Warning: contains spoilers for Catwoman #31 and Swamp Thing #3!
Gotham City can be rough on couples, and Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have a hard road ahead if they’re ever going to be together again. Since Ivy's mysterious disappearance, Harley Quinn has been searching for her, making a new home in Gotham in the hopes of seeing the sometime villain again. But Catwoman #31 reveals that even if that hope comes true, that doesn't mean the couple will get a happy ever after.
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have each operated as villains and anti-heroes at various times in their lives. Following Joker War, Harley has attempted to do some good to make amends for all the times she enabled the Joker's crimes. Harley’s other major motivation is a desire to finally have a life with her better half, Poison Ivy. In Harley Quinn #1, she expresses to Batman how important reconciling with Ivy is to her, while in 'New Roots' from Batman: Urban Legends #1, she vows to have the patience to wait in Gotham until Ivy returns. What Quinn didn’t know at the time is that Ivy had been held captive and was being harvested to create drugs distributed throughout Gotham under the orders of Simon Saint. Catwoman recently stumbled onto the operation with the help of Edward Nygma, deciding to rescue her old Gotham City Sirens teammate.
As Harley Quinn works at redemption, her dreams of continuing her relationship with Poison Ivy may be ruined by the effects of the trauma Pamela has experienced in captivity. In Catwoman #31 - by Ram V, Fernando Blanco and Jordie Bellaire - Selina infiltrates a party thrown by Mr. Roy, the man who has taken possession of Poison Ivy’s body. Her elaborate heist is successful in freeing Pamela, but Ivy's time in captivity, being harvested for raw materials, has fractured her mind and damaged her memories. The familiar Poison Ivy is gone, replaced by the abstract and aloof "Ivy," who has trouble recalling details of her previous life. A recent appearance in Swamp Thing #3 confirmed that Ivy’s different personas are unstable and in conflict with each other. The need to keep Ivy hidden and safe means Selina will hesitate to inform Harley that Pam has been located, but even if the two are reunited, it's possible Ivy won't remember her former partner.
Quinn and Ivy are not strangers to navigating difficult waters in order to be together. Ivy was one of several characters killed in Heroes in Crisis during a tragic disaster at a superhuman care facility. Harley blamed herself, but was eventually able to resurrect Ivy with a rose Pam had given her earlier, the two reconnecting despite Ivy's new perspective on her relationship to Earth's plant life. The couple can work through anything, and seeing Ivy again is a driving force in Harley’s current efforts, but Simon Saint remains a dark presence hanging over their reunion, especially because DC's Future State event suggested his Magistrate police state will soon take over Gotham. Not only is Saint's assassin the Wight Witch after Ivy, but evil psychiatrist Hugo Strange has been empowered to snatch former Joker soldiers off the street, and is currently targeting Harley Quinn.
Targeted and in hiding, Harley Quinn and Ivy will have to battle to be reunited, and Ivy has a lot of healing to do even then. Harley's background in psychiatry could actually help Ivy at this crucial moment, but it's down to Catwoman to judge whether bringing Harley Quinn's troubles to Ivy's door is the safest course of action. Readers now know where Poison Ivy has been since she vanished, but for those rooting for the couple's success, it seems it will be a while longer before they see each other again.