Biography of Pamela Aili aka Poison Ivy [translation]
"You know you cannot resist me. No man can..."
— Poison Ivy
Real Name
Pamela Lillian Isley
Current Alias
Poison Ivy
Affiliations
Secret Society of Supervillains, formerly the Injustice Gang, Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn
Place of Operations
Gotham
Status
Alignment
Evil
Identity
Secret
Citizenship
American
Marital Status
Single
Occupation
Criminal, botanist
Education
College graduate, Ph.D. in Botany
Statistics
Gender
Female
Height
5 ft 9 in
Weight
132 lbs
Eyes
Green
Hair
Red
Skin
Green
Origin
Universe
Earth-1, New Earth
Place of Birth
Seattle, Washington
Creators
Robert Kanigher, Sheldon Moldoff
First Appearance
Batman #181 (June 1966)
Biography
Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, a botanist from Seattle, was once a very intelligent but naive college student who knew almost everything about plants—until her professor, Dr. Jason Woodrue (known as the Floronic Man), began experimenting on her, seducing her with sweet words. The experiment involved introducing toxins into Pamela's blood, making her touch lethal, and giving her body immunity to various poisons and viruses. The experiments also enabled Pamela to produce pheromones that controlled minds, allowing her to turn a man into a savage with just one touch. Due to the experiments, Pamela became infertile, and thus, to this day, she treats her plants as her children.
Woodrue fled from authorities, leaving Pamela in the hospital for six months. Angry over Jason's betrayal, Pamela became prone to wild mood swings. When her boyfriend gets into a car accident after a mysterious colony of fungi appears in his body, Isley drops out of college, leaves Seattle, and starts spreading her roots all over Gotham.
Her first act: threatening to unleash deadly spores into the air if the city authorities do not meet her demands. Thus, she became the infamous supervillain known as Poison Ivy. Batman, who arrived in Gotham that same year, defeated her and thwarted her evil plans, incarcerating her in Arkham Asylum for the criminally insane. Despite the perpetual night in Gotham, Pamela remains. Over the years, Pamela Isley’s naivety faded into obscurity, and along with a life of crime, she developed resilience. With each passing year, her love for plants only grew stronger. She has remained a serious problem for Batman for over a decade.
Leaving Gotham
After several years in Gotham, Pamela attempts to leave the city for good by escaping Arkham Asylum and establishing herself on a deserted island in the Caribbean. There, she transforms the barren wasteland into a second Eden and, for the first time in her life, seems to feel happiness. But Pamela’s joy is shattered when an American military corporation tests its new weaponry on what they believed was a deserted island. Pamela returns to Gotham seeking revenge and to punish the guilty. After Batman apprehends the company's employees, she realizes she cannot leave Gotham, at least not while the world remains unsafe for plants. From that moment on, she committed herself to an impossible mission—cleansing Gotham, deemed the most polluted city in the U.S.
Arkham Asylum
In some adaptations, she can control plants. For example, in the comic [Arkham Asylum](/games?search=Arkham Asylum): Living Hell, she possessed the ability to manipulate plants telepathically, using roots as support for the tunnel she dug with another inmate, Mockingbird, to escape. She also entertained Mockingbird with glowing mushrooms.
Injustice Gang
Poison Ivy was a member of the original Injustice Gang, which battled the Justice League several times. She also joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains to oppose the League on one occasion. Years later, she was forced to become a member of the Suicide Squad. During this time, she used her powers to enslave Count Vertigo.
Harley Quinn
Pamela was friends with Harley Quinn—the Joker's accomplice. Unlike most villainous teams, their partnership stemmed from genuine friendship, and Ivy was deeply concerned about saving her friend from her abusive relationship with the Joker.
Robinson Park Orphans
Another positive side of her character was shown when she cared for children after the earthquake in Gotham that left them orphaned. They settled in Robinson Park—an abode for drug addicts and prostitutes. Pamela treated the children as her sons and daughters, protecting them from dangers. When Gotham reopened its doors, the authorities wanted to evict Ivy from the park and return her to Arkham. They mistakenly believed that the children Pamela cared for were her hostages. The Gotham Police Department threatened to spray the park with a powerful herbicide that would kill every plant, including Ivy, and likely harm the children. Pamela refused to leave the park and allowed the cops to destroy her created Eden, choosing suffering instead. Only after Rose, one of the orphans, accidentally got poisoned by Ivy’s toxin, did the cold-hearted eco-terrorist surrender to the authorities to save the girl's life. Batman states that Pamela is more plant than human now.
Ivy is convinced that she is responsible for the deaths of the children she cared for, and she asks Batman to take away her powers and make her a normal human. After some time, Hush convinces Pamela to take a serum that restores her abilities, and as a result of the experiment, she dies. However, when visiting her grave, it is covered in vines and ivy, suggesting her death may not be permanent. Poison Ivy returns in Gotham Central #32, killing several corrupt cops involved in the murder of one orphan, although it remains unclear whether this occurred before or after the aforementioned storyline.
A Year Later
"A year later," Ivy is alive and active. Her control over plants has increased, and she stands alongside other "plant-themed" villains, such as Swamp Thing and Floronic Man. She renews her crusade against corporations with new fervor and no longer views Batman as her primary enemy, merely a "nuisance." Detective Comics #823 depicts Ivy feeding people, such as "annoying suitors," "bad sidekicks," and those trying to "win back her smile," to a massive plant that digests them slowly and painfully. She refers to it as "Secret Desire." Unexpectedly, the souls of the victims merge with the plant, giving birth to a monster known as the Collector, who seeks revenge on Pamela. Thanks to Batman's intervention, Ivy is saved. She remains in critical condition, while the Collector disappears into unknown territory.
Countdown
She traps Trickster and Pied Piper while they are eating fruit in one of her gardens. The plants inform her that these individuals have hurt them, and Ivy lures them into a trap, planning to kill them, but Deathstroke's intervention disrupts her plans.
Final Crisis
Poison Ivy was recruited by Libra for her Secret Society of Supervillains and was later taken over by the Anti-Life Equation, facing off directly against Spectre, Question, and Radiant shortly before Spectre's battle with Cain.
Gotham Sirens
After saving Catwoman from Boneblaster, a villain trying to make a name for himself, Poison Ivy takes her back to Edward Nygma's mansion. There she sees that The Riddler is under Ivy's control, so she and Harley decide to use his mansion as a hideout. Catwoman believes Gotham has become more dangerous than ever with all the gang wars and the new Batman, and teaming up with the other two women could be beneficial. However, Ivy fears that Catwoman has lost her courage and consults Zatanna about Selina's psychological wounds. Zatanna states that Catwoman has emotional scars that need healing. Ivy decides that she and Harley can provide Selina with "positive female support." They then become a team.
Eventually, Ivy and the other Sirens ambush The Riddler in his office and tell him they have been arrested for the murder of a young nurse. He agrees to help them clear their names, and during the conversation, Ivy reveals that she recently got a job in Gotham's S.T.A.R. Labs under a fake name (Dr. Paula Irving).
More Art (Art & Cosplay)
Translation by the author
Special thanks for helping with the translation of some tricky sentences - Surt
Proofreading - Bats