The mystery surrounding the father of Poison Ivy‘s baby continues to be one of the most intriguing aspects of her unexpected and shocking pregnancy. DC has not only managed to intrigue and excite readers with the possibility of their favorite Gotham City Siren becoming a mother, but has also spurred countless theories about the child’s parentage. However, only one theory reigns supreme as the most likely outcome.
Jessica Fong’s variant comic cover for the upcoming comic Poison Ivy #18 by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara dropped the bombshell that Poison Ivy is apparently pregnant. The variant cover depicts what appears to be Floronic Man’s hand caressing her pregnant belly, while the summary states Ivy will make “a horrifying discovery about her own strange new body.” Fans have been speculating this means the villain – real name Jason Woodrue – is the father, but there’s another possibility.
This issue will be part of Wilson’s ongoing Poison Ivy series that follows the Gotham City Siren as she pursues her goal of making a better planet Earth while also grappling with the changes to her body and abilities after fusing with the deadly and parasitic fungi Ophiocordyceps Lamia. And it’s that fusion which is likely responsible for any upcoming pregnancy.
No, Poison Ivy Didn’t Get Pregnant by Eating Woodrue
In the ongoing series, Poison Ivy’s interactions with male characters are notably scarce. Mostly, they’re with her former mentor, Jason Woodrue. Woodrue – and his extremely unregulated experiments – were responsible for Ivy’s transformation into the plant-controlling supervillain she is today, and he remains a constant thorn in her side in current continuity. Their last encounter ended with the two battling it out and Ivy cannibalizing him in an attempt to gain control over the Lamia plaguing her body. This last encounter, coupled with the variant cover, has led fans to speculate that eating Woodrue somehow led to Ivy’s pregnancy. However, there’s a better explanation.
In a startling yet plausible twist, it’s increasingly evident that Poison Ivy could be reproducing asexually. This revelation, teased since the outset of the Poison Ivy series, is intrinsically linked to her fusion with the Ophiocordyceps Lamia. This fusion has endowed Ivy with numerous fungi-like characteristics and capabilities. Consequently, it’s not a far-fetched notion to consider that Ivy may have acquired the ability to reproduce asexually, akin to the Lamia’s own spore-based method. This theory gains additional support from the fact that Ivy has been emitting spores since the very first issue of the comic run.
Poison Ivy’s Pregnancy Is Thanks to Her New Powers
If this theory indeed proves to be accurate, then the portrayal of Woodrue in the cover art can most likely be interpreted as a homage to how Ivy obtained her spore-producing abilities – by stealing the Ophiocordyceps Lamia from Woodrue – rather than a literal depiction of the Floronic Man being the father of her child. Considering Ivy’s recent development of mushroom-like traits, it appears more plausible that her pregnancy stems from a newfound ability for asexual reproduction, rather than being the consequence of consuming her arch-nemesis’ body. This revelation opens up intriguing possibilities for the direction of Poison Ivy’s story, adding complexity to her character and the narrative as a whole.
If Ivy does have the unique ability to reproduce asexually, she will need to come to terms with her new body and the shocking extent of her transformation into a human/planet hybrid. Furthermore, if her child were to inherit more plant-like traits than human, Ivy could potentially emerge as the mother of a new species, ushering in an era of unexplored storylines. By bonding with Ophiocordyceps Lamia, Poison Ivy changed the very nature of her biology, and her apparent pregnancy shows just how extreme the consequences will be.
Poison Ivy #18 will be available to buy on January 2, 2024!
