Scarecrow (DC Comics)

The Scarecrow
Cover of Detective Comics (Vol. 2) #23.3 (September 2013). Art by Jason Fabok.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941)
Created by	Bob Kane Bill Finger
In-story information
Alter ego	Dr. Jonathan Crane
Team affiliations	Injustice League Injustice Gang Secret Society of Super Villains Sinestro Corps Legion of Doom
Notable aliases	Professor Rance Scarebeast Ichabod Crane Master of Fear Prince of Panic Schrocken Yellow Lantern
Abilities	Expert in the fields of psychology and chemistry Criminal mastermind Utilizes chemical agents that induce fear and hallucinations

The Scarecrow (Dr. Jonathan Crane) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941).

As the self-proclaimed "Master of Fear", the Scarecrow is an obsessive and deranged ex-professor of psychology in Gotham City, who uses a variety of experimental drugs and psychological tactics to exploit the fears and phobias of his victims. He is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

Since his debut, the character has been featured in various media adaptations, such as feature films, television series and video games. The Scarecrow has been voiced by Henry Polic II, Jeffrey Combs and Jeff Bennett in the DC Animated Universe, Robert Englund in Injustice 2, Dino Andrade and John Noble in the Batman: Arkham series, among others, while his live-action portrayals include Cillian Murphy in The Dark Knight Trilogy and Charlie Tahan in the television series Gotham. In 2009, The Scarecrow was ranked as IGN's 58th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Publication history

A full page of panel of World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941), featuring the Scarecrow's debut. Art by Bob Kane.

Bill Finger and Bob Kane introduced Scarecrow in the fall of 1941 for World's Finest Comics #3, during the Golden Age of Comic Books, in which he only made two appearances. The character was revived during the Silver Age of Comic Books by writer Gardner Fox and artist Sheldon Moldoff in the pages of Batman #189 (February 1967), still maintaining his origin story from the Golden Age. It was also in Batman #189 that the Scarecrow's fear gas debutted.

Following the 1986 multi-title event Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot, the character's origin story is expanded in Batman Annual #19 and the miniseries Batman/Scarecrow: Year One, with this narrative also revealing that Crane has a fear of bats. In 2011, as a result of The New 52 reboot, Scarecrow's origin (as well as that of various other DC characters) is completely altered, incorporating several elements that differ from its original.

Fictional character biography

During his childhood and adolescence, Jonathan Crane was obsessed with fear and revenge as a result of having been constantly bullied, especially because of his resemblance to Ichabod Crane from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. After being humiliated by school bully Bo Griggs and rejected by cheerleader Sherry Squires, he takes revenge during the senior prom by donning his trademark scarecrow costume and brandishing a gun in the school parking lot; in the ensuing chaos, Griggs gets into a car accident, paralyzing himself and killing Squires.

Crane's obsession with fear leads to his becoming a psychologist, taking a position at Arkham Asylum and performing fear-inducing experiments on his patients. He is also a professor of psychology at Gotham University, specializing in the study of phobias. He loses his job after he fires a gun inside a packed classroom, accidentally wounding a student; he takes revenge by killing the professors responsible for his termination, and becoming a career criminal. As a college professor, Crane mentored a young Thomas Elliot. The character also has a cameo in Sandman #5, seeming uncharacteristically friendly.

In stories by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, the Scarecrow is depicted as one of the more deranged criminals in Batman's rogues gallery, with a habit of speaking in nursery rhymes. These stories further revise his backstory, explaining that he was raised by his fanatically religious grandmother, whom he murdered as a teenager.

