Poison Ivy is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by artist Carmine Infantino and writers Sheldon Moldoff and Robert Kanigher,Carmine Infantino Interview Jamie Coville http://jamiecoville.com › blog › blog › 2016/08/30 › car... 30 Aug 2016 — Jamie: I understand you created Poison Ivy? Carmine Infantino: Yes. The only reason she came about was because of Catwoman on the Batman ... Poison Ivy's New Monster Form Is The Look She's Always ... Screen Rant https://screenrant.com › Comics › Comics News 8 Sept 2022 — Created in 1966 by Robert Kanigher, Sheldon Moldoff and Carmine Infantino, the villainous Poison Ivy debuted in Batman #181 as a plant-loving seductress with ... she debuted in Batman #181 (June 1966) and has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.
In her comic book appearances, Poison Ivy is depicted as a doctor of botany-turned-misanthropic ecoterrorist in Gotham City named Pamela Lillian Isley, PhD ( ) with the ability to control all plant life. Empowered by an elemental force known as the "Green", Ivy attempts to protect the sanctity and supremacy of nature at all costs by lashing out against humanity, which brings her into conflict with Batman. While usually portrayed as a supervillain, Ivy has also been an antiheroine at times as well as the primary love interest of Harley Quinn as of The New 52 and DC Rebirth relaunches. A one-piece costume adorned with leaves and vines serves as Poison Ivy's visual motif.
Poison Ivy has been adapted in various media incarnations, having been portrayed by Uma Thurman in the 1997 film Batman & Robin; Clare Foley, Maggie Geha and Peyton List in the Fox television series Gotham; and Bridget Regan in The CW's Arrowverse series Batwoman. Diane Pershing, Tasia Valenza, Lake Bell, Tara Strong, and others have provided the character's voice ranging from animation to video games.
Publication history Poison Ivy was initially created by Carmine Infantino as a design sketch. Robert Kanigher expanded her characterization in the script for her first appearance in Batman #181 (June 1966), giving her the identity of Lillian Rose. Infantino discussed how the character was created: "The only reason she came about was because of Catwoman on the Batman show. They wanted more female villains. What was the other one I did... the Silver Fox! And then Batgirl. That show, because of it we were selling a million copies a month. But that show, when it died, so did the comic books."
Poison Ivy's origin is depicted in Neil Gaiman's short story "Pavane" (Secret Origins #36, 1988), during which she declares herself to be nature's daughter and the world's rightful ruler; it is later revealed that her powers were gifted to her by the environmental force known as the Green. Ivy is considered extremely beautiful within the DC Universe, and is often presented as a temptress. She is typically depicted barefoot with long flowing hair, plant vines extending over her limbs, and a green one-piece suit adorned with leaves, with occasional variations to her skin tone.
Writer J. T. Krul, who helped further define Poison Ivy's personality, summed up her character with the following quote:
After appearing in various DC Comics publications, Poison Ivy starred in her first solo comic book series with the 2016 miniseries Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death. This was followed by the 2021 graphic novel Poison Ivy: Thorns, and the eponymously titled Poison Ivy, an ongoing comic book series first published in 2022. The character also co-starred in the miniseries Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy (20192020).
Fictional character biography
Pre-Crisis Dr. Lillian Rose, PhD is a promising botanist who is persuaded by Marc LeGrand into assisting him with the theft of an Egyptian artifact containing ancient herbs. Fearing she would implicate him in the theft, he attempts to poison her with the herbs, which are deadly and untraceable. She survives this murder attempt and discovers she has acquired an immunity to all natural toxins and diseases.World's Finest #252 (September 1978). DC Comics.
Post-Crisis Following the events of the DC maxi-series comic Crisis on Infinite Earths, which massively rebooted DC Universe history and continuity, Poison Ivy's origins were revised in Secret Origins #36, 1988, written by Neil Gaiman. Her real name is Dr. Pamela Isley, PhD, a Gotham City botanist. She grows up wealthy with emotionally distant parents and later studies advanced botanical biochemistry at a university with Alec Holland under Dr. Jason Woodrue. Isley, a shy girl, is easily seduced by her professor. Woodrue injects Isley with poisons and toxins as an experiment, causing her transformation.Swamp Thing Chronology , Mykey3000.com She nearly dies twice as a result of these poisonings, driving her insane. Later, Woodrue flees from the authorities leaving Isley in the hospital for six months. Enraged at the betrayal, she suffers from violent mood swings, being sweet one moment and evil the next. When her boyfriend has a car accident after mysteriously suffering from a massive fungal overgrowth, Isley drops out of school and leaves Seattle, eventually settling in Gotham City.Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #43. DC Comics.
