Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Poison Ivy #22!The ultimate Gotham “Nobody” has revealed who the city’s true heroes are, and it’s not Batman or the Bat-Family, as most fans believe. The Dark Knight and his ever-growing Bat-Family have become the quintessential heroes of Gotham and its neverending war on crime. However, while they have done a lot of good to defend the citizens, a character on the city’s street-level sees things a bit differently.

In Poison Ivy #22, Ivy rescues the woman she calls Janet-from-HR, who came back into the villain-turned-hero’s life earlier in her solo-series, is caught in the mix and nearly killed by the villainous Dr. Woodrue. When she’s saved by Ivy, Solomon Grundy and Killer Croc, the latter two take her to safety, where she reveals that she feels more comfortable around Gotham’s villains than its heroes.

According to Janet, villains are more likely to get things done than heroes because they’re not bound by a set of rules, making her feel far safer with the “monsters” than Gotham’s protectors.

A Regular Gotham Citizen Just Declared The City’s Rogues Its Real Protectors

Poison Ivy #22 Written By G. Willow Wilson; Art By Haining; Color By Arif Prianto; Lettering By Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

This observation from Janet in Poison Ivy #22 can be considered highly understandable, given how bad things have gotten in Gotham over the years. It is a notoriously crime-ridden city, and while Batman and the Bat-Family continue to fight for justice to the extent they can, they have a very strict moral code that allows evil to wiggle through and continue to cause harm to those that need help. Meanwhile, the city’s villains aren’t restricted by rules, giving them far more options to get things done than the heroes ever can.

Of course, this all depends on the villain. Not every member of Batman’s rogues’ gallery is capable of doing things for the common good. The Joker, in particular, is infamous for being completely chaotic. The only time he has ever done anything to protect others was when he discovered that Red Skull was a Nazi. Other than that, he’s evil to the core, with a long history of despicable acts that have made him irredeemable. In reality, it is the misunderstood villains – like Ivy, Grundy, and Killer Croc – in whom Janet-from-HR feels she can place her trust.

Gotham’s Criminals Can Serve The City In Ways The Bat-Family Can’t

Sometimes It Takes A Villain

Of course, the Bat-Family shouldn’t throw their codebook out the window in order to gain points among doubtful citizens. Even though their rules make it difficult at times to ensure evil stays defeated, their morals are the soul of who they are and what they believe in. However, Janet-from-HR – someone Dr. Woodrue calls a “nobody,” but whom can be taken to represent Gotham’s populace at large, at least to some degree – offers an alternative perspective worth considering. In a way, the Bat-Family and Gotham’s villains with moral principles, manage to balance each other out for the betterment of the city.

The Bat-Family’s code of conduct comes with its own set of flaws, but it’s what has made them DC’s moral core over the years. They’re a shining example for those in Gotham, but at times, the city needs heroes who will get down in the dirt. While Batman and his team serve as the hopeful side of what the city can achieve, the villains aren’t afraid to make ends meet, by any means necessary. As Poison Ivy #22 makes clear, the city’s villains are just as important as Batman and the Bat-Family, at least according to a “nobody” like Janet.