The newest reboot of Batman, 2022’sThe Batmandirected by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson as the titular vigilante, was a huge success. The reimagining of familiar villains and a bleak and gritty noir feeling was familiar yet set apart from what had come before it with more focus on the detective side of things along with an exploration of PTSD.
With a sequel announced beingwritten and directed by Reeves as well as aRogues Gallerymovie in the works from the director spotlighting villains from the series, there’s scope for the sequel to explore more villains in a new way. One of the most popular villains that could be a big draw for audiences is Poison Ivy, but how could this iconic villain fit into the universe that Reeves has created?
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The Batmansees Pattinson’s caped crusader living a reclusive life, already operating under the cowl for two years when The Riddler (an unhinged performance from Paul Dano) begins a reign of terror in Gotham murdering those in power that he sees as corrupt and leaving breadcrumbs for Batman to follow. In a departure from previous depictions of The Riddler,Dano’s version wears muted colors, a full-face balaclava, and looks more like a military survivalist than the green leotarded version most people think of when it comes to the character. It’s also revealed that the criminal has taken heavy inspiration from Batman’s vigilantism and has used his role as a Forensic Accountant to find targets.
Of course, The Riddler wasn’t the only famous Batman villain to appear, Penguin (an almost unrecognizable Colin Farrell) also featured heavily as a member of gangster Falcone’s entourage. In this story, Penguin is not the deformed monster he is often depicted as and made memorable by Danny Devito. Instead, he is a mid-level crook who has not yet realized his lofty criminal ambitions.
With these changes to thealready-established villains in Reeves' Gotham, how can Poison Ivy fit into the emerging universe of Pattinson’s Batman and the more detective-focused elements of the story that Reeves seems to be dialing into? First, a look at what is already known about Gotham’s green-thumbed girl.
A brilliant botanist, Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley becomes the villain known as Poison Ivy after being poisoned by herbs and plant toxins. There are a couple of different origin stories for her villainy, but it boils down to her being used and abused by men in positions of power and nearly dying as a result. After the poisoning, Pamela becomes resistant to poisons and toxins, and also holds power over plant life, and fungi, and can produce mind-controlling pheromones. It is also revealed in some stories thather power was gifted to herby an intergalactic force called The Green.
How can this super-powered green goddess fit into the dark and so far superpower-free world of Matt Reeves' Batman films? If her character is reimagined in a way that fits within the more realistic feel of the film and characters. Perhaps the way to fit Pamela Isley into the series is to bring her back down to Earth.
Approaching her as even more of an eco-terrorist but with a scientific slant instead of a superpower-fueled plant hybrid character. What works with Dano’s Riddler in the setting Reeves has crafted is that he is not the typical comic book-style over-the-top villain. While there is of course a place for such characters on screen, just look atThe Suicide Squadand spinoffPeacemakeras an example,the world ofThe Batmanin 2022is more based on a realistic setting, with villains that could exist in the real world.
Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy also had a more grounded feel to it than the previous Burton and Schumacher versions, which leaned into the high camp and stylized world of the comics. It still had more fantastical elements, but it was grittier and darker in tone. Thankfully, it also didn’t resurrect the nipples on the Bat Suit.
With that being said, inthe sequel toThe Batman, Pamela could be introduced as a desperate scientist who turns to eco-terrorism in the wake of the climate crisis and the industrialized city that is Gotham. With her botany background, there’s a great opportunity for her to terrorize the city using scientifically altered and enhanced plants and poisons. She has the potential to be a threat to the industry and infrastructure of the city whilst also highlighting real ecological concerns. Like Riddler in the first film, there’s potential for Pamela to be a misguided justice seeker.
With Reeves seemingly working on an entire Batman-centric universe of films and series including a Rogues Gallery project there’s even potential for Poison Ivy to be introduced in another project before the sequel, if at all. Of course, all of this is speculation but if Poison Ivy does join the new Batman series, this seems like a likely route.Poison Ivy is a fan-favorite characterand having another iteration of her on-screen after so long would definitely be an audience pleaser.
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