WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #113 and Catwoman #35, now on sale
The Magistrate -- as teased in Future State and increasingly showcased in the present-day -- is a major threat to the future of Gotham City. If Batman and his allies aren't careful, Simon Saint's vision for the future of Gotham will become a reality. There might still be time to stop him, but it'll possibly force Batman to turn towards an enemy for help.
The battle against Scarecrow and the Magistrate takes a turn in Batman #113 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles and Catwoman #35 by Ram V, Nina Vakueva, Jordie Bellaire, and Tom Napolitano -- which reveals the chief ways Batman can defeat the latter as part of his mission to stop the former. But the problem is the key to doing so might be in the hands of the Riddler.
With Scarecrow unleashed, an Oracle impersonator spreading dark rumors, and the Magistrate trying to impart their control over Gotham City, Renee Montoya and the GCPD are trying to to find a way to overcome the chaos gripping the streets. A visit from Batman reveals that Montoya is willing to work with him -- albeit after he's accuqired key pieces of evidence. Although she has trust in Batman, she needs formal proof that Scarecrow and Magistrate designer Simon Saint are working together. Any tangible connection between them will serve Montoya's purposes. If Batman can provide that -- as well convince a member of the Unsanity Collective to testify in court and bring Peacekeeper to police custody -- then Montoya can go around the back of Mayor Nakano and help him bring down Saint and the Magistrate.
Doing this could be the key to preventing the militaristic future of Gotham glimpsed in Future State, and allow the Dark Knight and his allies to return more openly to the streets without fear of being shot down by the Magistrate. Batman immediately gets to work on his part of the mission, but it turns out he's not the only one who's seeking such a connection. In Catwoman #35, the forces of the Magistrate move into Alleytown to try and impose their version of peace onto the populace. While Catwoman and her allies barely stay ahead of the authorities, Riddler -- who has been working with Selina since she saved his life -- ends up in contact with the Penguin. Penguin argues that with Batman and the Bat-Family under pressure, it's time to prepare for a potential victory from the Magistrate.
Pointing out that Alleytown and its connection to the docks makes it an ideal smuggling location in case the Magistrate does fully take control. This also presents an opportunity to the pair to get revenge on Catwoman for her earlier defeat of them in Joker War. Riddler instead suggests that they capture the Ivy currently being protected by Catwoman -- which could allow them to still control Alleytown through the use of drugs based on her powers, but also give them evidence of how Simon Saint had earlier manipulated and experimented on Ivy. They even suggest this could give them legitimate power over Simon Saint, and could be the key to bringing him down.
If the Riddler is able to gain that edge, then he might be more important to Fear State than even just that. His evidence could be used by Batman as part of the way to bring down Simon Saint. All it requires is one of his greatest foes deciding to help out the Dark Knight and Catwoman, despite their long histories -- which, all things considered, is a long shot. But there might be the key to Batman's mission to bring down the Magistrate before it ever truly begins, and it might be hiding right under his nose in Alleytown.