Greetings nerdy list aficionados and welcome back to top 10 nerd and welcome back to Top
10 nerd.
Today we’re going to be updating you on one of the most popular villainesses out there
poison ivy.
There’s casting rumours floating around at the time of this recording, so why not
taker a look at the …I was waiting for an alliteration to come to me but they were all
super awkward so let’s just tackle some facts try and fill you up with some knowledge
you may not have heard before.
I’m Sasha and these are the Top 10 shocking poison ivy facts you won’t believe.
Number 10 - Modelled Off Of Betty Paige – Poison Ivy was always intended to be a bombshell
it was built into her character a femme fatale and her model was the fetish pin up model
betty paige which was also meant to add a layer of taboo to the proceedings.
For those who don’t know Betty Paige was not just any ordinary pinup she also did bdsm
stuff and that’s still taboo now so imagine back in the day peoples heads exploding.
So initially ivy had the same haircut and proportions her hair would change and she
has gotten taller.
Poison ivy first appeared in Batman #181 and would go on to become a staple of Batman’s
rogues gallery even if her message and function would change from eco terrorist to love interest
well she started off as a bit of a love interest for batman so we’ve come full circle only
with Harley.
Number 9 - A Rose By Any Other Name – She wasn’t always called Pamela Isley her first
name was Dr. Lillian Rose this was pre crisis that being crisis on infinite earths which
occurred in 1985.
We’ve talked about it many times on this channel at this point.
But that was the event when dc first folded its multiverse in on itself to try to clear
up confusion.
Before crisis she’s largely the same only she was involved in an Egyptian themed crime
orchestrated by Marc LeGrande there were herbs in the artifact but still that’s a reach.
She survives his murder attempt but developed an immunity to poisons so it’s pretty similar
to post crisis but we would revamp it and flesh out her character give her an evil professor
and make her powers even more plant based and nuanced.
Ivy’s powers actually have quite the interesting history which we will touch on very shortly.
Number 8 - Can Sense Plants Poison Ivy loves plants she likes them more than people with
only a couple of rare exceptions, and part of the reason for that is that she is actually
linked to them she can feel their pain in some canons she can communicate with them
which is part of how they do her bidding.
She can make them attack for her and frequently refers to them as her babies.
This connection to plants is part of what caused her disconnect from humanity she was
reborn as a plant goddess that’s supposed to be part of what is going on with the scantily
clad thing too it’s like a oh she’s eve in the garden so free but it often times comes
off as you know what I love cheesecake let’s go get some.
Number 7 - Connection to the green speaking of her plant connection over time it has become
linked to the green.
The green is an elemental force in the dc universe most frequently associated with Swamp
thing inhabited by the parliament of trees this realm has been accessed by scant few
on earth who end up being used or influenced as agents it is a connection to the green
that drove the Floronic man insane and ivy’s connection is a more recent development swamp
thing claims that the green is trying to influence her towards good but that it is slow going.
Her connection to the green seems to be why her abilities can be seen to be increasing
as well as her increasingly plant like appearance and her penchant towards being resurrected
more often.
It’s an interesting angle and one that opens up a lot of narrative possibilities if more
explored.
Number 6 - Saved Orphans – Now Ivy does actually have a softer side and it has manifested
a few times one such incident was during no man’s land a now iconic story arc wherein
a giant earthquake devastates Gotham and the area ends up finding itself divided into areas
controlled by different criminals.
Ivy sets herself up in Gotham city central parc and ends up making her space a haven
for orphans.
It was a nice change to the general misanthropy of her character at the time and is a concept
that has been played with the idea that ivy would like children but not necessarily the
other person or any institutions etc that tend to come with such an arrangement, Which
brings us to #5.
Number 5 she has 3 children – So poison ivy hasn’t had many mini series there are
some characters you can spin off and guarantee sales with and others you cannot.
Ivy’s minis are always interesting let’s go with interesting.
Including the cycle of life and death so in this ivy ends up creating 3 plant human hybrids
rose hazel and thorn cause there’s never a reason to go off brand if you can avoid
it.
This story wasn’t too well received and is still in the minds of some fans a huh why
did we do this again.
It is revealed that the children will have very short life spans so they ended up going
off an living those lives and were promptly forgotten by most people.
Number 4 – Donated Her Hush Money continuing on the nice things that ivy has done the money
that she got from hush she donated to charity comic book hush so not the riddler that was
a thing wasn’t it.
Yeah here’s Thomas eilliot he just died yup what a character.
Bah So in the comics she got 30 million and donated it to a restoration fund cause first
and foremost the plants always that’s ivy’s core trait it’s not sitting at home watching
tv longing for a normal life it’s making humanity pay for what we’ve done to her
babies, we all need to pay and she’s going to make us also with pheromones cause why
not.
Number 3 - Conversion to hero new 52/dc superhero girls – So speaking of Ivy’s villain status
many stories have been transitioning her into the role of anti hero but not how you may
thing.
Some of you may be thinking of cause the writers agree with her environmentalist message so
they’re presenting her in a more sympathetic light no, it’s mostly been a she’s secretly
been a nice person the whole time she was just really hurt so she lashed out at the
world.
This has allowed her to team up with heroes and even be part of teams even in little girls
animated shows like dc superhero girls.
Cause conflict what’s that no child has ever experienced that.
Yes I’m a bitter betty.
Ivy was just really sad that’s why she murdered all those people have you even been said and
tried to wipe out a species totes justified men am I right gah there’s a way.
Number 2 - Loving Batman If you look up ivy you’re bound to find tons of pictures of
her macking on various individuals but one of the first in fact the first was batman.
In ivy’s first ever appearance she was drawn to batman but that element well it didn’t
last instead ivy would develop a disdain for men well people in general but men in particular.
Being especially disdainful towards how easy it was to manipulate them because of her appearance
and well the hormone and pheromones can’t forget those.
Ivy has had a few romances but few have stood the test of time except for our number 1.
Number 1 Married To Harley in the injustice verse whenever I add that people are like
why are you trying to devalue their love and I’m like I’m, not it’s an alternate
universe some people ignore that cause they well want to.
But there are different universes like I could be like oh yeah well Terry is batman yeah
he is in that universe we live in a society!
Ok so Harley is the person Ivy seems to like the most she loves Harley has a huge soft
spot for her but it has at this point in some stories overridden all her other characters
traits which some people don’t mind at all while others live in fear of saying they miss
old ivy lest people read into their statements and you know try to destroy their lives.
Harley and Ivy have a fascinating relationship that can be depicted many ways.
Some that have never been attempted yet.
What’s your favourite depiction of the two let me know.
Thanks so much for watching…