Poison Ivy (comics)
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Poison Ivy (German poison ivy , with the connotation "poison ivy" when Ivy is understood as a woman's name) is the title of various publications by the US publisher DC Comics and at the same time the name of the protagonist of these publications.
The publications of the Poison Ivy series include the graphic novels "Poison Ivy" (1997; written by John Francis Moore) and "Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows" (2004; written by Ann Niccoti), the comic series "Harley and Ivy " , The web cartoon series" Gotham Girls "and the anthologies " Poison Ivy: Collected Legends " and " Poison Ivy: Thrice Met " .
Main character
The main character of the "Poison Ivy" publications is an adventurer and eco-terrorist, whose real name is Pamela Lillian Isley. She uses the name Poison Ivy - a descriptive name - as an alias and code name.
Poison Ivy was originally created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Sheldon Moldoff as a female villain for the Batman comic series , which she debuted in June 1966 issue # 181. However, the character soon developed a lively life of its own and appeared in various anthology series as a solo character and was finally brought into focus as a feature character in various of its own publications.
The character of Poison Ivy is inspired by the character of Beatrice in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story Rappaccini's Daughter . Like Ivy, as a result of an experiment, she was able to let toxins grow in her body as a "human poison factory".
The following goals and drives are described at different times: 1) The desire to take vengeance on humanity for the "desecration of the planet", especially the plant world, 2) Criminally the material means for retreating into a secure, To create a natural environment beyond the inhospitable modern industrial society, 3) To satisfy one's own thirst for adventure and one's own libido.
Appearance
Visually, Ivy is usually portrayed as a seductive young woman with all the advantages of female attractiveness. She is tall, slender, with luscious feminine shapes, smooth features, strong cheekbones, long flowing hair, and a pout. According to the publisher, she is 1.68 m tall and weighs about 54 kg. Her eyes are green, her hair is reddish brown to purple and orange. Actress Bettie Page and various femme fatals are considered to be the optical role model for Ivy's original version .
Ivy sometimes wears normal street clothes, but more often a green tones costume made of chrome oxide green leggings (yellow when she first appeared; today she is mostly naked on the legs) and a top made of small green leaves (in the comics she claims this is herself “grown “To have) and sometimes a kind of crown of thorns or a headband.
The skin color and hair color of the figure is subject to constant fluctuations and is apparently incumbent on the "artistic freedom" of the respective draftsman: In some stories Ivy is depicted as a woman with a normal flesh tone ("flesh color"), in others her skin color is light green or chalk white. In some particularly Expressionist stories, the character's red mane of hair is replaced with actual ivy sprouting from its head (e.g., in stories by illustrator Tim Sale ). It is always indicated that this is only a perception by outsiders and not an actual anatomical property. Their superpowers, which sometimes border on witchcraft, are occasionally explained or supplemented by chemical inventions ( chemical weapons ).
Typically, Ivy appears more "human" when she's with Harley Quinn , who she often steals with in Gotham City . In some stories, their vegetal character leads to special properties, such as dependence on the sun , water and earth and an allergy to plant toxins and leaf-eating insects.
Character history
Pamela Isley grew up as the spoiled only child of wealthy parents in Seattle. In spite of her exquisite beauty, Isley was an extremely insecure, withdrawn, and emotionally unstable child who spent most of his youth alone and without playmates. Disappointed that she was never given flowers, Isley began growing roses at a young age. This is how Isley's interest in botany was aroused. Her interest in plants eventually went so far that she felt more closely connected to the vegetative world than to the human one.
After school, Ivy took up botany studies with the scientist Dr. Jason Woodrue on. She could no longer realize her plan to write a doctoral thesis on the subject of the crossbreeding of animal and vegetable life, because Woodrue, with whom she was in love, took advantage of the love he had not returned by persuading her to join as a test subject to make one of his experiments available: he gave her a serum that caused Isley to mutate into a kind of human plant, which in turn had the ability to control other plants. In addition, since the experiment, Ivy had the ability to secrete pheromones, with the help of which she can bring people of both sexes under her control, even against their will, and induce them to do what they want. Further abilities that she has since then are immunity to most poisons in almost every form of contact (airway intake, oral ingestion, skin contact, etc.), as well as the talent to let poisons grow in her body that she can use for her purposes. If Ivy intends to transfer her toxins to other people, it is mostly through genital or oral (kissing) body contact.
