The CW’s Batwoman Casts Bridget Regan as Poison Ivy. Bring on the Queer Vine-Covered Angst?

File this under things we’re ridiculously excited about: Bridget Regan (The Last Ship, Agent Carter) will play Poison Ivy in season 3 of Batwoman. This marks Regan’s return to the CW after starring as Rose/Sin Rostro in Jane the Virgin.

Regan will play Dr. Pamela Isley, a former botany student of Gotham University and a brilliant scientist who wanted to change the world. But after being experimented on with plant toxins by a fellow scientist, Isley transformed into Poison Ivy. During Batman’s time, Poison Ivy was out of the game, but now she returns to Gotham City with plans for revenge.

Regan is no stranger to comic book adaptations: she played Dottie Underwood, former Black Widow and undercover Soviet agent in ABC’s Agent Carter. She joins fellow new cast members Nick Creegan, who will play Marquis Jet, and Victoria Cartagena, who will play Renee Montoya. Cartagena previously played Montoya in FOX’s Gotham.

Regan will appear opposite Javicia Leslie who took over the title role after Ruby Rose left the series after its first season. Season 2 effectively wrote Rose’s Kate Kane out of the show, with Leslie’s Ryan Wilder taking on the Batwoman mantle. Poison Ivy was namechecked in season 2, when Circe stole some of Ivy’s plants from the Batcave to help Safiyah restore Coryana’s Desert Rose. The season finale saw Ivy’s plants take hold in the Gotham river, portending Poison Ivy’s return.

Regan’s casting as Poison Ivy is spot-on, and her history of playing villains speaks for itself. And in playing Poison Ivy, she’s bringing a fan-favorite villain to life. Despite the character’s popularity, she’s only appeared a handful of times in live-action content. Uma Thurman famously (or infamously) portrayed the character in the critically maligned 1997 film Batman and Robin. Clare Foley, Maggie Geha, and Peyton List all played some version of the character on Gotham (much to our confusion).

So far, Poison Ivy has been best portrayed in animation: Diane Pershing voiced the character on Batman: The Animated Series, and Lake Bell currently voices her on HBO Max’s Harley Quinn. It’s unclear whether or not Regan’s Ivy will be queer, but given how many queer women characters populate Batwoman, I would be surprised if she wasn’t.

Regan’s Ivy could easily end up in a romance with Ryan Wilder or Renee Montoya. But of course, we’re diehard Harlivy shippers who would love nothing more than to see Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn hook up with Poison Ivy on the big screen. I mean, Margot Robbie has repeatedly said she wants to include the romance in a future Harley Quinn project. Come on DC, give the people what they want!

Having said that, would I be mad about a Poison Ivy/Ryan Wilder pairing in season 3? Nope, not at all. Bring on the vine-covered queer angst!

Season 3 of Batwoman premieres on October 13 on The CW.

(via Deadline, image: The CW)

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