The following article contains spoilers from Poison Ivy #1, on sale now.

Poison Ivy has begun a new journey, one that, if successful, will wipe humanity from the face of the Earth. However, Poison Ivy #1 (by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou) also reveals that this isn't just about Ivy doing what she believes is necessary to save the world, but also to explain herself to Harley Quinn. Her mission isn't just some latest scheme, but intended to be the last thing she ever does. Poison Ivy is dying, and throughout the course of her journey she is writing Harley a last letter.

This is because, much to Ivy's regret, the last words the two shared before she left were in anger. She was hurt over the perceived loss that Harley had caused by reuniting her two halves, and in the process left her girlfriend heartbroken. Ivy has enough awareness to recognize that she was wrong to leave things like they are, but her mission is too important to stop and she doesn't have the time to do so. This letter she is narrating is her way to apologize to Harley when she inevitably passes on.

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Poison Ivy's Last Words

Her plan is to poison the world with her specialized variant of cordyceps. To that end, she is on a trip to Seattle to try and spread it globally through cargo ships. Her note specifies that this isn't some longwinded villainous monologue about her plans, but more like a confession, one that will be read only after she succeeds. Her plans aside, the main purpose of the note was to help Harley understand why she was doing this. She understands that when Harley brought the two Ivys together, she restored her lover's true personality, but there was also a personal cost for Ivy. The power she had accrued as Queen Ivy, the part of her that had rejected her humanity, was now lost to her. The ability to shape the world to her wishes seems like a poor trade for her humanity.

Harley of course, did not see it that way. The two ultimately differed on how to cultivate Ivy's humanity. Ivy simply did not care too much about being human, but to Harley, Ivy's humanity is what she fell in love with. Ivy's humanity showed compassion for the world around her, the source of her passion for protecting the plant life of the Earth. Without it, Ivy was little better than a plant herself, acting on self-preservation rather than genuine concern.

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Poison Ivy Understands But Does Not Forgive

Ivy recognized this only after she left Harley, but by the time her anger faded, it was too late. To go to Harley now would be to once again throw away what she valued for the sake of love. While Ivy may understand that Harley did what she did to keep her safe, she still cannot comprehend how valuable her own humanity is.

It is still there though and it's what motivated Ivy to write her letter. Not only to say goodbye to Harley, but also to let her know that no matter how angry Ivy may be, she will never stop loving Harley. It's both romantic and tragic, but also hopeful in its own way. If Ivy is capable of leaving a last word for someone she loves, then perhaps she can find enough compassion to abort her mission and reunite with Harley Quinn.