Deadly Nightshade

Origin

Described as “the deadliest of blossoms,” Deadly Nightshade possessed an unexplained and formidable control over the world of plants, to the point where she could instantly undermine and strangle entire city blocks with plant growth. Her real name was never revealed. Because of her talents she joined the Australian chapter of the Fraternity, a group of super-powered criminals that now controlled all of the continents on Earth. Her chapter was led by the criminal mastermind known as Mister Rictus.

Creation

Deadly Nightshade was created in 2003 by writer Mark Millar and artist J.G. Jones, the creative team behind Wanted. She first appeared in Wanted #3. The members of the Australian chapter of the Fraternity were intentionally based on Batman‘s villains, with Deadly Nightshade herself based on Poison Ivy.

Major Story Arcs

Affair with Imp

Deadly Nightshade was having a secret affair with a seventh-dimensional being known as Imp (based on Mr. Mxyzptlk) who was a member of the rival American chapter of the Fraternity (based on Superman‘s villains). Besides exacerbating the ongoing tensions between the Australian and American chapters of the Fraternity, Deadly Nightshade’s relationship with Imp was considered extremely dangerous since Imp was a reality-manipulator with the potential to destroy reality if he ever achieved orgasm.

Death

Deadly Nightshade’s potentially catastrophic affair with Imp inevitably made her a target for assassination. This was eventually achieved by The Killer (the main protagonist of the Wanted storyline), who fired a long-range sniper shot directly into her skull, blowing her brains out and killing her instantly.

Powers and Abilities

Deadly Nightshade had complete control over plants and anything related to the plant world, being able to instantly grow and animate them at will, and used these powers as her primary means of assassination. She once killed a man by filling his throat with pollen, slowly choking him to death, and her vines were shown to have consumed entire city blocks. She was also an intensely attractive woman highly skilled at the art of seduction.