Pamela Lillian Isley was a promising student from Seattle, studying advanced botanical biochemistry under renowned professor Jason Woodrue. With emotionally distant parents, and an insecure nature, she is easily seduced by her professor who intends to create the first human-plant hybrid.

At first their relationship outside the university is strictly professional.  Woodrue hires Isley to be his assistant in his experiments. Isley, being very smart and very well educated is a very big help to the professor. However, Woodrue needed more than an assistant - he needed a volunteer.

Isley being as naive as she was, agreed to help Woodrue in any way she could, and so fell victim to his experimenting. Injected with hoards of plant cells and toxins, Isley underwent an excruciating treatment that lasted for months until her eventual demise.

In May, 2012, Pamela Lillian Isley, died.

But her death was not to last. She woke up in a field far from where she'd been before, near Gotham City, entwined in strange weeds and naked. How she got there or why she did not remember, but she felt different. 

Woodrue's experiments had triggered a genetic restructure of her body. Her skin had gotten smoother and boasted green pale green hues, her hair had grown a deeper red, and she could feel the greenery around her. She had transformed into something new. Woodrue's experiment had clearly been successful. 

Pamela Lillian Isley was no longer human, no longer animal. But nor was she plant, but something in between. And she was full of rage for having been dumped into nowhere like trash. And this rage fueled her hatred towards man. Man was poison to the world, and the only way to fight poison was with poison. 

Poison Ivy was born!

Although Poison Ivy is usually considered an insane villainess, she still has fragments of a moral code

                                                Ivy never harms children or mothers to newborns

Pamela has been in and out of Arkham Asylum, Blackgate and Iron Heights numerous times, often having escaped or been broken out by a third party

She's been declared sane three times in the span of 5 years            

Her metamorphosis into Poison Ivy altered more than Pamela Isley's body. Her mood became altered as well, and her connection to the plant world only worsened things, driving her close to insanity

 Due to the biological and psychological changes, she's known to be bipolar with frequent and strong moodswings

Her hatred of men, and mankind in general, gives her some focus though

Poison Ivy often tries to get back into society, but frequently ends up back on the criminal tracks. But she tries very hard to control her rage at times

Her love of Botany, and her hopes for a greener future can only be fulfilled if she gains the trust and love of mankind, but that is easier said than done

And her frequent need of money doesn't help her motives either

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Chlorokinesis: Chlorokinesis is the ability to manipulate plants telepathically. Poison Ivy's connection to the plant world through the mystical force known as 'the Green' makes her the strongest chlorokinetic on earth. Surpassing even the Swamp Thing's powers. This is because she can directly control the plant world. She and Swamp thing has had numeruous encounters that has led to a semi-romantic relationship. Alas, Ivy's way of using plants is something that gets in the way of their relationship. Example stated below.

Swamp Thing: "You claim to serve the Green"   

 Poison Ivy: "The Plants are my babies!"             

Swamp Thing: "Then why treat them as slaves?!"

Her connection to the Green is not as strong as Swamp Thing's however, and she cannot contact the Parliament of Trees, nor travel through th Green, as her body and mind are still too human. But she can communicate with plants, and her control over them surpasses that of even the Parliament itself. She can rejuvinate, revive, grow, and control all plants. Her knowledge of biology and chemistry also allows her to alter plant DNA. She's been able to crush entire buildings with her plants, as well as created plant/human hybrids.

Pheromone Control: Ivy can manipulate pheromones, and her skin can secrete pheromones which she can use to control men and women alike, not only humans. She can use this ability to make people work for her, and stay loyal without question, until the connection is broken.

Toxikinesis: When Woodrue experimented on her, he injected her with several plant, and animal, based toxins into her blood stream which bonded with her DNA. This allows her the secrete the most potent toxins you can imagine through her lips, eyes, and other moistened areas. This makes her tears, and blood, highly toxic. Her skin is poisonous as well, though it's not fatal, it can create addictions and a sense of bliss. She can also secrete anti toxins.

Toxic Immunity: Poison Ivy is also immune to all toxins, viruses, and bacteria. And no earthly parasites can survive her blood. She can also secrete a special toxin that allows others a similar ability. Though it's not as strong as hers. 

Skin Pigment Manipulation: Ivy's skin is full of chlorofyll, which gives it a green color. Her hair is dyed by anthocyanins and cerotenoids which gives it a vibrant red colour. However, she is able to manipulate the amount of these substances, making her skin appear more human, and her hair, a  more natural red color. This she uses when she needs to blend in.

Abilities

Botany: Pamela Isley holds a PhD in Botany at Gotham University, and used to hold weekly lectures in Paleobotany. She's also been hired by Chez Gerard, a cosmetics firm, where she worked as a research chemist. Her fascination with botany started in childhood, as flowers and gardening was her only escape from an abusive childhood. Her knowledge of botany helps her to better manipulate her plants. Before the accident, she was a renowned scientist - which is why Woodrue had such an interest in her.

Toxicology: Her PhD studies included toxicology, which she - at first- used for perfumes, make-up, and medicine. And although she continued this on her own after the incident, she mostly uses her knowledge on the subject to create traps and weapons.

Seduction: Pamela Isley was always a beautiful woman, though she never used her looks or talents for personal gain until she became Poison Ivy. She taunts her trapped opponents with their human desires and can even infatuate thugs to her cause through her pheromones and toxins. Though prefers to do it without them.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Her athletic abilities have grown over the course of her career. She has learned a limited style of martial arts fighting, is proficient at climbing and leaping, and is a strong and fast swimmer.

Weaknesses

Vulnerability to Darkness: Because of her new plant-based body, she requires a substantial amount of solar radiation. Without it she will start dying. This caused Bruce Wayne to finance a special cell for her at Arkham Asylum with a solar lamp.

Mental Instability: Poison Ivy has been committed to Arkham Asylum on a regular basis. She speaks to her plants, finds extreme rage towards males and at a certain point sought out the destruction of the human race so only she and her plants would live.