WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for ABSOLUTE BATMAN #10 (2025)!Poison Ivyhas remained relatively consistent over the years, with only a few tweaks to her origin and character design. However, the Darkseid-created Absolute Universe has completely reimagined the Gotham City Siren, giving her one of her darkest and most disturbing origin stories to date.
Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’sAbsolute Batman#10picks up where the last issue left off, with Batman now imprisoned at Ark-M, a black site facility in Gotham, after breaking in to search for his recently missing friend, Waylon Jones. Like the other inmates of Ark-M,Bruce becomes one of their test subjects, undergoing a series of grueling procedures.
The issue shows multiple cycles of Bruce escaping his cell, only to be recaptured by Bane and subjected to another round of experiments.It is during one of these failed breakout attempts that he encounters Poison Ivy… sort of.
DC Just Gave Poison Ivy a Horrific New Origin (And Batman Barely Survives It)
Main Cover by Nick Gragotta forAbsolute Batman#10 (2025)
One of the most horrific things readers learn during Bruce’s escape attempts is that the inmates themselves seem to function as part of the prison’s security system. Their designated zones act as living obstacles designed to stop any attempts to flee.One of the most memorable of these zones is the“Isley Ecosystem.”
What remains unclear is whether Ivy is the Isley Environment itself or simply its creator…
During one of his escapes, Bruce stumbles into a terrifying forest filled with humanoid features embedded in the surrounding vegetation. Eyes, mouths, and other human traits are grotesquely fused with the plant life. Scattered throughout are emaciated humanoid creatures, seemingly born from the forest itself.Both the forest and the creatures launch an attack on Bruce, preventing his escape.
Bruce is ultimately incapacitated when the forest’s vines entangle him and halt his progress. One of the creatures forces a monstrous tongue-like appendage down his throat. While there is no singular being directlyreferred to as Poison Ivyin this scene,the setting’s name,“Isley Environment,”strongly implies Ivy’s new role and originin this twisted continuity.
Poison Ivy’s“Isley Environment”Origin May Be Her Most Disturbing Yet
DC Confirms Ivy Is a Victim of Arkham’s Torture
Thanks to the overarching narrative of Absolute Batman#10, it becomes clear that the monstrous mutations seen throughout Ark-M are the result of the prison’s horrific experiments. This is supported by Doctor Arkham’s narration, along withthe visible changes seen in both Bruce and Waylon.
This issue strongly suggests thatPoison Ivy’s horrifying new originis that of a fellow prisoner at Ark-M, transformed through torturous experiments that led to her grotesque plant-based mutations. What remains unclear is whether Ivy is the Isley Environment itself or simply its creator, living within her twisted botanical domain. Either way, fans will undoubtedly be eager for more answers asPoison Ivy’sterrifying new role in the Absolute Universe continues to unfold.