Criminal career

Scarecrow plays a prominent role in Doug Moench's "Terror" storyline, set in Batman's early years, where Scarecrow is broken out of prison by the mysteriously returned Professor Hugo Strange, who selects Scarecrow as an ally to help him capture Batman. Scarecrow turns on Strange when Strange's therapy proves effective enough to turn the Scarecrow against his 'benefactor', impaling him on a weather vane and throwing him in the cellar of his own mansion. The Scarecrow then uses Strange's mansion as a trap for Batman, but it is less effective than Strange's plan of attack due to Scarecrow lacking knowledge of Batman's identity; Scarecrow uses Strange's plan to lure Batman to Crime Alley, but his 'trap' consists of simply decapitating one of his former classmates in the alley in front of Batman. With the help of Catwoman—whom Scarecrow had attempted to blackmail into helping him by capturing her and photographing her unmasked face—Batman catches Scarecrow, but loses sight of Strange, with it being unclear whether Strange had actually survived the fall onto the weather vane—he claimed that he lured rats to himself by using his sweat so that he could eat them—or if Scarecrow and Batman were hallucinating from exposure to Scarecrow's fear toxin, although Batman concludes that the subsequent explosion of the house has definitely killed Strange.

Scarecrow appears in Batman: The Long Halloween, first seen escaping from Arkham on Mother's Day with help from Carmine Falcone, who also helps the Mad Hatter to breakout. The Scarecrow gases Batman with fear toxin as he escapes, causing Batman to flee to his parent's grave as Bruce Wayne, where he is arrested by Commissioner Jim Gordon due to Wayne's suspected ties to Falcone. Scarecrow robs a bank with the Mad Hatter on Independence Day for Falcone, but is stopped by Batman and Catwoman. He later appears in Falcone's office on Halloween with Batman's future rogue's gallery, but is defeated by Batman. Scarecrow returns in Batman: Dark Victory as part of Two-Face's gang, and is first seen putting fear gas in children's dolls on Christmas Eve. He is eventually defeated by Batman. He later appears as one of the villains present at Calendar Man's trial. It is revealed he and Calendar Man had been manipulating Falcone's son Alberto; Scarecrow had determined that Alberto feared his father, and poisoned his cigarettes with fear toxin to bring out the fear; Calendar Man, meanwhile, had been talking to Alberto, with the fear toxin making Alberto hear his father's voice. Together, they manipulate Alberto into making an unsuccessful assassination attempt on his sister, Sofia Gigante. After Two-Face's hideout is attacked, Batman captures Scarecrow, who tells him where Two-Face is heading. In Catwoman: When in Rome, Scarecrow supplies the Riddler with fear gas to manipulate Catwoman, and later aids Riddler when he fights Catwoman in Rome. Scarecrow accidentally attacks Cheetah with his scythe before Catwoman knocks him out.

The Scarecrow appears in such story arcs as Knightfall and Shadow of the Bat, first teaming with the Joker to ransom off the mayor of Gotham City. Batman foils their plan, and forces them to retreat. Scarecrow betrays Joker by spraying him with fear gas, but it has absolutely no effect; Joker then beats Scarecrow senseless with a chair. Scarecrow later tries to take over Gotham with an army of hypnotized college students, commanding them to spread his fear gas all over the city. His lieutenant is the son of the first man he killed. He is confronted by both Batman-Azrael and Anarky, and tries to escape by forcing his lieutenant to jump off of a building. Batman-Azrael knocks him out, and Anarky manages to save the boy.

Despite his criminal history, he is still recognized as a skilled psychologist. When Aquaman needed insight into a serial killer operating in his new city of Sub Diego - San Diego having been sunk and the inhabitants turned into water-breathers by a secret organization - he consulted Crane for insight into the pattern of the killer's crimes, Crane determining that the victims had been chosen as the initials of their first and last names spelled out the message 'I can't take it any more' (thus allowing Aquaman to determine both the true identity and final target of the real killer).

Cover image for the graphic novel As the Crow Flies. Art by Richard Friend and Dustin Nguyen.

In the 2004 story arc As the Crow Flies, Scarecrow is hired by the Penguin under false pretenses. Dr. Linda Friitawa then secretly mutates Scarecrow into a murderous creature known as the "Scarebeast", who Penguin uses to kill off his disloyal minions. The character's later appearances all show him as an unmutated Crane again, except for an appearance during the War Games story arc. Scarecrow appears in the third issue of War Games saving Black Mask from Batman and acting as the crime lord's ally, until Black Mask uses him to disable a security measure in the Clock Tower by literally throwing Scarecrow at it. Scarecrow wakes up, transforms into Scarebeast, and wreaks havoc outside the building trying to find and kill Black Mask. The police are unable to take it down, and allow Catwoman, Robin, Tarantula II, and Onyx to fight Scarebeast, as Commissioner Atkins had told all officers to capture or kill any vigilantes, costumed criminals or "masks" they find. Even they cannot defeat the Scarebeast, though he appears to have been defeated after the Clock Tower explodes.

