A scene in the latest episode of Sandman. While there's no official connection between the shows, the fact that Swamp Thing would start to tease elements from the traditional Sandman story while a Sandman show is in the works is particularly interesting. especially if it could lead to a fun new role for one of Swamp Thing's lead actors.
The Swamp Thing and Sandman comics were among the DC Comics horror titles that carried over into the adults-only imprint Vertigo Comics in 1993. While not originally intended to be fully separated from the mainstream DC Universe, these series and their spin-offs eventually congealed into their own shared universe. Last year, DC Comics revived this concept with the end of the Vertigo line earlier this year.
In the comics, Matthew Cable, a friend of Alec Holland and a later ally of the Swamp Thing, was one of the stronger ties between the various titles making up the Vertigo Universe. During the course of his adventures, Cable developed severe alcoholism and a weak ability to alter reality. This made him an inviting target for Swamp Thing's arch-enemy, Anton Arcane, after Cable was fatally wounded during a drunk driving incident. Anton possessed Cable's body for a time, but Cable was eventually able to force Anton's damned spirit out, before finally dying in a coma. Since Cable was dreaming when he died, he became eligible for a second chance at a new life as a dream raven, whom Dream of the Endless (aka The Sandman) employs as a spy, herald, and messenger. First appearing in The Sandman #11, it would be several issues before Matthew The Raven would be confirmed to be Matthew Cable.
The latest episode of Swamp Thing, "The Anatomy Lesson," shows the DC Universe version of Matthew Cable falling into the deep end of a bottle as he ponders the revelations of the last few episodes. Beyond breaking the law in an effort to try and win his mother free of being blackmailed by local industrialist Avery Sunderland and killing Alec Holland in cold blood, Cable learned that his mother had been having an affair with Sunderland for years and that Sunderland was his biological father. This leads to a drunken Cable getting behind the wheel of his squad car and driving straight into a barricade. When we last see Cable, it is unclear if he is alive or dead.
Presumably, Cable's fate will be confirmed one way or the other in the Swamp Thing series finale. The show has hinted at Anton Arcane's existence before, but it seems unlikely they would bring him into the final episode and have him suddenly posses a comatose Matthew Cable with no prior explanation. It seems possible, however, that his death while sleeping (either at the wheel or in a coma after) could lead to his becoming Matthew the Raven if the producers of The Sandman wanted to spin the story that way. If they really wanted to make Swamp Thing fans happy, perhaps Henderson Wade might lend his voice to Matthew the Raven in the Netflix series?