Warning: Contains spoilers for Poison Ivy #22!
Batman has loomed over Gotham for years, sweeping its streets to clear as much crime as possible. But the Caped Crusader isn’t up to the task of handling the Floronic Man and the mess he’s created with Lamia spores, so Poison Ivy is stepping up to the plate to protect the city and everyone she holds dear. Pamela Isley is making big moves – and this time, they’re heroic ones.
In Poison Ivy #22 by G. Willow Wilson and Haining, Pam must confront Jason Woodrue once and for all. It’s a fight that’s been years in the making, as Woodrue has positioned himself as her greatest enemy. Ivy has dedicated herself to saving the planet, often through eliminating humans, but now she’s ready to seize her opportunity to get rid of a truly evil force.
Poison Ivy has already tapped into incredible amounts of power, but defeating the Floronic Man for good requires sacrifice. She’s willing to make that sacrifice – and Poison Ivy will die to save the world and Gotham City, making her the city’s truest protector.
When Pamela Isley arrived in Gotham, she didn’t intend to terrorize it. She meant to save it. Woodrue’s experiment separated her from humanity, turning the young student Pamela Isley into a human-plant hybrid, and she could hear everything wrong with the planet. It cried out to be saved, and Poison Ivy tried to answer that call. Unfortunately, that meant coming up against the law and Gotham’s personal vigilante: Batman. She was relegated to “one of the bad guys” and instead of being able to save a planet begging her for help, she fought other battles and did several stints in Arkham.
Poison Ivy’s tactics got increasingly drastic with time, leaving her ready to take out humanity with a plague. By doing so, she inadvertently helped Jason Woodrue unleash a horde of the undead, all infected by the Lamia spores that have been an essential part of this series. Yet, deep down and despite the horrors she has lived and created, Pamela Isley remains a person who wants to help. As Poison Ivy, she’s willing to give up her life and order the Lamia children to kill both herself and Woodrue if it means she can “remove Woodrue from the face of the Earth’‘ and make up for her mistakes. It’s a hero’s sacrifice, and she’s the only one positioned to make it.
While Pam holds some responsibility for the legion of the Lamia zombies, she’s rejecting the chance to seize the power that grants her. If she wanted to take over the world, she’s never had a better chance to do it. The “children” answer to her, making the situation hers to command. Rather than take it, she’s laying down her life to end it. Even if she manages to survive, she’s proven what she’s willing to do. Poison Ivy is no villain; she’s as much a hero to Gotham as Batman, because she’s willing to make the greatest sacrifices to save it.
Poison Ivy #22 is available now from DC Comics.