FOX's Batman-inspired prequel series Gotham has rebuilt the Dark Knight's city in its own image, putting a twist on fan-favorite characters, mostly villains, by aging them down and diving deep on their origins. For some, like Robin Lord Taylor's weasely, sympathetic Penguin, the characters have come alive on screen with more nuance than ever before, but other decisions -- say, drastically aging down one of the most sexualized characters in the Batman canon -- have been head scratchers, and perhaps none more so than Clare Foley's Ivy Pepper (renamed from the comics Pamela Isley), aka Poison Ivy.
Well, according to TVLine the series is course correcting on the character in Season 3, with a revamp and a promoted role on the series. When the plant-loving villainess returns to the series, she will no longer be the oddball ginger ragamuffin we've seen pop up intermittently throughout the first two seasons, but "big bad Poison Ivy," fully formed. The report states that casting is currently underway for an actress in her late teens to fill Foley's upsized shoes as the eco-terrorist in what will now be a series regular role.
Which is a pretty awkward transition if they intend to stay true to Ivy's seductive nature, but OK. TVLine also previously teased the introduction of a young female villain "who uses her sexuality to entrap men," which sounds like canonical Ivy to a T, so yeah, ick.
Season 3 will also see the arrival of Jarvis Tetch, aka the Mad Hatter, along with the Tweedle brothers, intrepid journalist and Bruce Wayne paramour Vicki Vale (well, at least in the comics) who may be called "Valerie", the Court of Owls, Talon aka William Cobb, and Solomon Grundy, and let's not forget Bruce's straggly-haired doppelganger or Strange's bus full o' monsters. If you want to get caught up on what all those introductions could mean for the series, check out Dave's breakdown of the major Season 3 additions.
What do you guys think of the recasting news? Ready to see the Ivy you know and love in Gotham? Think the jump from creepy orphan to sexy eco-terrorist is as weird as I do? Sound off in the comments below.