When she heard about Batman, she was fascinated by him, so she traveled to Gotham City and began to commit crimes there under the name Poison Ivy in order to attract the attention of her great idol. A passionate love-hate relationship developed between the two of them, which continues to this day.
characterization
After her first appearance in a 1960s Batman story, Poison Ivy disappeared into oblivion for a few years and was only revived as a character in the 1970s when the emergence of feminism prompted Batman writers with an increasing need for female counterparts for theirs Title heroes faced to keep up with the zeitgeist. In addition, Batman's previous female main opponent, Catwoman , was increasingly developing into a positive character, so that the Batman creators felt they had to build another female figure into a figure that was decidedly antagonistic to Batman.
While Poison Ivy was portrayed as an arch villain particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, whose main characteristics were an almost manic love of plants and occasionally men, as well as a pronounced aversion to other people - especially a cold rejection of other women - she became one in the 1990s imparted a more ambivalent, more complex character. In addition to her criminal tendencies, there were also positive qualities, such as a sincere affection for other Arkham Asylum inmates such as Killer Croc , compassion for indigenous Indians ( Poison Ivy # 1), her close friendship with Harley Quinn and her maternal care for a group of orphans ( No Man's Land ).
A vague point in Poison Ivy's characterization is her sexuality . While many stories portray her as straight - this is how she felt about Batman (Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual # 3, Poison Ivy # 1), whose perfect physique she describes as "arousing", Harvey Dent (Dark Victory # 11), the mercenary Deadshot (Harley Quinn # 3) and the doctor Thomas Elliott (Gotham Knights # 60-65) - there are also numerous stories in which she has vague lesbian relationships with other women, especially Harley Quinn. In addition, there are references to chlorophilia (sexual inclination towards plants), particularly in publications intended for an adult audience. In "Harley & Ivy" she once had a kind of sex act with one of her plants.
Minor characters
Ferak
Ferak is an extremely aggressive hybrid creature created by Poison Ivy (origin not fully understood) from human and plant DNA. Ferak made his debut on Batman: Villains Secret Files # 1, 1998 (Writer: Greg Rucka, Artist: Greg Land). Ferak is phenotypically an attractive young woman of Amazonian physique (athletic, well-proportioned, long-haired) who is strikingly similar to Ivy. As a plant, it is sexless despite its feminine appearance. In addition to her green skin and face color, various jagged protrusions on her body are Ferak's most noticeable feature. It can sprout and even shed thorns and other vegetal growths from its body. She uses her extreme physical deformability to use her extremities as weapons if necessary. Ferak's physical strength far exceeds that of a human being, but her intelligence is extremely underdeveloped, so that she does not seem capable of verbal communication herself. At her first appearance in Gotham City - during the no man's land time - Ferak ran amok looking for a place to stay, but was finally calmed down by Batman and his helper "The Bat" by giving her a suitable home in "Gotham City's Green Lung" , assigned to Robinson Park ( Batman: No Man's Land # 0, 1999).
Floronic Man
The Floronic Man (also known as Floro or Plant-Master), aka Jason Woodrue, is the scientist responsible for Pamela Isley's becoming Poison Ivy. He is also an occasional opponent of Batman and the superhero "the Atom". The Floronic Man, who debuted in a November 1956 backup story about "The Atom" in Flash # 245 (author: Gardmer Fox, illustrator: Gil Kane), is a hybrid of humans and plants. The surname Woodrue was given to the figure in the Atom # 1 issue of June 1962.
