Shortly after it got out that Batman prequel series Gotham was introducing long-term love interest character Vicki Vale to its third season (as well as a whole host of villains), it has now been revealed that the show will revamp one of its previously existing characters – the plant-controlling Poison Ivy.

TV Line has reported that casting is underway to find someone to replace young actress Clare Foley as the future supervillain. The character will apparently have suddenly aged up when the show returns as the casting call asks for an actress in her late teens.

The show’s version of Poison Ivy has previously appeared for ten episodes across the first two seasons. Here, she is Ivy Pepper, the daughter of a criminal who is actually an ally to the young Bruce. This move wasn’t too popular with fans, as the character’s pre-supervillain name is usually Pamela Isley. Still, viewers might be even more annoyed that the show can’t commit to its new versions of familiar characters once it has introduced them.

Presumably this change in actress will be explained away by Ivy Pepper being revealed as an entirely unrelated character, and this new actress will play the actual Pamela Isley. This would be somewhat similar to the show’s treatment of the Joker, in which a procession line of potential candidates for the future Clown Prince of Crime have appeared. What’s more, this also suggests that the character might be about to get her powers. This would go against usual Bat-canon, as Ivy will be up and about before the idea of Batman is even a glimmer in Bruce’s eye.

Poison Ivy was previously and infamously portrayed by Uma Thurman in 1997’s Batman & Robin, where she teamed up with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s pun-tastic Mr Freeze – another character who has already appeared on Gotham.

Featured Image via DC Comics