She begins her criminal career by threatening to release her suffocating spores into the air unless the city meets her demands. Batman, who appears in Gotham that very same year, thwarts her scheme, and she is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum.Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #3. DC Comics. From this point on, she has a kind of obsession with Batman, him being the only person she could not control due to his strong will and focus. Over the years, she develops plant-like superpowers, the most noticeable being a lethal toxin in her lips; she is literally able to kill with a kiss.
In subsequent issues, she states that she only started a life of crime to attain sufficient funds to find a location to be alone with her plants, undisturbed by humanity. A few years later, she attempts to leave Gotham forever, escaping Arkham to settle on a desert island in the Caribbean. She transforms the barren wasteland into a second Eden, and is, for the first time in her life, happy. It is soon firebombed, however, when an American-owned corporation tests their weapons systems out on what they think is an abandoned island. Ivy returns to Gotham with a vengeance, punishing those responsible. After being willingly apprehended by Batman, she resolves that she can never leave Gotham, at least not until the world was safe for plants. From then on, she dedicates herself to the impossible mission of "purifying" Gotham.Batman: Poison Ivy. DC Comics.
At one point, Batman travels to Seattle to ascertain information on Pamela Isley's life before she became Poison Ivy. Here, Batman states that both of Pamela's parents are dead. When and why they died has been left undetermined.
While in Arkham, Poison Ivy receives a message through flowers that someone is to help her escape. That night, two women, Holly and Eva, successfully break Ivy out and bring her back to their employer. She is less than happy to discover that it is the Floronic Man, formerly known as Dr. Jason Woodrue, her former college professor that conducted the experiments on her. The only human portion of him remaining is his head, while the rest of his body is plant-based.
After striking a deal with him in the tunnels of Gotham, Ivy receives a trunk full of money in return for samples of her DNA. Woodrue intends to combine their DNA to create a "child", all while flooding the streets of Gotham with high-grade marijuana. The purpose of this is to create a world economy run on hemp and to have their offspring control it. Batman intervenes, but is overcome by Woodrue's henchwomen, Holly and Eva. However, Ivy turns on Floronic Man and lets Batman go to fight the intoxicated maniac. In the end, Batman decapitates the Floronic Man, and Ivy escapes with her money.Batman: Shadow of the Bat #56–58. DC Comics.
At times, Ivy demonstrates positive and maternal traits. When Gotham City is destroyed in an earthquake and declared No Man's Land, she holds dominion over Robinson Park and turns it into a tropical paradise rather than fight over territory like most of Batman's enemies. Sixteen children who are orphaned during the quake come to live with her as she sympathizes with them having suffered a traumatic childhood herself.Secret Files 1998. DC Comics. She cares for them like sons and daughters, despite her usual misanthropy. That winter, Clayface (Basil Karlo) pays Ivy a visit, hoping to form a bargain with her. This would entail her growing fruits and vegetables, having the orphans harvest them, and him selling the produce to the highest bidder. She wants nothing to do with the plan, and she attempts to kill him with a kiss. Clayface overpowers her, however, and imprisons Ivy and the orphans for six months in a chamber under the park's lake. He feeds her salt and keeps her from the sun to weaken her. Eventually, Batman comes and discovers the imprisoned orphans and Ivy. The two agree to work together to take Karlo down. Batman battles Clayface and instructs Robin to blow up the lake bed above, allowing the rushing water to break apart the mud, effectively freeing Ivy. She fights Karlo, ensnaring him in the branches of a tree and fatally kissing him. She then proceeds to sink him down into the ground, where he becomes fertilizer for Ivy's plants. Batman, originally intending to take the orphans away from Ivy, recognizes that staying with her is what is best for them, and they remain in her care until the city is restored. Also, as part of a bargain to keep her freedom, Batman arranges it so that Ivy provides fresh produce to the starving hordes of earthquake survivors.Batman: Shadow of the Bat #88, Detective Comics #735. DC Comics. Soon after, Ivy finds Harley Quinn, who had almost been murdered by the Joker, among the debris of the earthquake and nurses her back to health. The two have been best friends and partners-in-crime ever since.Batman: Harley Quinn. DC Comics.
After Gotham City is reopened to the public, the city council wants to evict her from the park and send her back to Arkham Asylum, as they are uncomfortable with the thought of a "psychotic eco-terrorist controlling the equivalent of 30-odd square blocks." They also mistakenly believe that the orphans in Ivy's care are hostages. The Gotham City Police Department threaten to spray the park with R.C. Sixty, a powerful herbicide that most certainly would have killed every living plant in the park, including Ivy, and more than likely do harm to the children. Ivy refuses to leave the park to the city and let them destroy the paradise she had created, so she chooses martyrdom. It is only after Rose, one of the orphans, is accidentally poisoned by Ivy that the hardened eco-terrorist surrenders herself to the authorities to save the girl's life. Batman says that, as much as she would hate to admit it, Ivy is still more human than plant.Detective Comics #751–752. DC Comics.