Warning! Spoilers ahead for Crime Syndicate #5!
In Crime Syndicate #5, Earth-3’s Poison Ivy goes by the superhero name Venus and wears a new costume! Throughout the years, Poison Ivy has become less of a criminal as she moved away from her past. Recently, Poison Ivy has even gone as far as to change her name. In Catwoman #31, Poison Ivy reveals to Catwoman that she wants to be known as Ivy from now on. These big changes have heavily hinted that Ivy is inching nearer and nearer to becoming a hero, but when will the time officially come?
Meanwhile, on Earth-3, Poison Ivy’s counterpart is a member of the newly formed Legion of Justice! A new superhero team formed of alternate characters who on Earth-0 are usually villains. They are formed with the intention of stopping DC’s evil Justice League, the Crime Syndicate. She is just one of the many heroes that have banded together and in this issue, they collide head-on with Ultraman and his team. She is joined by Earth-3’s Luthor, Savanna, Power Tower, Red Hood, Lonar, and Thaal Sinestro.
In Crime Syndicate #5 by Andy Schmidt, Bryan Hitch, Kieran McKeown, Dexter Vines, and Alex Sinclair, Earth-3’s Poison Ivy is revealed as the hero Venus. Additionally, Venus sports a new costume that differentiates from Poison Ivy’s classic look. Venus’ costume still has Ivy’s classic green jumpsuit, however, her shoulders are covered by a bush of leaves. But the big difference in terms of appearance is that one of Venus’ hands has the ability to transform into what looks like a tree branch, which she shoots out over long distances.
Alongside all of this, Venus’ eyebrows branch out into literal branches. It seems that Earth-3’s Poison Ivy is mainly different in that her appearance and powers relate closer to trees than the green of leaves. DC has been pushing for Poison Ivy to become something similar to Venus for some time now. It’s possible that in DC’s near future, the “Venus” of Poison Ivy could return as Ivy’s heroic identity, but in the main timeline. Venus in Crime Syndicate #5 is the perfect companion to Ivy’s changes in Catwoman #31, a drastic change is coming sooner or later and Venus could be the blueprint.
As of now, it’s unknown whether Poison Ivy will become a full-on hero in Infinite Frontier. However, Ivy’s path has never been more crystal clear and it would be a shame if DC didn’t follow through with it. Poison Ivy must deal with her conflictions of identity before she can commit to anything as bold as becoming a hero. But, splitting the “Poison” from the “Ivy” has already been done in Catwoman, so progress has been made. But will she stick to her more good-natured side or will she scramble back to her old ways?