The Floronic Man in the DC Comics is the product of a failed self-experiment: In the course of his work at Ivy University, the ecology professor Woodrue injected himself with a plant serum that transformed him into a hybrid being made up of humans and plants. From then on he had the ability to communicate with plants and let them obey his will. The downside of his new abilities, however, was that he went mad: From then on, he was obsessed with protecting the flora from human attacks. To achieve this, he used questionable methods that brought him into conflict with the police and the superhero Atom. On the other hand, he also supported the swamp thing, a hybrid of man and plant that lives in the swamps of Louisiana, in its efforts to reconcile man and nature, so he also did something good. In addition to his long-standing hostility to Atom - against which he fought countless times - Woodrue was a member of the Global Guardians and was part of a "team of heroes" at times. Conversely, he also belonged to the Injustice Gang at times. Woodrue later came to Gotham City and tried together with two women named Eva and Holy to usher in the drug trade by selling marijuana that he had grown from his own body. During his time as a professor, Alec Holland (who later became the Swamp Thing), Linda Holland, Philip Sylvian and Pamela Isley were among his students. Woodrue finally lured the latter into his laboratory for experimental purposes by pretending to reciprocate her love: after he had brought her into his power, he also transformed her into a hybrid of humans and plants using a serum he had developed. Isley harnessed the abilities of her altered organism and became an eco-terrorist Poison Ivy. She later put aside her enmity for Woodrue and once ( Shadow of the Bat # 58) almost fathered a child with him.
Woodrue is practically immortal, as he can always let his plant body grow again from the finest remains like a plant if it is damaged or destroyed. Among other things, a beheading by the swamp thing could only get him out of the world for a short time.
In the film Batman & Robin by Joel Schumacher , the Floronic Man's alter ego, Doctor Woodrue - played by John Glover - appears. In this version, Woodrue is a corrupt scientist who is killed by Poison Ivy during the course of the film. Unlike in the comic book, Woodrue is also responsible for the creation of the villain Bane in the film . In addition, the character of Benny Buchsbaum from the animated series Darkwing Duck is based on Woodrue or the Floronic Man in terms of appearance, character, goals, history and skills.
In 2019 Jason Woodrue starred in the television series Swamp Thing , played by Kevin Durand . Here, however, he is only transformed into the Floronic Man in the last episode. The short-lived series ends with a cliffhanger ; in the post-credit scene of the series finale, the mutated Dr. Woodrue is shown, who is looking for his first victim shortly after transforming into the Floronic Man.
Harvest
Harvest ("harvest") is a monstrous plant creature that emerged from the connection of the souls of people who Poison Ivy fed alive to a giant plant with this very plant. Harvest seeks revenge on Ivy for the cruel fate she has inflicted on his "constituents". The previous attempts to get Harvest's revenge on Ivy were foiled by Batman ( Detective # 823).
Plant zombies
Poison Ivy falls back on zombie-like beings again and again, which she creates herself by giving new "life" to men who have been killed by their kiss of death by entering plant spores. She uses these men, who are helplessly devoted to her, who carry out her every command without questioning and who finally die within a few days, as henchmen (first in "Batman: The Poison Tomorrow" , 1992).
Harley Quinn and Catwoman
The lively Harley is Ivy's best friend and accomplice in many crimes. However, since Harley is the self-proclaimed friend of the Joker and he uses Harley wherever possible, Ivy tries in vain to protect her friend from the Joker. In some comics there are always hints that the two even have a lesbian relationship with each other. Ivy has a complicated relationship with Catwoman: At first Ivy was a frequent opponent of Selina. But that changed with the comic series Gotham City Sirens and so there seems to be a kind of friendship between Catwoman and Ivy.
Appearances in other media
Appearances in movies
Poison Ivy appeared as one of the main characters in the 1997 film Batman & Robin by Joel Schumacher , in which she was played by actress Uma Thurman . There Ivy appears in her well-known role as a Batman adversary. Your "partners in crime" are the villains Bane and Mr. Freeze . Thurman's portrayal of Poison Ivy met with a predominantly negative response from both film critics and the majority of Batman fans: Her exaggerated clichéd portrayal of the character, which was described with attributes such as "silly" and "cheesy", was criticized.
