Poison Ivy

"You're the only one for me Batman, you know that right? Nobody else even comes close. Not anybody."

- Poison Ivy "I have no interest in your deals. No interest in you, in any of you, on the outside. This park, this is Gotham now... its future. Reclaimed by nature, pure without mankind's assaults. It is a sanctuary now, and I am guardian. I will not let it be defiled. Not by anyone. Certainly not by you. Leave."

- Poison Ivy

Pamela Lillian Isley, also known as Poison Ivy, is a major villain from DC Comics. She most often serves as an enemy to Batman, Batgirl, and the Birds of Prey. She is Harley Quinn's best friend/lover.

Post-Crisis
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New 52
Poison Ivy's history was altered for the New 52. In this continuity, Pamela Isley was born with a weakness to sunlight. Her doctor did prescribe some lotion that would help her, but her father banned her from being outside completely. After resorting to abuse against his wife when she did let her out one time, Pamela's mother shrugged off the black eye he gave her, and went outside to garden, explaining that she liked her hobby due to flowers listening to her, which unluckily resulted in a loophole of her father always gaining forgiveness for his violence against her by buying flowers. This one day resulted in the violent man murdering his wife, which led him to be imprisoned for the rest of his life, as Pamela was sent to live with a relative.

In college, she designed pheromone pills to study their effects. These pills helped her significantly when the Dean, under their effects and controlled, decided against her expulsion and got her out of jail. After she graduated, she visited her imprisoned father, kissing him while he was there. He later died the next day, with the poison used being unable to be found. She later, with the help of the Dean, became a research assistant at Wayne Enterprises.

Later, she helped a man with a project that would allow plants to grow faster. However, the Riddler and Karl Helfern stole her plans and used it to make plants overtake Gotham City in a event that Batman called "Zero Year". Luckily, Batman defeated the two and started a process to remove the plants. After the city was restored, Bruce Wayne looked into Pamela's plan when she came to him with a project to cut the advertising division by 100%. Her plan was to use pheromones to get clients, proving it due to she getting the interview with him due to it. Bruce however, denied her plan due to it being similar to brainwashing, quickly fired her, and explained that the company now own her research, much to her dismay. She rushed back to get what she could, with her main target being a serum she made from her research on botany. However, she was splashed with her own chemicals, giving her the ability to control plants and her pheromones, connecting her to the Green, and making her be unable to affected by viruses and poison. From that point on, she became the eco-terrorist known as Poison Ivy.

Cycle of Life and Death
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Heroes in Crisis
After the events of DC Rebirth, during which she had tried to control the minds of every living being in an attempt to protect the environment, Ivy began to dread about the deaths she had unintentionally caused in the past. Harley Quinn came to comfort her and told Ivy of a secret haven where troubled superheroes go to get help in dealing with personal issues called the Sanctuary. Ivy decides to go there for guidance, where she starts to recover - only to get caught up in a massacre which seemingly claims her life. However, prior to the event, Ivy used the power of The Green to give Harley Quinn a part of herself in the form of a flower as a token of their love. This flower would eventually be obtained by Wally West (the one responsible for the massacre) who planted it and used the Speed Force to accelerate its growth. The flower grew to gigantic proportions and bloomed to reveal the surviving piece of Ivy had grown a new humanoid body for herself made entirely from plant matter. She eventually reunited with Harley Quinn and explained her survival as Harley ran to embrace her.

Personality
Due to her special affinity for all plant life, her specialty is eco-terrorism. She is always pictured with flowing red hair and a green plant-like outfit. Her only human companion seems to be Harley Quinn. It is believed that she feels for Harley, who is mistreated by The Joker. Poison Ivy is immune to toxins and uses this ability to her advantage over her enemies. In the 1997 superhero film Batman & Robin, Poison Ivy teams up with Bane and Mr. Freeze.

Poison Ivy's feelings for humanity have varied. In the past (and in most media), Ivy desired to exterminate all humanity and allow her plants to become the worlds new dominant species. However, possibly due to her interactions with Harley Quinn and Catwoman, Ivy eventually started to show a more humane side and actually help those in dire need. Ivy has even tried to protect both humans and plants in some cases. Although these attempts are usually done using the wrong methods (such as controlling people's minds through tainted vegetables to achieve peace).

In her downtime, She is usually focused more on caring for her plants rather than engaging in human interaction. It's been hinted in some iterations that she may have a hidden infatuation towards Batman, with this side of her being seen more in the New 52. However, this attraction is no longer apparent from DC Rebirth.

