Batman The Animated Series: Eternal Youth

"You go after the wrong people, Batman."

Is Poison Ivy really so bad?

Sure, she's a homicidal criminal so we're meant to see her actions as wrong, but her primary targets are the rich and powerful, an exceptionally unsympathetic lot. She punishes them for how badly they have treated the environment and it's difficult (especially from a 2025 perspective) not to agree with her stance. It's one reason her character has shifted in more recent years away from being simply a plant-themed femme fatale, and into more of a plant-themed anti-hero. She knows she won't find justice through the system they have created to protect themselves so vigilantism is her only option.

Batman dubs it ecoterrorism just so we know that it is different from his preferred brand of vigilante justice, which tends to be rather soft when it comes to white collar criminals. Not all that surprising, though. Bruce has always been lax when it comes to his own class. It wouldn't be like that if this show starred Green Arrow, and I mean proper full throttle left wing Green Arrow, not the faux Batman Green Arrow we got on the CW.

Being a comic book character, Ivy's idea of justice is typically grand and theatrical and rather poetic. She doesn't just see herself as a vigilante like the nutcase in the bat costume. Judging by her alias, Ivy sees herself as a vengeful forest spirit, punishing the selfish and the greedy by turning them into the very thing they are destroying, granting them the everlasting life they long for, just not in the way any of them were expecting. Gods and fairies have always been big on their ironic punishments, although since magic doesn't exist yet in the DCAU, Ivy's curse is scientific in origin (well, mad science).

The deeper the shows delves into the possibility of Ivy's abilities the more disturbing the stories get. This episode could best be described as fairy tale horror and serves as another strong example of how adept this show was at shifting genres. Since fairy tales and folklore (and rich people getting what's coming to them) are my thing this episode was right up my street, in my house, and sitting comfortably in my favourite chair.

There was only one issue I had with it and that was Maggie. This is one of the few episodes that tries to give Alfred something resembling a personal life. We're introduced to his love interest in the form of Maggie Page. It isn't very successful, partly due to the fact Maggie is just dropped in without any explanation as to who she is, where she came from, or what exactly her relationship with Alfred is.

Video Game Connections

The climatic battle of the episode was later adapted into a stage for the Super Nintendo game The Adventures of Batman & Robin.

I Know That Voice

Paddi Edwards was voiced by Maggie Page who also voiced Gozer in Ghostbusters and Flotsam & Jetsam in The Little Mermaid. Violet was voiced by Lynne Marie Stewart, best known for playing Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee's Playhouse and Charlie's Mom on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Lilly was voiced by Julie Brown, who previously played Ms. Stoeger in the film Clueless and Coach Millie Diemer in the TV version. She also voiced Minerva Mink on Animaniacs and played Paula Norwood on The Middle. She would return later as the voice of Zatanna Zatara.

Notes and Quotes

--This is one of the rare times that Poison Ivy has human accomplices who are not named Harley. Unsurprisingly, both are named after plants.

--It's adorable how they try to hide the identity of the villain, but always in a way where it's blindly obvious who is behind it all.

--Ivy's alias in this episode is Daphne Demeter. In Greek mythology, Daphne was a nymph who was turned into a laurel tree. Demeter was the goddess of the harvest.

--Alfred has seen Ivy before, but fails to recognise her in this episode because she's wearing glasses. Oh, people of the DC universe, will you ever not fall for that?

Poison Ivy: "This dog of a dogwood levelled enough trees to shade a small state. And weep not for this willow. She destroyed an old-growth forest, to produce cardboard. CARDBOARD!"

Bruce: "I don't care how much money we'll lose! I won't have Wayne Enterprises involved with an operation that destroys a rainforest! Shut it down, or you're *gone*!"

Poison Ivy: "And I thought you believed in justice!"
Batman: "Justice, yes. But not the vengeance of an eco-terrorist. You're as destructive as those you punish."

Poison Ivy: "Of course, I have the patience of a redwood."
Batman: "And the convictions of a fanatic!"

Maggie: "Alfred, do you realize this is the second weekend in a row we've spent together? This relationship is branching out."
Alfred: "Maggie, please. After our encounter with "Joan of Bark" the last thing I want to be reminded of is plants."

Three out of four plant-themed anti-heroes.

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Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011. More Mark Greig.

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