Origin
William Arcane, the younger brother of Abby Arcane, was born with a severe allergy to chlorophyll, a biomolecule found in all plant life. Because of his allergy, he has spent his entire life contained in a hermetically sealed container, allowing only filtered chlorophyll free air to be circulated in. At a young age, his sister left him to the care of a hospital in Texas, where she had hoped to hide him, because unknown to William, like his sister, he was also born with a deep connection to the Rot, the force of dead, enemy to the Green and Red, the life forces of plant and animal life. His Uncle is Anton Arcane the leader of THE ROT Army and William Arcane is leader of the Ocean and river animals in the ROT.
Creation
William Arcane was created by Swamp Thing writer Scott Snyder.
Major Story Arcs
Swamp Thing
Shortly after Sethe, the avatar of the Rot, rises from the desert, the Rot begins to speak to William, calling out to him, trying to get him to unite with Sethe. The Rot eventually gains an influence over William, awakening his powers to control any dead tissue within a host’s body. William uses his powers to brutally murder a group of children who bullied him, then to control his doctor into giving him a scuba tank and mask, allowing him to escape the hermetically sealed container he had been contained in his entire life, so he can seek to join with Sethe. Shortly after William’s escape, his sister Abby, along with Alec Holland, the proposed champion of the Green, arrive to find William’s handiwork. Abby tells Alec, that if her brother is to ever join with Sethe, and truly control the Rot, it could lead to a catastrophe in the likes of something the world has never seen.