In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting interviews, opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community. Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
The CW’s Batwoman has found its Poison Ivy in the form of Bridget Regan. Best known for Paradise Lost, Jane the Virgin, and The Last Ship, she joins the networks third season of the hit series. This comes after a shake-up on the show where lead Ruby Rose stepped down, Javicia Leslie stepped in, and completely revolutionized Batwoman into her own.
The addition of Poison Ivy isn’t a surprise. She’s been part of the DC verse for a very long time and has had many iterations. Uma Thurman played her in Batman & Robin, there are three versions of her on Gotham. And she’s been voiced by the likes of Diane Pershing, Piera Coppola, and most notably (at least recently) by Lake Bell in Harley Quinn.
According to Variety, Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy, is a passionate and brilliant scientist out to change the world. That goes to hell when a colleague experiments on her with plant toxins that transform her into someone to be feared. And last we left off on Batwoman, a clipping of Poison Ivy’s survived and started running rampant before the screen cut off and the logo took center stage.
This resurgence of Poison Ivy is an opportunity for this character to set the stage for the most epic of comebacks. And since Batman is nowhere to be seen or heard, our hero of Ryan Wilder will wear the suit once more to protect the people and streets of Gotham. Personally, we’re excited for this addition and recurring guest star role.
The latest version of Poison Ivy, specifically the one in the Harley Quinn cartoon is the one that has the most interest to us and that we can’t help but think of when talking about Regan. This animated version of her, and in other comics, is clearly in love with Harley Quinn’s character. They’re made for each other and have grown as people, villains, and antiheroes because and for the other.
So, why not lean on that? People love them in the animated adventures they have together and they’ll be just as loved on Batwoman. Plus, it screams the saying, “Be gay, do crime.” These two would live and breathe that, making things harder for our caped hero. Not to say that we’re on the side of the baddies…well, maybe just a little. But if the animated version can do it, then so can the live-action.
And if The CW can’t bring in Harley because she’s probably tied up in contract after contract, they can still make Poison Ivy queer. “Oh, but the show already has LGBTQ characters. Do we need more?” Yes, we always need more. And Poison Ivy is a perfect opportunity to tell a new kind of queer story that is different than the leads.
Because believe it or not, multiple queer people exist in spaces around us. Even on a show as big as Batwoman on a platform as big as The CW. Same thing goes for real life as well. We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re ready for more!
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicles, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community.