Holy Musical Batman!
In HMB, Poison Ivy, along with the other rogues (Penguin, Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, and Scarecrow), works with Sweet Tooth to plot a way to destroy the Dark Knight and to put nuclear Warheads into the city's water supply.

Gotham
The younger version of Poison Ivy named Ivy Pepper (rather than Pamela Isley) appears on the Fox television show Gotham - which depicts the origins of various DC characters prior to Batman's arrival in the city.

She is portrayed by Clare Foley but was replaced by a new actress Maggie Geha for the third season in which Ivy developed into Poison Ivy. Peyton List portrays the mutated Ivy now in the fourth and fifth seasons.

Aside from coming across as creepy, and later taking part in growing magic mushrooms for Butch Gilzean's gang, she isn't depicted as a villain or antagonist during the first and second season.

Ivy appeared in the first episode "Pilot" as the daughter to a criminal named Mario Pepper who is accused of murdering Bruce Wayne's parents Thomas and Martha.

Mario is later killed when he attempts to attack Detective Jim Gordon, leaving both Ivy and her mother alone (although Mario was abusive towards them). She appeared later in the season when Selina with Bruce Wayne in tow tried to find her fence. When Ivy ended up homeless after running away from her foster parents (which she was placed into after the suicide of her mother) she was taken in by Selina, who was squatting at Barbara Kean's apartment.

The character appeared during the second season in which Detective Harvey Bullock tried to find the location of Selina Kylie and Bridgit Pike. Later on, when Bruce began living on the streets of Gotham as part of his training to learn the criminal way, they went to visit Ivy who was growing magic mushrooms for the Gilzean crime family. In the third season, Ivy became Poison Ivy after she had an encounter with an escaped monster from the Indian Hill facility.

In the fourth season, Ivy, tired of being disrespected, consumes mystical potions and chemicals enhancing her abilities and altered her appearance. She entered a hibernation phase for many months and emerged from a cocoon having been reborn with a new appearance and an ability to poison people with a scratch. Ivy later uses Lazarus Water and her own blood creating a deadly crimson flower with poison pollen that can create more of the flowers through victims' flesh and blood. She is stopped by Selena Kyle who destroys a vial containing the last of the Lazarus Water and Ivy leaves telling Selena to never get in her way again.

DC Animated Universe
Poison Ivy is a major recurring antagonist in "Batman: The Animated Series". She is one of Batman's archenemies and arguably his female archenemy (with Catwoman and Talia being an on/off villain and Harley being a henchwoman).

Born as Pamela Lillian Isley, Poison Ivy is an eco-terrorist who Batman first encounters in the episode "Pretty Poison", where she is also the girlfriend of Two-Face. She gradually grows into one of his biggest enemies and forms alliances with various other villains throughout the series.

Her most notable relationship is with Harley Quinn, with whom she became best friends with. The two of them even became two of the primary protagonists of a spin-off series. She is voiced by Diane Pershing.

Batman and Harley Quinn
Poison Ivy is one of the two main antagonists of the 2017 DC animated film Batman and Harley Quinn. She teams up with Floronic Man to transform all of Humanity into plants.

DC Super Hero Girls
In this continuity, Poison Ivy is depicted as a heroine, as opposed to her traditional villainous nature. However, in the novels it is noted that many of the young heroes will likely eventually become villains, meaning that this could simply be a backstory for Ivy's villainy. Though it is unclear if the cartoon series will follow with this concept.

She officially becomes a supervillain in the film Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High, though she returns to heroism by the ending.

Batman: Hush (Film)
Poison Ivy appears in Batman: Hush, voiced by her Gotham actress Peyton List.

Harley Quinn (TV series)
Poison Ivy will appear in DC Universe's upcoming adult animation series Harley Quinn, where she will be voiced by Lake Bell, who also voiced Vanessa Fisk in Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse.

Batman: Arkham Series
Poison Ivy is one of the villains that Batman faces in Batman: Arkham Asylum. She is released from her cell by Harley Quinn, even though she was not on the list that the Joker had given her. Poison Ivy then resides in the Botanical Garden's, waiting for the Batman to show up. When Batman finds her, he can easily hurt her, because she has been in the dark for too long.

She tells him that he can find an antidote for the Titan in Killer Croc's lair. When Batman leaves the Gardens, the plants start living. The Joker tells Batman that he gave Poison Ivy a Titan shot. Her plants are now taking over the entire island, even lifting statues of the warden and eventually reaching to the top of the Clocktower and the Lighthouse.

