The Heroes in Crisis Murder Mystery *SPOILERS AHOY*

[legion_quest]

Interesting.

Could be Flash linked - could be something to do with The Button crossover and the Dommsday Clock story after all....

[Scott Taylor]

So just looking at the sessions, this issue is a real contrast to the last issue. Last issue showed heroes who were buying into the system and using the therapy (Wally, Booster, Lagoon Boy). This issue showed heroes who pretty much were bucking the system completely or showing how they didn't need help (Barbara, Black Canary and Donna). I'd include Harley in the latter category based on her showing up and mocking Ivy's session in the second issue.

To me, it seems likely that the word Puddler is being used ironically by the informant. As in, he/she sees themselves as the real Puddler and sees the so-called therapists at Sanctuary as frauds. This could mean that someone in a session in this issue is the informant, and my guess right now would be Batgirl just because of her detective skills. It could be Harley but that just seems really unlikely.

As to the murderer, I see it as being a person who used the AI as an accomplice who manipulated it into further traumatizing the heroes at Sanctuary rather than helping them. Our glimpse last month into the therapy sessions showed that it functions just to replay tragic moments or to wallow in misery, or do whatever a hero felt they needed. Very passive. I get that its a self-help approach, but its also a form of torture when you think about it.

The obvious choice for the murderer would be a former Teen Titans villain.

[Katana500]

So just looking at the sessions, this issue is a real contrast to the last issue. Last issue showed heroes who were buying into the system and using the therapy (Wally, Booster, Lagoon Boy). This issue showed heroes who pretty much were bucking the system completely or showing how they didn't need help (Barbara, Black Canary and Donna). I'd include Harley in the latter category based on her showing up and mocking Ivy's session in the second issue.

To me, it seems likely that the word Puddler is being used ironically by the informant. As in, he/she sees themselves as the real Puddler and sees the so-called therapists at Sanctuary as frauds. This could mean that someone in a session in this issue is the informant, and my guess right now would be Batgirl just because of her detective skills. It could be Harley but that just seems really unlikely.

As to the murderer, I see it as being a person who used the AI as an accomplice who manipulated it into further traumatizing the heroes at Sanctuary rather than helping them. Our glimpse last month into the therapy sessions showed that it functions just to replay tragic moments or to wallow in misery, or do whatever a hero felt they needed. Very passive. I get that its a self-help approach, but its also a form of torture when you think about it.

The obvious choice for the murderer would be a former Teen Titans villain.

Im not too sure it would make much sense for it to be Batgirl. If she was the one leaking the sessions then she would be jeapardizing her own identiy as well as Bruce's and by extension the rest of the Bat-Fams

[cranger]

Im not too sure it would make much sense for it to be Batgirl. If she was the one leaking the sessions then she would jeapardizing her own identiy as well as Bruce's and by extension the rest of the Bat-Fams

Could be Harley, something about the word Puddler being similar to Pudding. The word Puddler is still odd, like King thinks it fits the story, but it is hard to see someone using it. Which makes me wonder if Harley would know/use that kind of word, or maybe she just picked it up from someone talking about Sanctuary. Batgirl going after Harley is still out of place too. Maybe Batgirl fits in because she figured Harley was out of place and snooping, or maybe Batgirl was the leak and she feels responsible now to help Harley. They are the ones whose reaction we see to the news breaking, and that usually means something.

[king81992]

Could be Harley, something about the word Puddler being similar to Pudding. The word Puddler is still odd, like King thinks it fits the story, but it is hard to see someone using it. Which makes me wonder if Harley would know/use that kind of word, or maybe she just picked it up from someone talking about Sanctuary. Batgirl going after Harley is still out of place too. Maybe Batgirl fits in because she figured Harley was out of place and snooping, or maybe Batgirl was the leak and she feels responsible now to help Harley. They are the ones whose reaction we see to the news breaking, and that usually means something.

I can't see Harley being coherent or intelligent enough to leak a story to the Daily Planet. Puddler is either a red herring or the mastermind, especially if this ends with some character getting punished for a crime they didn't commit.

[TheJudge95]

DC-Nation-2018-003-039-600x803.jpg

I was more talking about this image. Also re: the word Puddler being related to the word puddling, maybe it's also related to the Riddler? Riddler was one of the characters teased as potential deaths, and he was part of the reason why Poison Ivy checked in at Sanctuary. I don't think King's writing style is such that he would go on a tangent about an 18th century metallurgy technique, so maybe a simpler explanation is warranted.

[Arsenal]

Maybe the Puddler is whatever’s left of Sanctuary’s AI? I assume something happened to it during the attack since it hasn’t really come up in the series so far beyond acknowledging one exists.

