WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman: Fear State Alpha, now on sale
The circumstances of Gotham City have increasingly pushed its residents to the edge, especially those who live on the line between heroism and villainy. The likes of Catwoman and Harley Quinn have become unlikely leaders and protectors, and soon enough they might come into conflict with one another.
Batman: Fear State Alpha (by James Tynion IV, Riccardo Federici, Chris Sotomayor, and Clayton Cowles) sets the stage for the two halves of Poison Ivy to be reunited by Harley Quinn. But her plans might be complicated by Catwoman -- whose promise to protect the more innocent side of Ivy might lead to a Harley/Catwoman fight.
Following the Magistrate attack against the Unsanity Collective, the band of anarchists and inventors are on the run. Rescued by Batman, Miracle Molly and Master Wyze lead the remnants of their people into Eden -- the massive forest growing deep under Gotham. Led there by Harley Quinn, the Gardener, and Ghostmaker, the trio find themselves confronted by Queen Ivy. Without any of her humanity, Ivy comes close to killing the lot of them. But her affection for Harley is great enough to stay her hand at least for the time being, allowing them to pass and hide for the time being. Harley and Gardner both agree that this incarnation of Ivy is a genuine threat to them and all of Gotham. They decide they need to restore her full self, namely by finding the missing half of Ivy and refusing the pair.
Unbeknownst to Harley, another notable masked figure in Gotham has already found the sweet half of Ivy: Catwoman. On a recent mission, Selina discovered this Ivy being contained by Mr. Roy (an associate of Simon Saint, the mind behind the Magistrate program). Taken by surprise by the more innocent version of her old friend, Catwoman brought her to the Abandoned Grove Street Terminal Building in Alleytown, which has been serving as one of her recent bases of operation. Catwoman has promised to not let anyone hurt or attack Ivy ever again, and is still protecting her even as the forces of the Magistrate pour into Alleytown as a show of force.
In theory, this could work out for everyone involved. If Selina can be convinced by Harley and the Gardener that it's crucial to rebond the two halves of Ivy, then it could result in an easy alliance and even a brief resurgence of the Gotham City Sirens (the name the trio took for themselves in the Post-Crisis DC Universe). But that's only if Selina decides to hand her over. Catwoman's protective stance when it comes to Ivy could set her up to see the possible refusion as an attack on the more innocent variation of the character. She could even decide she's willing to fight Harley to keep them separated -- which would likely push Harley into full-blown conflict with Catwoman.
Fear State is already threatening to turn Gotham City against itself, with the police and authorities drawn in multiple directions (and all seemingly against the populace they're supposed to protect). Even without the Scarecrow's intervention, the chaos may set off more in-fighting between the allies of the Bat-Family, with the possible argument between Harley and Catwoman over the fate of Ivy potentially risking a major conflict that could keep them busy and distracted when they need their full wits to survive the chaos about to come tot he streets of Gotham.
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