Poison Ivy is a complicated character with an even more complicated history. She is a feminist icon and a queer idol for women and LGBTQ readers. More and more people every day see her as a hero and would like to see her grow and evolve as a character but DC seems to be stuck in the 90s in regards to her character and completely misses the point with her.
I’m writing this as a queer woman and a longtime DC reader and supporter because I feel that my voice as well as the voices of many other fans are drowned and not heard at all. The last few years Ivy was tortured, murdered, revived, split in parts, burned alive, split in half again, joined and then split in half again. Currently she is an empty shell and a literal bomb underneath Gotham.
Her story hasn’t progressed an inch since last June. She is still not a couple with Harley, she is still split in half and she is still threatening to destroy Gotham. Instead of being a character she is an object, a time bomb filled with vines underneath the city threatening Gotham, a cold war mutual destruction plot.
A cruel and nihilistic villain, a plant “Carnage” with the excuse that “she is missing her empathy”. Her story the past few years progressed at a glacial pace with readers getting just a few breadcrumbs here and there.
In fact we don’t even get to see these breadcrumbs but instead they are discussed (whatever happened to “the show - don’t tell” rule?) by other characters about her. New characters like Punchline or Ghostkiller already have bigger and deeper backstory than the current version of Poison Ivy and of course they get featured in more stories and books. They are treated with respect and it looks like DC is actually listening to what fans think and desire about them.
In contrast DC seems to actively try and do the exact opposite of what fans ask for Poison Ivy. At this point her story it’s just an endless list of unresolved plot points that DC promised they would get resolved but … well nothing got resolved.
What was the story of her biosuit in New 52?
What was she dying from?
How did she resurrect Swamp Thing in Justice League United?
What happened to her project of cleaning up Gotham from Cycle of Life and Death by Amy Chu?
What happened to her three daughters: Rose, Hazel and Thorn?
What happened to her quest on finding other plant based lifeforms, the major plot point of Trinity by Francis Manapul.
What happened to her work and projects with Batgirl (from Birds of Prey and Batgirl).
What happened to her memories (including the secret identity of Batman) from Everyone Loves Ivy?
Did she get therapy in Sanctuary?
And of course what is her relationship with the new character Gardener. In the recent Batman issue once more (and despite being published in Pride Month) we don’t even get a flashback but instead it’s just a brief mention by Harley about her past relationship with Ivy. This should be a huge plot point that could carry a mini series and instead it’s brushed aside like a side note.
Both Harley Quinn and Catwoman not only have/appear in multiple books where various elements of their character can be explored but laso their stories move in a very fast, organic and engaging way. Poison Ivy's story seems to be stuck in mud.
As a queer woman I'm always being told to wait for good things, to be patient, that change is coming. For Ivy, a queer character that means so much to so many readers and LGBTQ fans I'm being told to wait too. For years. And the moment some good things happen, they are immediately taken away, Ivy turns evil, breaks up with Harley, gets murdered, split in half, mind wiped, or tortured or rebooted. Nothing really changes. Then we are being told to be patient again. When will the good times come? Why should it always be like this for queer fans? Why it's vague breadcrumbs? Why not do something now and not in five years in the future? It's a difficult time. All we ask is for some happiness.
With Harley becoming more and more heroic and Ivy more and more villainous it looks like this is a conscious decision so the couple can’t be together anymore in main current books. Of course there are always ooc stories and variant covers but the lack of Harley and Ivy as a couple in main continuity for so many years makes these stories frustrating because they show what fans could get every month instead of once per year.
DC says they listen, that they take fans into consideration, that LGBTQ readers are not brushed aside but with Poison Ivy it seems this is not true.
Poison Ivy deserves to grow into a hero and get the spotlight. As one of DC’s flagship Queer characters we need to see stories with her in a happy and healthy relationship. WE DESERVE THESE STORIES. A few years ago in Palmiotti and Conners run, in the first issue Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn finger each other and have sex. Now even showing a kiss looks impossible. And the few times this happens it’s either in out of continuity stories, flashbacks or alternative universes. Not in the current, main stories.
Both Catwoman and Harley progressed and evolved as characters into heroes. Poison Ivy deserves this. I don’t want to read yet another story with her as a mustache twirling zealot threatening to murder everyone. I want to see her shine and grow and be happy. Because the character means so much to readers. And I want to see some development to actually stick and not get erased after a few weeks or months.
DC promised a brand new heroic Poison Ivy with her Heroes in Crisis rebirth. They put that promise on page and published it announcing a journey for her to fix things. So that her death and rebirth was not in vain.
It’s time for DC to deliver the promise.
Reviewed by IvyGirl RosenRose
on
June 02, 2021
Rating: