Tressa Langford (Swamp Thing 1990 TV Series)

Tressa Langford-Kipp
Swamp Thing Series‎
Gallery
Real Name	Tressa Langford-Kipp
Other Aliases	Tressa Langford · Tressa Kipp
Relatives	Savanna Langford (mother, deceased) · Jim Kipp (son, status unknown) · Will Kipp (stepson)
Base Of Operations	Langford Home, Louisiana · formerly Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Status
Alignment	Good
Identity	Public Identity
Citizenship	American
Marital Status	Divorced
Occupation	Psychiatrist
Characteristics
Gender	Female
Hair	Red
Origin
Universe	Swamp Thing (1990 TV Series)
Creators	Fritz Kiersch · Joseph Stefano
First Appearance	"The Emerald Heart" (July 27, 1990)
Last Appearance	"That's a Wrap" (May 3, 1993)

History

Tressa Langford-Kipp was the daughter of Savanna Langford, and the mother of Jim Kipp and the stepmother of Will Kipp. Though born in the swamps of Louisiana, Tressa relocated to Philadelphia as an adult where she married and bore her son. Tressa worked as a psychiatrist, but was unable to reign in her son, who developed a compulsive penchant for lying. She thought that taking him to his grandmother's for the summer might help to alleviate some of the tension that had grown between them. Tressa's initial intent was to leave Jim at her mother's and return to Philadelphia, but when Savanna Langford passed away, Tressa decided to remain at the Langford Home with Jim.

Though Tressa never realized it, her life was inexplicably drawn to that of the mysterious Swamp Thing. The Swamp Thing had cultivated a friendship with Jim Kipp as well as the enmity of one of Tressa's suitors, the evil scientist Doctor Anton Arcane. As such, the Swamp Thing always kept a steady vigil over Jim and his family.

One of the more bizarre occurrences in Tressa's life took place when she was exposed to a strange vapor created by one of Arcane's underlings. The vapor was an experiment involving pheromones and anyone who came within close proximity to Tressa were filled with feeling of violent rage. The Swamp Thing made certain to keep as far away from her as possible, or else he would risk losing control of himself and kill her. Ultimately, it was Jim's love for his mother that enabled him to get close enough to her to administer an antidote.

When Tressa was fatally wounded from a burglar's gunshot, the Swamp Thing came to her aid, using his elemental restorative abilities to heal her. Tressa awakened moments later with no memory at all of the incident.

Tressa was always concerned that Jim never had anyone his own age to play with. When Jim befriended a strange girl named Lilly, Tressa welcomed her into her house and offered her dinner. When she realized that Lilly came from a broken family, she allowed her to sleep at the house. During this incident, Lilly stole one of Tressa's favorite pieces of jewelry, but her conscience got the better of her and she returned it, exclaiming how awful she felt for taking it in the first place. Tressa forgave her and respected that Lilly was so forthcoming about the matter.

Soon after, Tressa began to experience strange dreams wherein the spirit of her late mother would visit her, whispering words of comfort into her ear. The dreams also clued Tressa in to the location of a secret will that Savanna had hidden; a will that left her estate to Tressa. Without this will, Tressa would have lost her home to the county.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

• Psychiatry: Tressa Kipp is a doctor of psychiatry, though her specific field of study and/or expertise is unknown.
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

An emerald heart charm necklace that she lost when she was a child. She found it again (thanks to the Swamp Thing) shortly after returning to Louisiana.

Transportation

Convertible

Notes

• Tressa Kipp was portrayed by Carrell Myers.

Related

• 7 Appearances of Tressa Langford (Swamp Thing 1990 TV Series)
• 4 Images featuring Tressa Langford (Swamp Thing 1990 TV Series)
• Quotations by or about Tressa Langford (Swamp Thing 1990 TV Series)
• Character Gallery: Tressa Langford (Swamp Thing 1990 TV Series)

Footnotes

Swamp Thing Character This character specifically relates to the Swamp Thing and is predominantly seen in the Swamp Thing family of titles. This character may be part of the Swamp Thing's supporting cast, a minor acquaintance, or one of his adversaries. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Swamp Thing Characters category.