The following contains spoilers for Poison Ivy #6, now on sale from DC Comics
Poison Ivy has been an incredibly compelling -- and frequently horrifying -- exploration of Pamela Isley, one of Batman's most consistent enemies. Far from the first time Poison Ivy's darker actions and nobler intentions have been juxtaposed, the series has also delved into her humanity, the relationships that drive her, and her apparent acceptance of her own death as part of her latest scheme.
However, on top of finding a new zest for life in Poison Ivy #6 (by G. Willow Wilson, Brian Level, Marcio Takara, Jay Leisten, Arif Prianto, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou), Pamela is forced to take a monstrous step to ensure her survival. Ultimately, she proves willing to murder her former mentor the Floronic Man -- and even eat his corpse to gain the full potential of his healing factor.
The Evolution of Batman's Enemy Poison Ivy
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Poison Ivy has changed drastically since her debut in 1966. Originally introduced as a straightforward villain in Batman #181 (by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino), Poison Ivy's ecological mission and surprisingly soft side have become more pronounced over the years. While she has never been hesitant about killing those who get in her way, she also has connections to the rest of humanity, from the children she protected during the events of the Post-Crisis storyline "No Man's Land" to her now openly romantic relationship with Harley Quinn. However, recent events have seemed to push her back into villainy with Poison Ivy focusing on her latest plan that, if successful, could wipe out all of humanity in a pretty horrifying manner.
Poison Ivy #6 comes with a chance for Pamela to upend the Floronic Man's attempts to use her mission for his own purposes. After Floronic Man threatens Harley's life, Poison Ivy finds the resolve to break free of his control and reassert her own powers. She is able to fatally wound the villain enough that her spores can finally kill him. Although she declares herself a villain to Floronic Man in his final moments, her contact with a little girl opens her eyes to the full potential of humanity. Although she still firmly intends to kill the worst of humanity, she seems more accepting of innocent humans -- setting her up to become more of an anti-hero than just a villain. However, to reach that point, she is forced to do something pretty horrifying.
Poison Ivy Literally Devours Floronic Man
Also exposed to the same plans that eat up and kill her former mentor, Poison Ivy realizes she can ensure the Floronic Man stays dead and save herself. It just requires her to rip apart the villain's plant body with her bare hands and eat him, adding his impressive healing factor to her powers. The act unsettles her, and she does her best to pretend that she's eating something else. Her decision to consume might have rid the world of a genuinely horrifying threat and helped save the environment.
Poison Ivy's ability to be ruthless and monstrous when need be saved her life. It's what allows her to decide to be a "villain" when the situation calls for it, while still retaining good intentions and some empathetic elements to her motivations. But sometimes, that means she is going to do the sort of thing that even other hardened villains might balk at if it means fighting for another day.