[Marxtles]

I have been reading this series and several things have been bothering me...particularly, the off panel (initially it was off panel) murder of several of DC's most loved characters (Wally West, Roy Harper and Poison Ivy to make a few).
And it really intrigued me that Batman and the Flash (top detectives and forensic experts) couldn't agree on a suspect with what evidence they had.
Also, they spent a lot of time detailing the psychological "Holo Deck" at Sanctuary.
Since this series is more in line with Identity Crisis than COIE...and the twist ending that was provided with Ray Palmer's ex wife being the murderer....could this hold true to this series, as well.
Tom King is writing Batman currently...and it's been shown that Batman has been patient there. It's well known the perfectionism that he maintains to do his job. Could this whole series be a "Holo Deck" therapy session for someone (maybe Bruce)? Not being there to save everyone? Getting the evidence wrong? Something he helped create being used to kill? I have read that Nightwing indirectly is a part of this story...but Nightwing has never appeared. Could this all be an illusion? Based on Bruce's guilt over Dick, his parents and his own failings?

[j9ac9k]

-- "The Puddlers (occupants of Sanctuary?) are dead."
-- Lois's informant, "The Puddler"
So... Lois's informant was someone at Sanctuary - a lone survivor?

Additional theory - that lone survivor was Nemesis. And he's hiding in plain sight - as Booster Gold. Hence, the discrepencies and lack of Force Field. And if anyone can fool Wonder Woman, perhaps it's her former flame...?

[byrd156]

-- "The Puddlers (occupants of Sanctuary?) are dead."
-- Lois's informant, "The Puddler"
So... Lois's informant was someone at Sanctuary - a lone survivor?

Additional theory - that lone survivor was Nemesis. And he's hiding in plain sight - as Booster Gold. Hence, the discrepencies and lack of Force Field. And if anyone can fool Wonder Woman, perhaps it's her former flame...?

Maybe Booster was dead the whole time.

[numberthirty]

"Couldn't you have helped with that?" LOL I loved that scene.

Honestly, I was a fan of that they just didn't let go of the bit. "Now, I'm going to wreck the dinosaur."

[numberthirty]

-- "The Puddlers (occupants of Sanctuary?) are dead."
-- Lois's informant, "The Puddler"
So... Lois's informant was someone at Sanctuary - a lone survivor?

Additional theory - that lone survivor was Nemesis. And he's hiding in plain sight - as Booster Gold. Hence, the discrepencies and lack of Force Field. And if anyone can fool Wonder Woman, perhaps it's her former flame...?

Booster also laid it on pretty thick for Ted.

Still seems like a little too perfect of a fit, but I haven't seen anyone mentioning recovering Nemesis' body.

[kjn]

Tom King is writing Batman currently...and it's been shown that Batman has been patient there. It's well known the perfectionism that he maintains to do his job. Could this whole series be a "Holo Deck" therapy session for someone (maybe Bruce)? Not being there to save everyone? Getting the evidence wrong? Something he helped create being used to kill? I have read that Nightwing indirectly is a part of this story...but Nightwing has never appeared. Could this all be an illusion? Based on Bruce's guilt over Dick, his parents and his own failings?

This same idea has come up in the main Heroes in Crisis thread, and there I had the following thoughts on that solution:

The thing is if it all turns out to be a sim, that might be worthwhile for a one-off story or an elseworlds story, but it undermines the fundamental contract that lies beneath all fiction: what happens to the characters in the story is real for them. This is arguably even more important for the super-long-form storytelling that DC is involved in.

And the more emotions that are put up about this among readers, the more important it is to signal that something is off in some way, and I haven't really seen any such signals from the story at all, and by now we're half-way.

So I believe backtracking—either by sim or by time travelling—would be lazy and destructive storytelling, satisfying no-one. Not the people who disliked the story, nor the people who liked it.

Perhaps I should add that no-one might be a tad harsh. You can find people who like that type of story, but they will likely only be a vocal minority (smaller than the Snydercut people). I believe that even among readers that like this form of ambigious storytelling (like I do, in small doses), Heroes in Crisis will be viewed as a poor example of the form.

[silly]

Maybe Booster was dead the whole time.

That better be not the case.

[cranger]

-- "The Puddlers (occupants of Sanctuary?) are dead."
-- Lois's informant, "The Puddler"
So... Lois's informant was someone at Sanctuary - a lone survivor?

Additional theory - that lone survivor was Nemesis. And he's hiding in plain sight - as Booster Gold. Hence, the discrepencies and lack of Force Field. And if anyone can fool Wonder Woman, perhaps it's her former flame...?

It is actually signed "The Puddlers"