She’s green, and she’s bad. We’re talking about Harley Quinn’s BFF and occasional lover, Poison Ivy!
This week’s Super of the Week revolves around Poison Ivy, the Batman villain, Harley Quinn’s best friend and a woman who can control plants. She’s been a love interest to Batman and is seen working with Catwoman and her BFF. In most recent comic stories, Ivy has been deemed an antiheroine and an eco-warrior or, in her eyes, an eco-terrorist. We prefer to think of her as a meta-human who loves plants and thinks of them as her babies.
Full Name:
- Pamela Lillian Isley (post-Crisis)
- Lillian Rose (pre-Crisis)
Nickname(s):
- Ivy
- Ive (Harley Quinn series only)
Alias(es):
- Poison Ivy
- Paula Irving
Comic Book Franchise: DC Comics
Creator(s): Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff
First Appearance(s): Batman #181 (June 1966)
Allies:
- Harley Quinn
- Suicide Squad
- Birds of Prey
- Gotham City Sirens
Powers/Abilities:
- Trained Botanist
- Secretion of floral toxins and mind-controlling pheromones
- Immunity to toxins and pathogens
- The ability to mentally control the growth of plants via connection to the Green.
Family:
Wealthy parents
Friend(s):
- Harley Quinn (best friend)
- Catwoman
Team(s):
- Birds of Prey
- Gotham City Sirens
- Injustice Gang
- Injustice League
- Suicide Squad
- Secret Society of Super-Villains
- S.T.A.R. Labs
BIOGRAPHY
There is so much to Poison Ivy’s life that we never considered. While were researching, we found she had two separate names. One served as her pre-Crisis identity, while the other came to Post-Crisis. We thought we’d talk about both here. It’s fascinating to find all this stuff we didn’t know about the iconic villain.
Pre-Crisis
There is so much to Poison Ivy’s comic book origin that we weren’t even aware of. Before Crisis on Infinite Earths, Poison Ivy was known as Doctor Lillian Rose, M.D. She was a botanist who assists Marc LeGrande in stealing an Egyptian artefact that contained ancient herbs.
LeGrande, terrified that Rose would dob him in, attempts to poison her with the same herbs they’d stolen. His plan ultimately backfires, and she learns, via her survival, that she’d developed immunity to every type of poison and toxin.
Post-Crisis
After the maxi event Crisis on Infinite Earths, Poison Ivy’s backstory was retconned by Neil Gaiman in Secret Origins #36 in 1988. Her true name was Doctor Pamela Isely, PhD, a botanist in Gotham City. In this version of her origin, she had wealthy yet distant parents.
Interestingly, Isely pursued a career in advanced botanical biochemistry and would work with Alec Holland would later become Swamp Thing). Meanwhile, she is seduced by her mentor due to her shyness and is injected with toxins and poisons. Fortunately, this triggers her transformation into what we know her to be now.
Isley begins her time as a criminal by threatening to unleash spores if her demands are unmet. She also develops an unhealthy obsession with Batman before he locks her up in Arkham Asylum.
PAST MEDIA APPEARANCES
Poison Ivy has appeared in a lot of media
Some of Poison Ivy’s past appearances include:
- Batman: The Animated Series
- Batman (1966 live-action series)
- The New Batman Adventures
- Static Shock
- Gotham Girls
- Justice League (animated series)
- The Batman (animated series)
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold
- Young Justice
- DC Superhero Girls
- Justice League Action
- Batman & Robin
- The LEGO Batman Movie
- Batman and Harley Quinn
RECENT MEDIA APPEARANCES
- Harley Quinn (animated series)
- Batman: Hush
- Gotham (as Ivy “Pamela” Pepper)
- Gotham by Gaslight
PORTRAYALS – LIVE ACTION
- Uma Thurman (first live-action version of Pamela Isely – Batman & Robin)
- Clare Foley, Maggie Geha and Peyton List as Ivy Pepper/Poison Ivy – Gotham)
PORTRAYALS – ANIMATION
- Vanessa Marshall (various projects)
- Lake Bell (Harley Quinn)
- Alyssa Milano (Young Justice)
- Diane Pershing (Batman: The Animated Series)
- Piera Coppola (The Batman)
Relationship With Harley Quinn
As mentioned before, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn have always had a close relationship. At one point, they were lovers, but to us, they’re best friends who are total opposites. This is seen in the DC Universe series Harley Quinn, where the pair live together after they break out of Arkham Asylum.
Harley often ignores Ivy’s advice, and it almost gets her killed and/or captured several times. However, they would be lost without the other. As if this wasn’t enough, Ivy constantly has to save Harley’s ass from everything, including almost getting murdered by Joker.
Moreover, the loyalty these two have for each other spellbinding, and we mean that literally. When Joker kills Ivy in front of Harley and their friends, the former girlfriend of Mister J swears bloody revenge on him for killing her best friend. She and her crew go after the clown prince of crime only to discover later that Harley’s tears brought Ivy back to life.
In conclusion, Ivy and Harley would have pretty crappy existences if it wasn’t for the other. Harley would still be pining over Joker. Ivy would still be talking to her plants and being a total badass eco-terrorist.
