After much anticipation, The CW is finally bringing Batwoman back from hiatus, and the premiere of episode eight is bringing fan-favorite Poison Ivy to our screens in today’s episode. First announced back in August, Bridget Regan (who previously starred on Marvel’s Agent Carter) makes her debut as Dr. Pamela Isley, the botanist-turned-supervillain who has given all iterations of the bat-heroes plenty of headaches. The series continues to follow Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) as she puts on a mask and cape to protect Gotham City from evildoers with her bat-team. To make the show's return even sweeter, TV Line released a batch of photos showcasing Regan in her green getup.
The new images provide a closer look at Poison Ivy’s costume design, which is exactly what fans would expect with plenty of green, but also with clever details that highlight the character’s love for plants. The images also tease an “internal love conflict” that Regan revealed in interviews as she gets up and close to Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena).
Regan is set to be a recurring guest star during the show’s third season. She will initially be featured through flashbacks of Renee, but we all know that a character’s participation can evolve into something much bigger in the Arrowverse, and we certainly hope she does!
In an interview with TV Line, Regan revealed she had a say on Poison Ivy’s wardrobe choices and said she found a true connection with the character, despite the villainous nature:
“I wanted long hair, long nails, long lashes just like she’s growing — she is a plant. […] I based everything on [the] idea that plants are better than people, and that was it. I was really drawn to her mission. I was drawn to this metamorphosis that she’s gone through — her extreme commitment to that mission, how radicalized she is, how passionate she is.”
Even though she is an absolute fan-favorite, Poison Ivy is frequently featured as a secondary villain in Batman stories on television and in movies and video games. The character was famously played by Uma Thurman in 1997’s Batman & Robin, but since then she hasn’t been featured in any other live-action movies. On TV, Clare Foley, Maggie Geha, and Peyton List have played different incursions of Poison Ivy in The CW’s Gotham, and Lake Bell currently voices the character in DC’s Harley Quinn animated series.
Batwoman's cast also features Rachel Skarsten as Beth Kane, Camrus Johnson as Luke Kane/Batwing, Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore, and Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton, Additional cast includes Robin Givens, and Nick Creegan. The series returns January 12 after an almost two-month hiatus, with new episodes debuting weekly on The CW, on Wednesdays at 9/8c.
Check out more new photos below:
