Warning: This article contains spoilers for Batman: Kings of Fear #5, by Scott Peterson, Kelley Jones, Michelle Madsen and Rob Leigh, on sale now.

Even though Batman has saved Gotham City on hundreds, if not thousands of occasions, the debate over whether or not he's ultimately had a positive impact on his home still hasn't been settled. Dozens of Batman stories  have tried to figure out whether Batman's presence inspired his rogues gallery of villains, or if he's doomed Gotham to an even worse fate than it might have otherwise experienced.

While that debate will probably never be fully settled, DC offers readers a fascinating look at a Batman-free Gotham in Batman: Kings of Fear #5. After dealing with some of his own doubts about his role in Gotham, Batman was exposed to a massive dose of the Scarecrow's Fear Toxin earlier in the miniseries.

Unsurprisingly, Scarecrow, former psychologist Jonathan Crane, has used this as an opportunity to delve deep into Batman's psyche. In this issue, Scarecrow guides Batman through a hallucination of what Gotham could've become if Bruce Wayne had never put on a cape and cowl.

Batman Kings of Fear

After showing Batman this imaginary Gotham's sunny skies, Scarecrow explicitly tells Batman that his costumed adventures have encouraged all of Gotham's worst criminals. When Batman begins to argue the point, Scarecrow starts showing Batman what his worst enemies could've become without Batman's influence.

With a few exceptions, Scarecrow's hallucination posits that most of Batman's foes would've made meaningful contributions to society in a world without Batman. In this world, Harvey Dent would've continued his career as a successful district attorney, even after being scarred. Instead of becoming a world-renowned thief, Selina Kyle could've become a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her work with victims of abuse.

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While the Penguin still would've become one of Gotham City's biggest criminal kingpins, and Bane perished escaping from his island prison, several other villains made major scientific breakthroughs.

Without Batman, Mr. Freeze could've made significant advances in cryotechnology, and Scarecrow says that he could've developed new treatments for schizophrenia. Poison Ivy could've single-handedly saved the world's rain forests, which Crane says could help mitigate the effects of climate change and set the stage for even more pharmaceutical discoveries.

Joker Batman Kings of Fear

Although the Riddler could've become a video game developer, Scarecrow says that Joker could've become a crime-fighter. In a Hannibal-esque twist, Crane claims that the Joker could've used his ability to think like serial killers to become one of world's top criminal profilers and stop serial killers before they strike.

After taking Batman through this reverse version of It’s a Wonderful Life, Scarecrow takes Batman to task for squandering his family's wealth on Batmobiles and the rest of his crime-fighting arsenal. He claims that Bruce Wayne's wealth could've funded healthcare or education reforms that could've boosted the city's economy and turned Gotham into the envy of the world.

By showing Batman all of this, Scarecrow forces Batman to confront one of his greatest fears: the idea that his war on crime might actually do more harm than good.

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Even though someone like the Scarecrow is hardly the most trustworthy guide, Crane's exploration into Batman's mind reveals that the hero has legitimate doubts, on some level, about his overall impact on Gotham. Beyond his vast wealth and resources, Bruce Wayne's tireless dedication to his war on crime is his real superpower. Through the sheer force of will, Wayne transformed his mind and body into perfect crime-fighting weapons. Even though that transformation into Batman was ultimately Bruce's response to the violence of his childhood, he still has doubts about whether or not he's just perpetuating that violence.

While it would be easy to write Scarecrow's hallucinations off as part of the supervillain's latest plot, this vision of a Batman-free Gotham ultimately makes Batman seem more human. Batman isn't a hero because he has doubts about his war on crime; he's a hero because he overcomes those doubts. Those moments of intense humanity are a big part of Batman's appeal.

While Batman's dedication to his ideals doesn't settle the debate of whether or not he had a net positive or negative effect on Gotham, that level of humanity will ensure that audiences keep caring about the character enough to keep the debate going for decades to come.

Batman and Scarecrow's therapy session will conclude in Batman: Kings of Fear #6, on sale Jan. 9, 2019.