Poison Ivy Week: Poison Ivy from "The Batman" animated series was a Powerful Villain

Since this is my last post for Poison Ivy Week, I wanted to write something about Poison Ivy from The Batman animated series. She is one of the most powerful yet often times overlooked version of the character. I feel like this show tends to get dismissed by fans who tend to compare it to Batman: The Animated Series which is a shame because this show was really good. The series follows a young Batman who was still relatively new as the hero protecting Gotham City.

The third season introduced Pamela Isley as a teenager and friend of Barbara Gordon in the episodes Batgirl Begins parts one and two. Despite that interesting take on the character, Pamela was still into protecting plants and the environment. She was an extreme eco-activist who protested companies that she felt were destroying the environment. Although Barbara was involved in the protests, she had no idea that Pamela had secretly hired the villain Temblor to destroy companies that were harming the environment.

L to R: Barbara Gordon and Pamela Isley       (The Batman season 3 episode 1 "Batgirl Begins part one")

Problems arose for Pamela when Temblor not only didn't receive his money but found out he had been hired by a teenager (who definitely didn't have the money to pay him). While the villain was trying to get his revenge against Pamela, Batman showed up. However in Batman's effort to stop Temblor, Pamela who was trapped by debris, was dosed with a powerful plant growth powdery chemical.

Temblor was arrested and so was Pamela, who was being taken to the hospital when the ambulance  was stopped by a giant plant which uncuffed her from the bed. It took her away to a greenhouse where she was encased in a cocoon. This was the beginning of her transformation into Poison Ivy and once she emerged from her cocoon, it didn't take long before she was embracing her new abilities which included attacking a company and capturing Commissioner James Gordon.

(The Batman season 3 episode 2 "Batgirl Begins part two")

Prior to her transformation, Pamela was motivated to protect the environment, however, she had extreme ideas which included hiring a villain to knock down buildings. Once she became Poison Ivy, her motivation didn't change just her tactics. She no longer needed to make a statement by protesting or have to hire someone to carry out her ideas. I found this version of Poison Ivy to be very dangerous, because with her new powers and abilities, she was a juggernaut, a total one woman wrecking crew taking her eco-activism to a whole new level.

Poison Ivy was so powerful and with her control over plants and people, she was nearly impossible to stop. If it wasn't for Batgirl helping Batman, I don't think Ivy would have been captured. If you're a Ivy fan but have never watched The Batman animated series, I recommend not only watching the Poison Ivy episodes which are listed below but also watching the entire series.

The Batman: Poison Ivy episodes:

- Batgirl Begins part one (season 3 episode 1)
- Batgirl Begins part two (Season 3 episode 2)
- Fleurs du Mal (season 3 episode 8)
- The Batman/Superman Story part one (season 5 episode 1)
- The Batman/Superman Story part two (season 5 episode 2)