Batman’s Rogues Gallery Has Lost a Villain, But Gotham’s Gained a Hero

If there’s one thing King and Janina’s story makes clear, it’s that Ivy’s far-reaching actions might have been misguided, but they certainly weren’t deliberately villainous. It can be argued, of course, that many super-villains’ deeds historically haven’t been motivated by villainy for villainy’s sake, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t bad guys.

Upon freeing the world’s population from Ivy’s influence, there’s no real evidence of any lasting harm having been done except, ironically, to Batman himself. And if Batman can deny that Ivy has any kind of real villainous nature, even after suffering a seriously life-threatening injury at her hand, perhaps no one else is really in a comparable position to debate it.

Poison Ivy No More?

In the storyline’s epilog, it’s revealed that Ivy has safely arrived at Sanctuary. This is, of course, is the still moderately-vague concept described by King as a sort of metahuman crisis intervention center. With this epilog, Sanctuary’s standing as a physical place is confirmed, as is its purpose as a place where heroes, and apparently pseudo-villains, can go for psychological help.

RELATED: DC’s Sanctuary Should Explore the Trauma of Being a Teen Superhero

While teased as a facility that can help superheroes cope with their lives, it apparels may also be one that helps villains reform. Ivy – who’s never actually referred to as Poison Ivy in King’s script – is put in a sympathetic light once her motivations are known. Once treated, does Ivy stand to leave the ranks of Batman’s rogues gallery to one day fight alongside him?

There is certainly notable, and recent, precedent for such a drastic move, as seen with Clayface over in James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics. Similarly, King’s usage of Ivy as an antagonist was handled with a decidedly kinder approach when compared to his handling of past villains like The Riddler or Bane. During King’s run, in fact, it’s been very clear that the bad guys are bad indeed, at least until now, further hinting that a more heroic role is in in the plans for Ivy.

RELATED: Joker Crashes The Dark Knight’s Wedding Plans in Batman #48

Sanctuary – A Much Simpler Fix?

In the DC Comics Universe, S.T.A.R. Labs is the go-to site for scientific research. Lexcorp is the pervasive corporate entity with its hands in virtually every business endeavor. Perhaps Sanctuary is poised to be the place to fix the DCU’s broken characters, providing a plausible reason for a revamp when another company reboot seems out of the question. There are more personal kinds of crises, after all, and a rebirth doesn’t have to come with the baggage of a continuity flip.

Sanctuary’s upcoming place in the DC Universe – whether as an entity, event, or title – remains largely unknown, as does Ivy’s involvement. Batman, however, forges ahead with a clear path – one that includes the nuptials for Bruce and Selina. Those plans begin to be laid out in Batman #44, on sale April 4.

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