Poison Ivy has been positioned in an incredible place of power in Fear State — and could either save OR doom Gotham City.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #112, on sale now from DC Comics.
Gotham City is currently in dire straights. Still trying to pick up the pieces from the events of Joker War, the city has found itself torn between different ideals. Batman is doing his best to protect the city with ever-dwindling resources and assets, the Magistrate Program is attempting to bring a harsh level of control over Gotham, and on top of everything Scarecrow has been given the means to enact a fear state against the entire city.
But throughout all this chaos, the most dangerous element in Gotham has literally been right underneath them this whole time. The threat of Queen Ivy will likely determine the fate of Gotham City one way or the other — and if Batman #112 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles is any indication, it could easily lead to serious ruin for the city.
Poison Ivy has been in an interesting place, lately. The longtime villain ended up split into two bodies, with two very clear halves of her personality in each one: Ivy is a soft-spoken, innocent, and typically spaced out young woman who has come under the protection of Catwoman after she rescued Ivy from people who’d previously experimented on her. This innocent side of the character stands in stark contrast to Queen Ivy, a more terrifying and ruthless incarnation of the villain. She’s been hard at work underneath the bedrock of the city, adding to her own naturally growing empire of plant life. She’s also displayed a casual indifference to human life and would have killed the Unsanity Collective who ventured into her territory if it weren’t for the last-minute intervention of Harley Quinn.
Thanks to its sheltered nature, Queen Ivy’s underground jungle might be one of the safest spaces away from the Magistrate. The natural barriers and carnivorous plants make for useful defenses, and Ghost-Maker has even noted that Ivy’s sheer power could allow her to more or less end the conflict before it even began by unleashing pheromones into the air of Gotham — which could then placate both sides long enough for the coming battle to be prevented. But Ivy refuses point-blank — arguing that she will only get involved in the conflict if someone were foolish enough to openly attack her. This means that, for the time being, it’s the best place for the Unsanity Collective could be. If Ivy were to embrace a more heroic side, she could even be a key player in defeating Scarecrow AND the Magistrate.
But all that potential could end up being used for more destructive intent. Thanks to the sheer spread of her power across the city, Queen Ivy effectively holds the fate of Gotham in her hands. If she were to choose so, she could go on the offensive and bring down entire swaths of the city on top of itself. It would be akin to the levels of destruction caused by previous events like Cataclysm, and in the chaos spurred on by recent events could even usher in a new lawless period in Gotham City akin to the Post-Crisis “No Man’s Land” or the New 52 “Zero Year” storylines.
Given the circumstances — as well as the potential for her good and evil sides to literally come into conflict — it’s clear that the stage is being set for Ivy to make a dramatic choice. Either one will likely cement not just her relationship with Gotham but her romance with Harley Quinn, as well as any potential future team-up with the Bat-Family. But it’s up to her to determine whether Gotham goes on to see her as a savior or as a destroyer.
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