« Mr. Freeze | Main | Xander Drax »
July 20, 2004
Poison Ivy
Dr. Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman) was a shy, skittish genius with a love for plants and a true concern for their fate, given the increasing industrialization of the world and the threat on rainforests. With so many toxins in the atmosphere, Mother Earth was certainly at risk and there wasn't much Mother Nature could do about it. That is, not until Dr. Isley stumbled upon a vile experiment which bastardized her research into a way to mutate human strength. Dr. Isley was supposedly killed by Dr. Woodrue, the greedy scientist behind the serum which turned serial killer Antonio Diego into the monstrous Bane. Instead, Dr. Woodrue would inadvertantly turn Dr. Isely into a more powerful being as well: Poison Ivy.
The serum - mixed with Dr. Isley's research matierials - would have a unique effect on her body. With her blood replaced with aloe and chlorophyll skin, Poison Ivy walks into Gotham City in search of the man who could bring about real change because of his money and power: Bruce Wayne (George Clooney). After Wayne shoots down Dr. Isley's demands to deindustrialize the planet, Poison Ivy set about to bring Gotham to its knees. She attempts to steal a priceless set of Wayne diamonds during a charity ball. This is where she first encounters Gotham's protectors, Batman & Robin. However, while the beautiful and exotic villain hypnotizing pheremones easily seduce everyone in the room, they are no match for the other bad guy that shows up looking for the diamonds: Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Outmanned and outgunned, Ivy hands the ice over to the Iceman, but she recognizes he could be an eventual ally.
Sure enough, Freeze finds himself in Arkham Asylum after being captured by Batman. Poison Ivy brings along Bane to bash down the door, and Ivy provides Freeze with his coveted cold suit. Now, together, the two villains devise a plan: freeze the entire planet, allowing Mother Nature to reclaim what is rightfully hers. Ivy helps Freeze recover his freezing equipment, but mercilessly does in the only person Freeze ever cared about: his wife, lying in cryostasis, waiting for a cure to her disease. This enrages Freeze, but he takes it all out on Batman, whom Poison Ivy blamed Mrs. Freeze's death on.
Eventually, Batman & Robin find their way to Poison Ivy's lair, and after battling Bane, Ivy is not much of a challenge. In fact, she's done in by newcomer Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone), who succeeds in getting Ivy caught in her own flytrap. Arkham Asylym would welcome Poison Ivy as its guest this time, but she would be reunited with an old friend when Mr. Freeze returns. He discovered the truth about Ivy unpluging his wife's statis unit, and his wife was saved by Batman. And now Poison Ivy is in for a big slice of revenge, best served cold, from Mr. Freeze.
INTELLIGENCE - 8: Dr. Isley's research was meant for good, but abused for evil purposes - eventually, her own.
POWER - 4: Not counting her poisonous lips, Ivy wasn't much of a physical danger to anyone.
VILENESS - 7: She cares little for the "mammals" of Gotham, and is all too willing to unplug Mrs. Fries' statis chamber.
SWAY - 6: Indeed, she could ensnare men even without the pheremones. But they helped a lot.
PURITY - 8: Ivy maintains that Mother Nature should retake control of the planet, but her goals are far too radical to be embraced.
PHYSICAL - 8: The mousy scientist becomes a bombshell, with the sexy walk and talk to match.
TOTAL: 41
Posted by Destro at July 20, 2004 03:59 PM