Appearances in live action series
Poison Ivy was portrayed in the Gotham crime series by actresses Clare Foley , Maggie Geha and Peyton List . Here both changes in the actresses were explained internally by mutations that changed the external appearance of the character. The prequel series takes place in Bruce Wayne's youth and begins 15 years before Batman first appeared. In the course of the five seasons, the original story of Poison Ivys is told, among other things. Here Ivy is first shown in her childhood, which she has to spend on the street after the death of her parents. There she befriends the young Selina Kyle. In the third season, Ivy's aging process is greatly accelerated by a mutation, whereupon she allies herself with the penguin , who seeks revenge after the betrayal by the Riddler . Together with Mr. Freeze and Firefly , they manage to defeat the Riddler. In the fourth season she ends her partnership with the penguin and is finally transformed into poison ivy after consuming several ancient elixirs from a mysterious pharmacy.
Appearances in cartoon series
Ivy was adapted as a character for the animated series Batman: The Animated Series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini in 1992 . In the series, she appeared as one of the main opponents of Batman . The series increased the public awareness of the character Poison Ivy enormously and made her one of the most famous Batman characters ever. Ivy's portrayal in the "Animated" series is closely related to her portrayal in the comics, but was clearly "scaled back" out of consideration for the very young audience of the series: The character's appearance was "de-sexualized" (smaller breasts, less open-hearted clothing, less offensive and lewd attempts at seduction towards other characters etc.) and unbrutalized (she doesn't kill anyone in the series and is less cruel than in most comics). The artist Lynne Naylor, who was responsible for Ivy's design in the series, also gave her a milder, cherubim-like face. In the second season of the series, it was also decided to change Ivy's skin color from the incarnate tone of the first season to a grayish white. In the original, the actress Diane Pershing could be won as a dubbing voice for Poison Ivy, who appeared in episodes such as House and Garden , Greenhouse , Chemistry and Static Shock .
This was followed by appearances in cartoon series such as The Justice League (original title: Justice League Unlimited ) and the web cartoon series Gotham Girls in which Ivy even played a central role. This cartoon series drew the popular animated comic series Gotham Girls and Harley and Ivy in which Ivy is once again the focus.
In the 2000s, Ivy was integrated as a character in the animated series The Batman , in which she is dubbed by actress Piera Coppola . In this series, her background was changed in a noticeable way by turning Ivy into a young activist, who is doused with mutagen in a fight between Batman and the terrorist Temblor, whereupon her powers and skills already known from earlier versions develop and as usual embarks on a career as an eco-terrorist. Unlike in other versions, Pamela Isley is also close friends with Barbara Gordon ( Batgirl ) before her transformation into Poison Ivy .
Since 2019 Poison Ivy appears in the animated series Harley Quinn , in which she is originally dubbed by Lake Bell . Here she is shown as Harley Quinn's best friend and has a carnivorous plant called Frank, which has its own consciousness after a mutation. As the series progresses, a romantic relationship develops between Poison Ivy and Kite-Man , which Ivy initially hides out of shame about the bad image of her lover.
Appearances in computer and console games
Poison Ivy has appeared in numerous computer and video games over the years, mostly as the "boss character" in Batman games. Video games she appears in include Batman: The Animated Series , The Adventures of Batman & Robin ( NES and Sega Mega Drive ), Batman: Chaos in Gotham ( Game Boy ), the video game adaptation of the film Batman & Robin , Batman: Vengeance , Batman: Dark Tomorrow , Batman: Arkham Asylum released in 2009 and Batman: Arkham Knight released in 2015 . Diane Pershing, Ivy's voice actress in the original American version of the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, took over her old part in some of those games in which Ivy had a speaking part.
effect
The figure of Poison Ivy has met with a particularly strong response from the American public. In the USA, the name poison ivy is widely regarded as a synonym for the femme fatale. In addition, allusions to the character are often made in American films and TV series. In one episode of the animated series The Simpsons , for example, "Poison Lenny " was a parody of Poison Ivy. Benjamin Buxbaum from the Darkwing Duck series also found his inspiration in this figure.