Ivy knew that coming back to Gotham City was not going to be a bed of roses, but instead of home sweet home, she found herself coming into direct conflict with Commissioner Vandal Savage and the rampant corruption festering in Gotham City. When Ivy tries to cut a deal with Savage for her freedom, Savage forces an ultimatum on Ivy: assist Marie Henley with reducing the harmful environmental consequences of the city’s new A.I. protocol, and Savage will allow Ivy to remain in Gotham as a free woman. Ivy begrudgingly agrees to help, but attacks Henley in a fit of rage at the end of Poison Ivy #40 after learning that the city allowed the A.I. algorithm to decide which Gothamites’ utilities should be diverted in order to cool the megaprocessors for the A.I. We also saw in the previous issue that Ivy was observed assaulting Henley, and that she was photographed as well.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Poison Ivy #41!
Poison Ivy #41 opens with Ivy on the run once again, immediately following her attack on Henley. Ivy’s narration tells us that she murdered Henley, and she understands she has no hope now of negotiating with Savage for her freedom. She knows she has crossed a line and is only to blame. This moment is perhaps the lowest Ivy has been in this series thus far. The walls are closing in, she’s running out of options, and her odds of getting out of this situation that she is in are not looking good. Sure, she could try and turn the tables on Savage and expose the corruption at the heart of the GCPD, but Ivy isn’t exactly going to be seen as credible and trustworthy when she is believed to have murdered a defenseless tech guru in cold blood.
As the GCPD closes in on Ivy, it appears that all hope is lost, but a child opens a window and allows Ivy into her apartment, giving a place for Ivy to briefly hide from her pursuers. Ivy tells the child’s grandfather that she won’t forget the kindness they showed her, and that she owes them her life. The grandfather tells Ivy that he doesn’t condone murder, he also tells her, “That tech-boss lady was guilty of murder herself, and worse. She just used fancier words to describe it.” As Ivy exits the building, the child asks her grandfather who she was. The grandfather says that he doesn’t know her name, but that he will remember her face. This moment feels significant because it shows that there are still some people who see the good in Ivy despite all of the bad things that she has done. The grandfather saying he will remember Ivy’s face suggests that this scene might become relevant again in a future issue.
Even when the odds are not in her favor, Ivy is not the type to back down easily (Credit: DC Comics)
After exiting the apartment building, Ivy doesn’t get very far, as a GCPD squad is gathered outside. She attempts to fight back; however, one of the agents shoots Ivy with a non-lethal herbicide round that knocks her out cold. Next, she awakens in a jail cell with other prisoners, some of whom Ivy recognizes, including a few members of the Falcone crime family and the supervillain Great White Shark. One of the prisoners has smuggled a cell phone into the jail cell by bribing one of the guards. They show Ivy the video of her killing Henley, which has become a viral hit online. Some social media users have even gone so far as calling Ivy a “hero”. Ivy becoming a folk hero of sorts following the murder of a corrupt official speaks to a civilian population that has grown tired of corrupt politicians, bad actors, and a broken system that has constantly failed them. They’ve given up on politics being able to save them, and instead are embracing more radical and violent methods as an alternative for using the systems in place to create the change that they want to see in their city.
Ivy is surprised and a little overwhelmed with being seen as a hero, after all, she has spent most of her life as a supervillain and an eco terrorist, never once seeking validation or approval from anyone. She has never been all that interested in building a grassroots movement for her cause, favoring operating from the shadows or acting alone instead. Great White Shark tells Ivy that she has a cult following and could go “mainstream” if she wanted to. He also tells her that she needs to think bigger in order to make a real impact with her cause. Ivy is stunned once again when she receives a letter that says, “Thank you for standing up for ordinary people”. Great White Shark tells her, “You’re an icon now. People look at you and see whatever they want to see”.
Perhaps Ivy’s new fans are projecting their hope and expectations onto Ivy, or perhaps there is some truth to what Great White Shark tells Ivy. Clearly, Ivy has inspired these people in some way, and maybe she can use the momentum from this new overnight following to build a movement to help create real lasting change in Gotham City and beyond. The issue ends with Ivy making a bold move that could not only greatly impact her standing in Gotham, but could also drastically shake up the status quo and power dynamics in Gotham City as well.
Poison Ivy #41 sets up an exciting new arc for Ivy as she takes the fight against Commissioner Savage into a new and unfamiliar arena. This alternative approach promises to give us a new side to Ivy that we have never seen before, as she intends to use the power of her new following for a good and noble cause. Only time will tell how successful this endeavor will be and whether it will produce the results that Ivy is hoping for.
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