Heroes in Crisis #2 Hints That Poison Ivy is Dead

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Heroes in Crisis #2 by Tom King, Clay Mann and Travis Moore, on sale now.

Heroes in Crisis #1 shockingly revealed that over a dozen heroes had been murdered within the confines of the superhero haven Sanctuary. The identities of some of those killed have been shown, but others remain a mystery. Tom King and Clay Mann's Heroes in Crisis #2, though, reveals another one of the victims. Unlike the obscure Blue Jay or Lagoon Boy, this character is a major one. One who, in fact, appeared very recently.

Who Else Was Killed?

This character isn't even a superhero, but instead one with a villainous past, and is none other than Poison Ivy. Ivy was featured earlier this year in King and Mikel Janin's Batman arc "Everyone Loves Ivy," where she essentially enslaved the entire planet in an attempt to save it. There was no hint last issue that Ivy was one of the victims, although Bruce Wayne had stated at the end of the arc that she had been admitted to Sanctuary.

Ivy is the first to be seen this issue, officially confirming her presence there. As other characters have done throughout both issues of the series thus far, Ivy provides a video transcript of her "confession" within Sanctuary. Ivy states that she doesn't belong at the facility, if for no other reason than she's a villain.

She is, in fact, the first traditional villain shown to be present at Sanctuary within the context of the story. Aside from Harley Quinn, that is, whose current status as a hero or villain in the DC Universe is somewhat dubious. Ivy did demonstrate some heroic, if misguided, intent to better the world in "Everyone Loves Ivy," and at the end of that story Batman affirmed to her that she is not a villain. She may, then, have been granted admission based on her more recent deeds.

There's no indication that Ivy was even killed, though, until Booster Gold's later mention of it. Yes, Booster Gold -- fellow Sanctuary patient and the one Harley has blamed for the massacre. Whether he committed these murders or not: Is his statement that Ivy is dead factual, or is it just part of Booster's recent off-kilter behavior?

Not Everyone Loved Ivy, Apparently

Based on Harley's subsequent actions, Booster's claim appears to be true. Harley is later seen atop a bridge, casting a single rose into the water below in a seemingly symbolic goodbye to Ivy. "Everyone Loves Ivy" revealed that "everyone" included Harley, who truly does love her. Or did, that is. Ivy's loss could very well be what pushes Harley over the edge and ushers in her possible transformation back to her former villainous self, as seen this issue.

In her internal monologue, Harley states that it was she who urged Ivy to go to Sanctuary following her attempted global takeover. Harley, in turn, followed her there, and was presumably admitted herself -- unbeknownst to Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman, according to Ivy. Given Harley and Ivy's newfound relationship, it's unlikely that Harley was her killer. But if Harley was an unintended, last-minute add to Sanctuary's patient list, did she have some kind of unknown agenda once admitted there, other than to be with Ivy? And did her intent have anything to do with the other murders?

Ivy's death is odd in the sense that her body hasn't been shown, unlike that of the other victims. Did she perhaps meet her fate separately, possibly before the other murders? Did her death somehow lead to the others? Or, is it possible that she's only believed to be dead?

The nature of Ivy's fate might be a topic of Heroes in Crisis #3, on sale Nov. 28.