Warning: contains spoilers for Poison Ivy #7!The truth behind Poison Ivy's powers has been revealed by DC Comics, and it's as disturbing as her recent villain-turn demands. Poison Ivy is arguably one of the more unique villains in Batman's rogues gallery. Her ability to manipulate the plants around her and use them for nefarious purposes in exchange for protecting them is a fascinating show of codependency. For years, she's made efforts to use her powers to protect the elemental force known as the Green from the people that threaten it.
In Poison Ivy #7, Ivy finds herself facing a new enemy after defeating her own Joker, Dr. Jason Woodrue, aka the Floronic Man. A corporation called FutureGas is polluting the environment with a mysterious substance that's causing odd changes to the people around it. Essentially, they're turning into horrifying plant-like creatures. Ivy had faced these monsters before, but it was revealed to be the work of Woodrue, so she believed that defeating him would be the end of them. However, a shocking discovery has made her realize that this is far from over.
G. Willow Wilson and Atagun Ilhan have begun this new arc in Poison Ivy's story by having her realize that her own abilities are being used against her. While exploring the mysterious new FutureGas compound for clues about her new adversary, Ivy finds a silo in the middle of a field leaking out a strange fluid. To her horror, she realizes that FutureGas is doing more than just polluting - the area has been "terraformed. In a very familiar way." Suddenly, when she's ambushed by a plant creature she assumed she'd no longer have to face, it all becomes clear: FutureGas has found a way to use her own Lamia Spores. This is a huge revelation regarding Ivy's powers, because it sets up that once she has devised weaponized plants, anyone can manipulate them. This has essentially confirmed that anyone can replicate her powers with science, and on a grand scale.
Ivy's Plants Can Be Used Against Her
What's even worse for Ivy though is that this shocking reveal confirms that she's not going against any other villain. In a way, she's about to be in for a battle against herself. The mysterious head of FutureGas has tapped into her abilities to manipulate the surrounding environment, so anything Ivy attempts to fight her off can easily be matched - she'll essentially be arming her enemy in the longterm. This was even proven in their first encounter, when she was sprayed with a peculiar gas that nullified her powers and made her succumb to the spores. It's a battle that's not going to come easy for Poison Ivy and could lead to her facing a crisis over how she can defeat an entity that can negate and then weaponize everything she does.
Of course, Ivy likely won't be facing this next big threat on her own. The end of Poison Ivy #6 reveals that Harley Quinn has officially planned to reunite with her love, so the two could end up working together to put a stop to FutureGas' plans. Until Harley makes her return though, Ivy has her work cut out for her and may need Quinn more than ever in this next big DC Comics arc. FutureGas has learned the secret of harnessing her powers, and unless Poison Ivy can figure out a way to stay one step ahead, she may end up facing her greatest foe yet: herself.
Poison Ivy #7 is available now from DC Comics!