DCEU star and Harley Quinn actress, Margot Robbie, has expressed her interest in getting Poison Ivy to play a part in a live action DC film. Harley and Ivy have a complex history with each other and their relationship has developed substantially in the adult animated series Harley Quinn on HBO Max. They started off as friends, but their platonic bond steadily blossomed into a passionate romance. This dynamic between Harley and Ivy in Harley Quinn has been extremely popular amongst both superhero fans and Margot Robbie herself, making the chances of a DCEU Poison Ivy appearance very likely.
Poison Ivy is a brilliant scientist with meta-human genes in the DC Comics, and her biggest passion is protecting plant life. She often uses her beauty as a tool to commit crimes against men and take out her anger on the world for destroying the environment. Ivy is a member of the Birds of Prey, making her appearance in a potential Birds of Prey sequel quite possible. She also has ties to the Suicide Squad. Bringing her to life on screen requires a specific type of actress to do the job, but listed below are ten women who could do the character justice in a live-action adaptation of the Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy story.
Updated June 10, 2022 by Julie Weyant: Previous entries have been revised to correct grammatical and spelling mistakes. Five additional entries have been made. The relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy has been a major highlight of the Harley Quinn series, and fans are steadfast in their pleas to bring Poison Ivy to the DCEU. Now that the MCU is going bigger than ever before with the multiverse, the DC Universe is consistently falling behind in popularity. Introducing Poison Ivy and giving her a movie with Harley Quinn could be what the DCEU needs to even the playing field.
Megan Fox
Starting off with a very popular choice, a lot of superhero fans have expressed their desire on social media to see Megan Fox play Poison Ivy. After her previous work in Jennifer’s Body, it makes sense why viewers think Fox is a good candidate for the character.
Jennifer Check and Poison Ivy are both quite literally man-eaters, specializing in the art of seduction as a guise to commit homicide. Fox has publicly expressed her interest in joining either the MCU or the DCEU and Poison Ivy might be the perfect opportunity for her to find her place in the world of superheroes.
Aja Naomi King
Aja Naomi King is an incredibly talented actress who could pull this character off with ease. Her performance as Michaela Pratt in How To Get Away With Murder proves that she can be smart, sexy and ruthless, three traits that are essential to creating a convincing Poison Ivy.
Not only does King have what it takes as an actress to play Poison Ivy, but she’s already worked with the DCEU’s very own Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis) in How To Get Away With Murder. Davis and King’s characters were frequently at odds, meaning this dynamic could easily be carried over into a DCEU film, especially since Waller already has ties to Ivy’s ally, Harley.
Anne Hathaway
One of the most famous and beloved actresses in Hollywood right now, Anne Hathaway would do an excellent job as Poison Ivy. She’s starred in a long and diverse list of projects that prove how well-rounded she is as an actress, and the DCEU would do nothing but benefit from her presence in the franchise.
From The Devil Wears Prada to Ocean's Eight, Hathaway consistently delivers quality performances no matter what part she's been given. The air of sophistication Hathaway naturally brings to her roles would also serve as an excellent contrast to Robbie's lovably chaotic Harley Quinn.
Victoria Pedretti
Victoria Pedretti has been dubbed a modern scream queen because of her frequent roles in horror and thriller projects. Pedretti has starred in multiple big-hitters on Netflix, including You and The Haunting of Hill House, where she played lovesick murderer Love Quinn and tormented haunting victim Eleanor Crain Vance, respectively.
Pedretti is full of natural talent and her role as Love Quinn has especially proven her worthy of playing Poison Ivy in a live-action DCEU movie. Her ability to make fans fall in love with evil-doing characters would translate beautifully into a Poison Ivy performance, and Pedretti would shine just as brightly as Margot Robbie in her role of Harley Quinn. Overall, these two actresses are evenly matched in talent and passion for their work, which would make for an excellent story about two of DC’s most popular villains.
Anya Taylor-Joy
Anya Taylor-Joy has been in numerous successful projects throughout her career, such as the psychological thriller movie Split and the hit Netflix show Queen’s Gambit. She’ll also be working alongside Venom actor Tom Hardy in the upcoming installments for the Mad Max series, including Mad Max: The Wasteland and Furiosa.
Taylor-Joy’s role as Beth in Queen’s Gambit is the perfect example of why she’d be a great candidate to play someone like Poison Ivy. She did an excellent job turning her character Beth into a defiant, intelligent young woman who has no qualms exerting her dominance over men, something that Poison Ivy never hesitates to do either. If Taylor-Joy were to bring the same level of expertise to the role of Poison Ivy, she would undoubtedly do a great job of turning Beth’s intellectual strength into Ivy’s physical prowess, since both of these characters are quick to exercise their ability to defy gender stereotypes and flex their strengths at any given opportunity.
Emma Stone
Emma Stone is probably one of the most popular actresses of her generation, having successfully portrayed characters from all walks of life in the multitude of projects she’s been in. Stone’s ability to convincingly create characters on such a vast spectrum would make her a perfect choice for the role of Poison Ivy.
Her film Cruella shows that she’s more than capable of capturing a character’s darker side, while still making the villain sympathetic to audiences, much like Robbie has done with Harley Quinn. Not to mention, Stone’s time as Gwen Stacy in the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies has given her plenty of knowledge about what it takes to create a fan-favorite character in the on-screen superhero world.
Natalie Dormer
While taking on the role of Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, Natalie Dormer displayed similar characteristics to Poison Ivy in this fantasy role. In order to gain power, Dormer’s character relied on her wits and beauty to seduce her way to the top.
A notorious temptress, Poison Ivy also uses her good looks to achieve her goals, and Dormer would certainly nail this aspect of the character in a DC film.
Emeraude Toubia
Emeraude Toubia played Isabelle Lightwood in the ABC fantasy series Shadowhunters. Toubia’s character was well versed in the art of fighting, and she absolutely nailed Isabelle’s seductive, fierce demeanor. Her role in the Shadowhunters series gave her all the experience she needs to bring the plant-loving eco-terrorist to life.
Fans of Shadowhunters also noticed that Toubia had an incredible amount of chemistry with her other female co-stars, so much so that some viewers started to speculate about the possibility of Toubia’s character ending up in a same-sex relationship. Her outstanding ability to connect with other female actresses would translate incredibly well into a Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy romance, which a lot of fans are eager to see.
Keke Palmer
Having once been a Nickelodeon teen star, Keke Palmer has come a long way since her days on True Jackson VP. Palmer tapped into her dark side for the 2019 movie, Hustlers, where she played an exotic dancer that scammed wealthy men with her coworkers.
In order to play a convincing Poison Ivy, it’s crucial the actress has an edge, which Palmer proved tenfold with her Hustlers’ character, Mercedes.
Katie Cassidy
Katie Cassidy has starred in a number of CW shows, including fan-favorite series Supernatural and Arrow. Cassidy was a ruthless demon in Supernatural and later went on to become Black Canary in Arrow, so she’s already proven she can play both good and evil characters.
Her experience tapping into the DC mindset as Laurel Lance on Arrow could give her an extra edge if she were to play Poison Ivy in a DCEU film, since she’s already comfortable working with characters that possess superhuman abilities. Switching from good to evil would be no problem for Cassidy, as she’s already shown audiences she’s capable of performing well as either.