The Scarecrow reappears alongside other Batman villains in Gotham Underground; first among the villains meeting at the Iceberg Lounge to be captured by the Suicide Squad. Scarecrow escapes by gassing Bronze Tiger with fear toxin. He later appears warning the Ventriloquist II, Firefly, Killer Moth and Lock-Up, who are planning to attack the Penguin that Penguin is allied with the Suicide Squad. The villains wave off his warnings and mock him. He later leads the same four into a trap orchestrated by Tobias Whale. Killer Moth, Firefly and Lock-Up all survive, but are injured and unconscious to varied degrees, the Scarface puppet is "killed", and Peyton Reily, the new Ventriloquist, is unharmed, though after the attack she is taken away by Tobias Whale's men. Whale then betrays Scarecrow simply for touching his shoulder (it is revealed Whale almost pathologically hates "masks" because his grandfather was one of the first citizens of Gotham killed by a masked criminal). The story arc ends with Scarecrow beaten and tied up by Tobias Whale, as a sign to all "masks" that they are not welcome in Whale's new vision of Gotham.

Scarecrow appears in Batman: Hush, working for the Riddler and Hush. He composes profiles on the various villains of Gotham so Riddler and Hush can manipulate them to their own ends. He later gases Huntress with his fear gas, making her attack Catwoman. He attacks Batman in a graveyard, only to learn his fear gas is ineffective (due to Hush's bug), but before he can reveal this he is knocked out by Jason Todd. Scarecrow also appears in Batman: Heart of Hush, kidnapping a child to distract Batman so Hush can attack Catwoman. When Batman goes to rescue the child, Scarecrow activates a Venom implant, causing the boy to attack Batman. He is defeated when Batman ties the boy's teddy bear to Scarecrow, causing the child to attack Scarecrow. After he is captured, Batman attacks him in prison to get Hush's location.

In the Battle for the Cowl storyline, Scarecrow is recruited by a new Black Mask to be a part of a group of villains who are aiming to take over Gotham in the wake of Batman's apparent death. He later assists the crime lord in manufacturing a recreational drug called "Thrill," which draws the attention of Oracle and Batgirl. He is later defeated by Batgirl and once again arrested.

Blackest Night

Scarecrow briefly appears in the fourth issue of the Blackest Night storyline. His immunity to fear (brought about by frequent exposure to his own fear toxin) renders him practically invisible to the invading Black Lanterns. The drug has taken a further toll on his sanity, exacerbated by the long disappearance of Batman in the Batman R.I.P. storyline; he develops a literal addiction to fear, exposing himself deliberately to the revenant army, but knowing that only Batman could scare him again. Using a duplicate of Sinestro's power ring, he is deputized into the Sinestro Corps for 24 hours in order to combat the Black Lanterns. Overjoyed at finally being able to feel fear again, Scarecrow gleefully and without question follows Sinestro's commands. His joy is cut short when Lex Luthor, overwhelmed by the orange light of Avarice, steals his ring.

Brightest Day

During the events of Brightest Day, Scarecrow begins kidnapping and murdering college interns working for LexCorp as a way of getting back at Lex Luthor for stealing his ring. When Robin and Supergirl attempt to stop his plans, Scarecrow unleashes a new fear toxin that is powerful enough to affect a Kryptonian. The toxin forces Supergirl to see visions of a Black Lantern Reactron, but she is able to snap out of the illusion and help Robin defeat Scarecrow. He is eventually freed from Arkham when Deathstroke and the Titans break into the asylum in order to capture one of the inmates.

The New 52

Scarecrow on the cover of Batman: The Dark Knight vol. 2, #12 (October 2012). Art by David Finch, Richard Friend, and Sonia Oback.

