"Gotham" season 3 is going to introduce the supernatural into the series even further, bringing the series a little closer to the comic book source materials. One step in this direction is the recasting of Poison Ivy, and the official synopsis for the season, courtesy of Collider, now explains the change in appearance and the character's age.
Ivy Pepper aka Poison Ivy was initially portrayed by Clare Foley in seasons 1 and 2. However, she will now be portrayed by Maggie Geha who is significantly older. The official synopsis, however, explains that there is a supernatural cause for this sudden alteration of the character.
"The series also will catch up with the future Poison Ivy, who, after an encounter with a monster from Indian Hill, finds herself reborn as a young woman who's harnessed the full power of her charms," reads a portion of the synopsis. The other sections of the synopsis confirm the appearance of villains like Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Mad Hatter (Benedict Samuel).
Collider points out that the show can get away with using this type of ridiculous explanation for Poison Ivy's sudden change in age and appearance. Season 2 had begun delving into the supernatural and absurd and Poison Ivy's changes are almost normal in comparison to concepts such as Fish Mooney's resurrection.
In the original "Detective Comics" and other "Batman" comic books, Poison Ivy is often depicted as a biologist who becomes Poison Ivy after an accident in her greenhouse, making her more attuned to nature than before.
It is undetermined if the monster Ivy meets at Indian Hills will be plant-related in order to make the story tie to the source materials or if it will just be a chance encounter with one of Dr. Hugo Strange's (B.D. Wong) experiments.
"Gotham" season 3 premieres this Sept. 19.
