Batman Villains: Poison Ivy

Bio: Originally from Seattle, Pamela Lillian Isley was raised into a wealthy family and quickly grew a fascination with botany. She later studied botanical biochemistry, and became seduced be her professor, Dr. Jason Woodrue. She becomes Woodrue's personal assistant in his many experiments involving poisons and toxins. Several of the experiments nearly kill her, and Woodrue decides to flee from authorities, leaving Pamela severely transformed in the hospital. Pamela becomes insane from the poisonous experiments, and develops severe mood swings. She drops out of school and moves to Gotham City where she discovers her new found powers, and becomes the criminal mastermind known as Poison Ivy. She begins her life of crime, with a goal to create a plant environment free of humans. It is not long until she is captured by Batman and sent to Arkham Asylum. From this point on, she develops an obsession to defeat Batman. While in prison she is rescued by her former mentor Dr. Woodrue who has also been transformed into a freak, with the new identity as Floronic Man. Once she is freed from prison, Poison Ivy turns against the man guilty for making her insane, and leaves the Floronic Man for Batman to decapitate. She thus begins her endless rivalry with Batman to take over Gotham City.

Powers and Abilities: Poison Ivy has a high amount of plant based toxins in her blood stream, that makes her touch poisonous and gives her immunity to all forms of poisons, viruses, bacterias, and fungi. She is more plant than human, and requires sunlight to survive. She is often able to use mind control, by emitting pheromones (a form of communication through chemical signals). She has total manipulation over the most toxic of plants, and can use her knowledge and control of these plants to create some of the most deadly drugs, potions, and chemicals known to Gotham City. She is a notorious seductress, and her kiss is deadly due to the poison that flows in her veins.

Media Portrayal: She has a long extensive role in the comics, with a deep back-story rooted in her raising in Seattle. When she comes to Gotham she quickly threatens the city with her new found powers. Following the great earthquake in Gotham she settles in Robinson Park where she nurtures the plants and creates a tropical paradise. She makes many alliances with other villains such as Clayface and most notably Harley Quinn, whom she rescues and develops a very close friendship with. She despises the Joker, and constantly tries to convince Harley to stay away from him.

In the animated series her powers were limited, and her only real power was immunity to poison. She is still a master botanist, and uses her extensive knowledge and obsession with plants as the ultimate weapon. She creates a deadly toxic lipstick, that can kill anyone she kisses.

In the film, Batman and Robin she was poorly portrayed by Uma Thurman, and donned a ridiculous looking costume. The character was incredibly lame and cheesy, and lacked that seductive, vixen-like appeal that makes Poison Ivy such a catch. Everything about the portrayal was wrong, from the costume, the personality, to especially the casting of Uma Thurman.

She was once again brought to life in the video game, Arkham Asylum, with an obsessive scheme that went well with her smoking new look.

I hope she is portrayed in one of Nolan's films. I think Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes/Wedding Crashers) could really rock that green costume and create a more twisted, darker, and sexier Poison Ivy, unlike we've seen before.

The Appeal: Poison Ivy is an obsessed environmentalist, who wants to rid the world of humanity so that she can live in peace with her plants. She claims to be more plant than human, and considers herself the mother and nurturer of all plants. She is an extremely difficult adversary for Batman, and brings a new unique challenge to the table, not through sheer force but through natural force. She also has an incredible erotic seduction to her persona, making her the ultimate femme-fatale in Gotham City.