, incidentally, that resulted in DC dropping the Comics Code Authority seal on Swamp Thing for good with issue #31 and Swamp Thing Annual #2, adding instead the words "Sophisticated Suspense" across the top). Still possessing enough power to repair one body and not wanting to live, Cable manages to bring Abigail back to life (her soul is later rescued from Hell by the Swamp Thing). Apologizing to "Alec," he then falls into a coma.[4]
After lessons learned within the Dreaming while comatose (and in an effort to help Abigail move on), an emaciated Cable rises one final time and destroys the machinery sustaining him, thus ending his life.[5]
Morpheus's Raven
Since Cable technically died while in the Dreaming, Morpheus/Dream of the
Cable is irreverent and somewhat crude, having left a questionable life behind him. However, he served Dream loyally by providing advice and occasionally going on missions for him. His loyalty extended so far that when Morpheus was slain, he at first was going to seek release from service to
In the Dreaming series, Matthew plays a more important role and is often teamed with the Corinthian. He dies twice more during the series, once as a result of being tricked by the Coyote and for the final time by an accidental shot from Lucien during a fight with Echo and Eblis O'Shaughnessy. He comes back briefly to tell Daniel not to let Lucien blame himself. In the most recent versions of The Dreaming by Simon Spurrier and continued by G. Willow Wilson, Matthew the Raven is very much alive, and there is no acknowledgment of the events from Caitlin R. Kiernan's version of The Dreaming, which has not been published since 2011.[8]
Other "Raven" characters from Sandman
Other characters who are mentioned as predecessors of the Raven are
In other media
Television
- Matt Cable appears in Swamp Thing (2019), portrayed by Henderson Wade. This version is a Louisiana police officer whose mother Lucilia is the town's sheriff.[10][11] He is also a childhood friend of Abby Arcane, in whom he has a romantic interest. In contrast to his comic counterpart, he is responsible for the murder of Alec Holland, which he carries out on the orders of businessman Avery Sunderland, who is later revealed by Lucilla to be Cable's biological father. The final scene of the series depicts Cable being attacked by a mutated Jason Woodrue, leaving his fate unknown.
- Matthew the Raven appears in The Sandman, voiced by Patton Oswalt.
Film
In the Swamp Thing film, the character of Alice Cable (played by Adrienne Barbeau) is loosely based on Abby Holland - basically an amalgam of her and Matthew Cable. She is portrayed as a government agent who falls in love with Alec Holland, a.k.a. the Swamp Thing.
Audio
In the
See also
- List of characters in The Sandman
External links
- Roots of the Swamp Thing - An extremely detailed timeline chronicling all the events of Swamp Thing, Hellblazer and related titles in chronological order, covering the life of Matthew Cable.
- Matthew the Raven at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
References
- ^ Hurst, Ashley (2022-07-11). "Netflix 'The Sandman' Series: Everything We Know So Far". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
- ^ Showcase #94-96. DC Comics.
- ^ The Saga of the Swamp Thing (vol. 2) #27. DC Comics.
- ^ Swamp Thing (vol. 2) #31. DC Comics.
- ^ Swamp Thing (vol. 2) #84. DC Comics.
- ^ The Sandman (vol. 2) #11. DC Comics.
- ^ The Sandman (vol. 2) #40. DC Comics.
- OCLC 213309015
- ^ The Dreaming #33. DC Comics.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (September 28, 2018). "'Swamp Thing': Jennifer Beals Joins DC Universe Series In Recurring Role". Deadline. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Boucher, Goeff (November 7, 2018). "'Riverdale' Actor Henderson Wade Joins 'Swamp Thing' Cast As Matt Cable". Deadline. Retrieved November 7, 2018.