DC's Exciting New Series Is A Historic First For A Major Villain

The latest version of the DC Universe has put a renewed focus on TV shows. From James Gunn’s pet projects, like Peacemaker and Creature Commandos, to more prestigious offerings like Lanterns and The Penguin, the franchise wants you to spend a lot of evenings on the couch with it. But now that this new iteration is getting off the ground, where does it go next?

Back to Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery, apparently. A beloved villain is getting her own TV show, and it could repeat one of the DC Universe’s best ideas. According to Deadline, Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc is in talks to run a new series based on Poison Ivy.

The project is still in its very early stages, with no cast or writers confirmed, but we do have one big clue: the series will be unconnected to Matt Reeves’ Batman universe. That’s a big deal, since much of the appeal of watching The Penguin was revisiting the world of The Batman ahead of next year’s The Batman Part II. Can a show that doesn’t build on an existing world attract the same audience?

Like all comic book characters, Poison Ivy’s origin story varies across universes. But in most iterations, she’s Pamela Isley, a botanist who gains plant-based powers, including immunity to poison and the ability to produce biological compounds. That might change, but LeFranc presumably isn’t going to get too wild with the premise.

While Poison Ivy has appeared many times in both animation and live-action, she’s never been the center of her own show. Instead, she’s usually served as a second-tier villain, like Mr. Freeze's assistant in Batman and Robin. At most, she’s been a co-star, like in Harley Quinn. Can she carry her own show, one completely separate from the rest of the DCU?

We don’t know much about this series yet — we don’t even know if it’s animated or live-action — but its mere existence raises the question of whether we’ll get Season 2 of The Penguin anytime soon, since Lauren LeFranc is in charge of both. At the very least, though, there should be a steady stream of Gotham-related drama coming to your television.