Rogues’ Gallery: Poison Ivy
A couple things kept nagging at me while I was working on this week’s Batman villain. The first is this old song by the Coasters, which I now can’t get out of my head. You’re welcome.
The second is the realization that Ivy might be one of the most harmfully sexist characters in comics. Superheroes and their antagonists tend to be themed, so they usually have powers related to their name, costume and gimmick. Even in the incredibly male-dominated world of comics, the conceit behind Poison Ivy stands out as particularly misogynistic. Why?
Ivy’s power is that she’s sexy, and she can use her sexy sexiness to destroy you. Her super power is her feminine wiles. Over the years they’ve attempted to crystallize the eco-terrorist aspects of a woman who believes in plant superiority, but let’s face it, it’s all in service of drawing a woman in a leafy bustier. Not that I’m against that, per se.
I also don’t think she’s very well thought-out, since as an activist she’s incredibly hypocritical. She apparently loves plants above all other life, but she’s not above genetically engineering horrible mutant hybrids in an attempt to stop the Gotham Urban Redevelopment Council from building a youth center or something. I bet she’s a vegetarian, too. If she really believed what she claims, she’d eat nothing but animals. Bacon, bacon and more bacon.
Your Toyota Prius won’t save your soul, Poison Ivy.
Tags: Art, Batman, Comics, Environmentalism, Illustration, Poison Ivy, Rogues' Gallery, Sexy Sexiness
June 19th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
You know that song was in the Uma/Arnold movie too?
June 19th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Hahahah also the Snow Miser song.
June 20th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
There was an issue of Gotham Central in which Montoya (I think) went to see Ivy for a lead on some case. She was portrayed as a kind of better-intentioned Fagin from Oliver Twist who took in street urchins and taught them to be nice to the environment. I don’t know, I thought it was sort of sweet.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, you have to fight Ivy, who is inside a GIANT vagina shaped flower, with two tentacles (the metaphor is obvious) that have spheroid blasters that shoot PINK blobs at Batman. Tell me this isn’t every woman hater’s fantasy of punching the Earth Mother in the vagina because the hot girl won’t sleep with them?
I love Batman, but this boss disgusted me, and my complaints will probably fall on deaf ears.
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:00 am
Wow, I bet they thought they were being super subtle and clever, too.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Unfortunately, your blog was the closest I could get to anything about Poison Ivy’s portrayal as sexist. Thanks for reading my comment!