One of the best DC villains will never be part of The Batman Universe

In the new universe signed by Matt Reeves with Robert Pattinson in the role of the Dark Knight, it would be technically impossible to find a controversial figure, particularly beloved by fans

Image Credit: Warner Bros Pictures

The Penguin, the spin-off series centered on the villain Oswald “Oz” Cobb, played by Colin Farrell, has recently ended and in Italy, it remains available on demand on Sky. And since the previews, the show has debuted with a cross-cutting success among audiences and critics, enchanted not only by the male protagonists but also, perhaps above all, by the amazing Cristin Milioti in the role of Sofia Gigante, ready to leave you breathless with her interpretation of the daughter of the deceased Boss of the Italian-American Mafia of Gotham, Carmine Falcone. 

But if we talk about the vast heterogeneous group of villains, bad guys, and antagonists that populate the universe of The Dark Knight, there are still many figures that we would like to find on the big screen. And so – while all the fans are hunting for new rumors, indiscretions, and clues that lead us ever closer to The Batman II, the sequel currently in the works of The Batman, again directed by Matt Reeves with Robert Pattinson in the role of the new Bruce Wayne – we found ourselves reflecting on a character much loved by readers of DC comic books, who could now be technically excluded from the new universe.

We are talking about Poison Ivy, alias Pamela Lillian Isley, created by the creativity of Robert KanighereSheldon Moldoff and appeared for the first time in the comic books of DC Comics in June 1966 with Batman n. 181. She is a scientist, to be precise an expert in botany, transformed into an eco-terrorist after a dramatic hospitalization at Arkham Asylum. If this detail reminds you of something, in this case, our Sofia Falcone Gigante, unjustly detained and without trial like the Hanged Man, or the ineffable Harley Quinn, former Doctor Harleen Quinzel, once a psychiatrist in force in the infamous Arkham Asylum, you are right for many reasons. 

First of all Poison Ivy, over the years and with her many mutations and transformations will increasingly distance herself from the concept of the supervillain and the villain, approaching instead one of the key themes of the Batman Universe, namely the gray, twilight area, where it is always difficult to clearly distinguish, in a superficial and moralistic way, Good and Evil, the Good Guys and the Bad Guys, while even the antagonists can turn out to be antiheroes in all respects, especially when we investigate their past and their origin story, perhaps opening a glimpse into the most traumatic events. And then because between Poison Ivy and Harkey Quinn herself, from comic books to animated series by DC, there is a long-standing love and hate story. But before continuing, some fans have highlighted another detail. Namely, a detail of Matt Reeves' work that would make her live-action incarnation in the sequel impossible.

It would be practically unbelievable to imagine the incursion into a Matt Reeves film of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, and then certainly impossible to hypothesize that of the substantially new figure created by Todd Phillips and Lady Gaga for Joker: Folie à Deux. This could represent a big problem in all respects since these two figures are in many ways specular, Harley and Poison Ivy, have developed a truly interesting relationship over the years, sometimes portrayed as enemies, others as allies and friends, and others even as lovers, linked by a deep feeling and an overwhelming passion. And yet, it certainly wouldn't be the first time that the canons are overturned, sometimes in revolutionary terms, of extraordinary refoundation of the myth, other times of mere forcing for essentially commercial purposes. 

One of the most controversial titles in the filmography that precedes The Batman is not by chance Joel Shumacher's Batman and Robin, the title that for the overwhelming majority of fans represents the lowest point of the entire film series linked to Batman. And even if you are among the most indulgent, who grant the 1997 comic book film at least the rank of cult or trash masterpiece, Poison Ivy played by Uma Thurman remains generally perceived as an aesthetically beautiful figure, built on magnificent sets and memorable costumes, yet totally superficial in terms of narrative arc and above all adherence to the true story and nature of her comic book counterpart.

For Joshua M. Patton of CBR, however, the real reason that would make it impossible for Poison Ivy to enter The Batman II or any film directly interconnected to this specific new Universe actually has nothing to do with Harley Quinn, but concerns the very nature of the powers of this charismatic antagonist. It is important to note that the powers she acquired before becoming a simple botanist to a powerful villain are practically elemental in nature, making her a demi-goddess in all respects. 

Without granting these powers a direct connection with the Forces of Nature itself, and without characterizing her anger with that of a polluted natural world, violated and demolished by the greed of the human race, ready to destroy its own planet in the name of technological progress increasingly enslaved by profit, Poison Ivy remains nothing but an unfair representation, reduced to a single exalted eco-terrorist, mentally disturbed, deprived of an essential component of her being. We know that in the microcosm of The Batman, following and developing the intuitions of Christopher Nolan with the Dark Knight Trilogy, the world of Bruce Wayne and his antagonists does not present supernatural, transcendent, or mystical elements, remaining strictly faithful to the concept of violence, abuse and rampant corruption, of a criminal and political nature and therefore 100% human.