Spoilers for The Swamp Thing #3 ahead!
In the pages of The Swamp Thing #3, DC unveils a new version of Poison Ivy, one that is two characters in one, each looking the same but with very different personalities. These two new threats may hold the key to unraveling the mystery of the new Swamp Thing.
Poison Ivy is the alias of Dr. Pamela Isley, a world-class botanist, and eco-terrorist capable of controlling plant growth. A staple of Batman’s rogue’s gallery, she can also secrete a special toxin that allows her to control her victim’s minds. Over the years, she has become more of an anti-hero, particularly when paired with Harley Quinn. Poison Ivy also has a connection with the Green, the mystical force that binds all plant life on Earth; others with such a connection include Jason Woodrue AKA the Floronic Man and Swamp Thing, and in The Swamp Thing #3, readers take a trip into the Green with the new Swamp Thing, where he meets a new version of Poison Ivy.
Now, in Swamp Thing #3 from Ram V, Mike Perkins, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Aditya Bidikar, the new Swamp Thing, Levi Kamen, is searching for answers to his recent transformations. When his friend Jennifer disappears, he senses she is in trouble and heads into the Green to find her. There he meets Poison Ivy—sort of. This version shows none of the fierce assertiveness that is a hallmark of Poison Ivy; she is much more docile and passive and calls herself simply “Ivy.” Playful at first, she warns Swamp Thing of her more dominant self, and readers quickly meet this side as well, and she is much more in line with classic portrayals of Poison Ivy. Wearing a crown and a flowing cape, this dominant version chastises Levi, condemning him for caring about Jennifer and stating that if she dies, it is on Levi. The two versions of Poison Ivy come into conflict, and Swamp Thing can only look on. Meanwhile, Alec Holland—Kamen’s predecessor, arrives on the scene, leading Levi away to explain the mysteries of the Green.
No answer is given as to why two different versions of Poison Ivy exist in the Green, but over the years the character has shown several different versions of herself, ranging from playful lover of Harley Quinn to cold-blooded murderer, and this could be a shout-out to that. This new and unique version could also merely be an abstraction—it is not the real Poison Ivy at all, but just a form the Green took to talk to Levi.
Poison Ivy has always been one of Batman's most complex foes, and her latest appearance in Swamp Thing only adds more layers to an already fascinating character.