Batman’s Latest Event Took Two Villains in Radical New Directions and That’s Exactly What DC Needed

“Batman: Bad Seeds” is the newest event that pits the extended Batman Family and Gotham City against a prehistoric forest that seeks to terraform the world, courtesy of Poison Ivy. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only villain the Bat-Family has to stop before sunrise, as Vandal Savage set his sights on taking out Ivy and Batman by any means necessary, which could destroy Gotham in the crossfire. The massive event just wrapped up, and while Batman managed to save Gotham, it left us with two massive new status quo shifts for both Ivy and Savage. Ivy herself has been stripped of her powers and position as mayor, while Vandal, the immortal man himself, has died.

Batman: Bad Seeds — Sunrise massively changed the game for everyone. Batman and Gotham as a whole are proudly returning to their normal status quo, with the stage set for Jim Gordon to even return as police commissioner sometime soon. However, these new directions for Poison Ivy and Savage are genuinely exactly the type of fresh story they both need. Ivy is being returned to her roots in a spectacular fashion, and while Savage is gone for the moment, the truth about his return is sure to shake Gotham City to its core.

The New Directions for Old Villains

Both Ivy and Vandal Savage have had new directions in the past few months, with both taking positions of political power in Gotham City, but fans always knew those were temporary. We were never going to get five years of Savage as a constant threat as the head of police, or Ivy as mayor for longer than the only story it made sense for. These were changes that drummed up drama and attention, yes, but they were ethereal by their very nature. Case in point, both came to a clashing conclusion in “Bad Seeds.” In an attempt to clear her debt with the rulers of the Green, Ivy sold them Gotham City, but when she failed to deliver, they stripped her of her powers. Meanwhile, Savage was decapitated by Killer Croc, who fled with his head, keeping the villain from resurrecting.

The Ivy change is especially interesting, as this is the first time she’ll be powerless in decades. In a sense, she’s returning to her original status as a femme fatale, using her scientific wits to accelerate her plans instead of her overwhelming might. Her solo comic confirms that Pam is going to focus on that neglected aspect of her character for the foreseeable future. This is a fantastic way to throw some spice into Ivy’s adventures, which had, frankly, become rather stale. Poison Ivy (2022) has a constant flow of action and development, pushing Ivy towards new directions that her appearances as a villain in other comics lacked.

Almost every modern Ivy story reads very similarly to each other, focusing much more on spectacle with her connection to plants than the scientific genius that got her there. This is a chance to give us an Ivy sotry like we’ve never seen in the modern era, given that Ivy hasn’t been truly powerless for many years. Her rise to political power and fall have focused on the human underneath the green, with all of her flaws and sadistic tendencies that drown out the good she could do. Now she’s without any of the power her stories have come to rely on, which means that her awesome character can shine through. However, the change with Savage might be even more drastic, and offers the potential for an even bigger story.

The Man Who Can’t Die Definitely Isn’t Done Yet

Vandal Savage’s entire gimmick is his immortality. He always rises from the grave, but the notorious “Gotham War” event tied his spirit to Gotham itself, meaning that he can no longer leave the city limits. Without his head, it’s unlikely that he can truly resurrect, but that doesn’t mean that he’s out for the count, either. Obviously, it’s only a matter of time before his head and body are reunited and he’s back to wreaking havoc on a global scale, but how we get there has some serious potential. Given that his body cannot recuperate and his soul cannot pass on, it’s incredibly likely that Savage will rise again as a ghost, or the spirit of Gotham itself.

The reason Savage is trapped is that a meteor carrying the same energy as the one that originally granted him immortality crashed in Gotham, infusing it with that power. Savage could rise as the living voice of Gotham itself, which already has more than its fair share of curses and potential demons that have potentially granted the city its own sentience. Vandal Savage is an endlessly patient monster, so imagine if he’s able to subtly influence the people of Gotham by rewriting the city itself. He could turn the public against Batman, or whisper in the ears of his greatest allies to make them lose their faith.

This temporary death gives Savage the chance to push the boundaries of what his immortality means, and whether that means he can always return, or that he can never truly die. Given his history, I’m much more inclined to believe the latter. I fully expect that this could lead into another giant storyline with the undead Savage ruling Gotham from just beyond the grave, and Batman is forced to fully resurrect him to finally put an end to his schemes. Vandal Savage has always been a master manipulator, but he’s never been a ghost that could haunt his enemies and the narrative, which is exactly the opportunity he has now.

These villains are moving in awesome new directions that feel like they can last well into the future, and that’s the best kind of change you could ask for, as it helps the stories feel more important and more real. Let us know which villains you’d love to tackle a different style in the comments below!

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