When Batman came back with the antidote, Poison Ivy became stronger and knocks away the antidote before he can use it. She turns herself into a gigantic plant-monster. After beating her, she falls into a giant hole. At the end of the game, after beating the Joker, there is a cutscene showing how the guards bring her back to her cell.

She also has an entry in the character bios. Her profile states: Botanist Pamela Isley was transformed by a science experiment gone wrong into a plant-human hybrid. With chlorophyll flowing through her veins instead of blood, she developed a toxic touch and a pheromone-fueled talent for seduction.

Her crimes have become more ecologically focused as she has increasingly abandoned her human side, identifying more with the natural world. Her unique brand of eco-terrorism often puts her into conflict with Batman, whose iron will usually protects him from her seductive powers.

DC Universe Online
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Powers

 * Chlorokinesis: Semi-mystical connection to the plant world through a force called the Green. In some adaptations, she can control plants with her mind. For example, in Arkham Asylum: Living Hell she was able to manipulate and animate plants, using roots to form supports for a tunnel she and another inmate named Magpie were digging to escape, and also spawning glowing fungi to entertain Magpie. She controls an entire tree to come down on Clayface, ensnaring him in its branches. More recently, in Batman & Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows, she can be seen bringing down a whole skyscraper with giant vines.
 * Toxic Immunity: Immunity to all toxins, bacteria, and viruses.
 * Toxikinesis: A deliberate overdose of plant and animal based toxins into her blood stream that make her touch deadly. Ivy can create the most potently powerful floral toxins in Gotham City. Often these are secreted from her lips and administered via a kiss. They come in a number of varieties, from mind-controlling drugs to instantly fatal necrotic. Her skin is toxic as well, although contact with it is usually not fatal.
 * Pheromone Control: Ivy is known to be able to seduce men and women alike, often using pheromones to do so but even without the pheromones her beauty is still an asset that can seduce.

In Batman & Robin, Poison Ivy's pheromones became more practical, utilizing them in a weaponized nature in the form of a potent dust that when blown in the direction of the intended target has a crippling enamoring effect. Varying or stronger doses prolong the mental hold over the victim, causing them to be instantly and completely infatuated with the villainess.

Abilities

 * Botanist: Expertise in botany. She specializes in creating new plant species and plant/animal hybrids
 * Toxicologist: Expertise in toxicology.
 * Proficient Combatant: Poison Ivy's athletic abilities have grown over the course of her career. She has learned a limited style of martial arts fighting, is proficient at climbing and leaping, and is a strong and fast swimmer.
 * Average Strength: Poison Ivy possesses the strength level of around three women her age, size and weight who engages in intensive regular exercise.

Weaknesses

 * Vulnerability to Darkness: Poison Ivy requires substantial amounts of solar energy to live.
 * Mental instability: Due to Poison Ivy's obsession with plants, when she thinks that they are being threatened, she becomes unstable, destructive, and filled with rage. She is willing to save her plants at all costs, even if she has to surrender to Batman or ask for his help.
 * Vanity: Poison Ivy's self-confidence in her looks and charms can cause her to overlook or dismiss potential disasters. In Batman & Robin, having successfully seduced the inexperienced Robin into falling for her she lures him into her lair - away from Batman - in order to kill him with an extremely poisonous kiss. Despite her success in kissing the hero, she had not considered that Robin could break free from her spell and had come prepared for it, unwittingly exposed her true evil nature to him in her smug belief that he was a dead man.

Quotes
"Life endures. It adjusts and grows stronger. The weeds you try to kill become super-weeds, immune to your poison. And so you increase your toxins and poison the world in a cycle of madness. I call it forth, the power of the plants, even from the terminator seeds that should not grow. I am the guardian of the Green. I am Poison Ivy."

- Poison Ivy.

"Well sometimes you need to prune back hard in order to make something flourish."

- Poison Ivy interview tape in Arkham Asylum after a doctor mentions she almost killed everyone in Gotham City.

"Actually Batman, you and I are surprisingly alike. We both strive to see evil-doers punished. But while you got your gallery of rouges, I have my grove."

- Poison Ivy to Batman.

"Poison Ivy: I wanted to do the right thing. Batman: Perhaps. But in the wrong way."

- Poison Ivy admitting her mistake to Batman in Batman #651 Don Kramer and Keith Champagne.

"Enslaving humanity is balance."

- Poison Ivy in Injustice 2.

Trivia

 * Poison Ivy was created by the late Robert Kanigher and the late Sheldon Moldoff.