The Batman (and its periodic delays) has us all waiting to see how the latest adventure of the World’s Greatest Detective will turn out. In the meantime, it’s fuelling the imaginations of creative people, and some artwork has now emerged portraying Natalie Dormer as plant-controlling supervillain Poison Ivy.
The image is the creation of Mizuriau, one of several digital artists who frequently imagine actors as live-action versions of comic book characters. It’s actually an update of a similar design made eight months ago, but the green rather than amber lighting complements Ivy’s verdant skin tone, and allows both to better contrast with the crimson of her hair.
Speaking of which, her hair is also smoother in the newer image, teasing a greater control over her appearance, and visible veins running from her emerald eyes imply a darkness waiting for the chance to be unleashed. The sideways glance and tilted back head, meanwhile, suggest that you’ve just interrupted something she was focused on and she’s now contemplating whether or not you’re worth the effort of incapacitating in vines to get you out of her way.
Dormer is best known for the recurring role of Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, where she and her distinctive lopsided smile (the result of her having an asymmetrical mouth) became known to millions, and was most recently seen in the unjustly cancelled Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, where a chameleonic quartet of roles showcased the breadth of her talent.
While the metahuman abilities of Ivy might not initially be a good fit for the gritty crime drama that The Batman is clearly planned to be, the number of powered individuals that make up the rogues gallery of the Caped Crusader means that sooner or later one of them will need to be included. A morally ambiguous character who straddles the line between a defender of nature and a full-on eco-terrorist, in much the same way Bruce Wayne can be seen as both a well-meaning peacekeeper and violent thug, could make for a compelling addition. And Dormer, equally capable of playing meek or seductive, would be a great choice to bring her to life.