Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: dc comics, poison ivy

Poison Ivy, Now A Meat-Eating Genocidal Murderer, For Pride Month

Published Mon, 21 Mar 2022 10:27:09 -0500

The portrayal of Poison Ivy in recent years at DC Comics has been a source of utter fascination for Bleeding Cool. At one point, there was a move from, let's call them, the progressive side, for Poison Ivy to be portrayed as a queer superheroine who sometimes goes too far. As part of Birds Of Prey, share saved thousands of Gothamites with her research and activism. An intelligent scientist whose work in pheromones can do humanity a lot of good. She is in a non-monogamous relationship with her partner Harley Quinn, and they do each other a lot of good too. Maybe tempers Poison Ivy's more terrorist streaks. And trying to be a better person.

Then there's the, let's call them, for want of a better word, the conservative side. Who want Poison Ivy as the supervillain she used to be. Fighting Batman and out there murdering for an environmental cause, with admirable aims but with methods that must be stopped by heroes. Split from Harley Quinn (give her a boyfriend), redefined as best (single) friends, maybe make her get back in bed with Batman.

And DC Comics editorial has been divided. Losing a lot of senior editors harmed the conservative side of that argument, as did the success of the Harley Quinn Animated Series, which has Poison Ivy marry Harley Quinn. But, despite the comic book adaptation of the TV series, , coming out of a different side of editorial than the usual Batman books, I have been told that senior figures at DC Comics are very much against the Harley Quinn Animated Series and its portrayal of many DC Comics characters – including Poison Ivy.

At one point DC Comics literally split Poison Ivy into two characters, one an inhuman revenge monster called Queen Ivy, the other a kind, compassionate, empathetic wallflower called just Ivy. James Tynion's Fear State arc saw him join the two back together again, before reuniting Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy again. And this seemed to be the way forward for the character.

But then they were suddenly split up in Harley Quinn (again) and a teased series by G Willow Wilson and Emma Rios seeing PoisonIvy going back to the murdering environmental terrorist version of the character, albeit it one haunted by Harley. One might ask, what was the point of the Fear State arc? What was the point of creating a complete Poison Ivy, if DC were just going to treat her as Queen Ivy again? Was this another impact of the abandonment of 5G?

The June series is as on the nose as it can be. "Humanity had its chance. Now it's time for Poison Ivy."

The PR for the DC Pride promotions for June said "In her new series, Ivy leaves Gotham City and sets out to complete her greatest work—a gift to the world that will heal the damage humanity has dealt to it!" but in the solicitation above, it doesn't end there but continues "by ending it!" That last clause was excluded from the Pride PR copy. I wonder why?

There is an old trope that sees gay or queer-coded people portrayed as supervillains to wipe out humanity, with its roots in their childlessness. The trope is that, without children, gay people are less invested in humanity and this more open to destroying it. Hey, I didn't say it made sense.

That cover above is also notable seeing Poison Ivy tasting a bloody steak. The thing is, in all recent portrayals, Poison Ivy is a vegan…