In The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), Scarecrow is a central villain in the Batman family of books and first appeared in the New 52 in Batman: The Dark Knight #4 (February 2012), written by David Finch and Paul Jenkins. His origin story is also altered; in this continuity, his father used him as a test subject in his fear-based experiments. As part of the experiments, Jonathan was locked inside a little dark room, while his father (who was examining the test's effects from the outside) suffered a heart attack and died, leaving Jonathan trapped in the test chamber for days until being freed by some employers of the University. As a result of this event, he was traumatized for most of his childhood, and eventually developed an obsession with fear. He became a psychologist, specializing in phobias. Eventually, Crane began using patients as test subjects for his fear toxin. His turn to criminality is also markedly different, as he was fired from his professorship for covering an arachnophobic student with spiders, and became a criminal after stabbing a patient to death.

The Scarecrow had kidnapped Poison Ivy, and works with Bane to create and distribute to various Arkham inmates, a new form of Venom infused with the Scarecrow's fear toxin. With the help of Superman and The Flash, Batman defeats the villains. The Scarecrow surfaces again in Batman: The Dark Knight #10, penned by Gregg Hurwitz, for a six-issue arc. The Scarecrow kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and several children, and eventually releases his fear toxin into the atmosphere. Scarecrow is also used as a pawn by the Joker, for his "Death of the Family" plot; he is referred to as Batman's Physician.

Scarecrow appears in Swamp Thing #19 (June 2013), clipping flowers for his toxins at the Metropolis Botanical Garden. Swamp Thing attempts to save Scarecrow from cutting a poisonous flower, not realizing who the villain is. Scarecrow attempts to use his fear toxin on Swamp Thing. The toxin causes Swamp Thing to lose control of his powers, until Superman intervenes.

He is later approached by the Outsider of the Secret Society of Super Villains to join up with the group. Scarecrow accepts the offer.

As part of "Villains Month", Detective Comics vol. 2, #23.3 (Sept. 2013) was titled The Scarecrow #1. Scarecrow goes to see Killer Croc, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Riddler and informs them of a war at Blackgate Penitentiary is coming and learns where each of the alliances live. Through his conversations with each, Scarecrow learns that Bane may be the cause of the Blackgate uprising and will be their leader in the impending war. It was also stated that that Talons from the Court of Owls were stored at Blackgate on ice. Later, looking over the divided city, Scarecrow claims that once the war is over and the last obstacle has fallen, Gotham City would be his. Scarecrow approaches Professor Pyg at Gotham Memorial Hospital to see if he will give his supplies and Dollotrons to Scarecrow's followers. Scarecrow goes to Penguin next, who has already planned for the impending war, by blowing up the bridges giving access to Gotham City. Scarecrow and Man-Bat attempt to steal the frozen Talons from Blackgate while Penguin is having a meeting with Bane. Killer Croc rescues Scarecrow and Man-Bat from Blackgate and brings Scarecrow to Wayne Tower, where he gives Killer Croc Wayne Tower as it no longer suits him. Scarecrow begins waking the Talons in his possession, having doused them with his fear gas and using Mad Hatter's mind-control technology in their helmets to control them. At Arkham Asylum, Scarecrow senses that he has lost the Talons after Bane freed them from Mad Hatter's mind-control technology. Scarecrow then turns to his next plan, giving the other inmates a small dose of Bane's Venom to temporarily transform them. Upon Bane declaring that Gotham City is finally his, he has Scarecrow hanged between two buildings.

In Batman and Robin Eternal, flashbacks reveal that Scarecrow was the first villain faced by Dick Grayson as Robin in the New 52 universe, when his and Batman's investigations into Scarecrow's activities led Batman to Mother, a woman who believes that tragedy and trauma serve as 'positive' influences to help the victims become stronger. To this end, Mother has Scarecrow develop a new style of fear toxin that would make the brain suffer the same experience as witnessing a massive trauma, but Scarecrow turns against Mother as the victims of this plan would become incapable of feeling anything. Recognizing that he will be killed once he has outlived his usefulness, Scarecrow attempts to turn himself over to Batman, but Batman uses this opportunity to have Crane deliver a fake psychological profile of him to Mother, claiming that Batman is a scared child terrified of fear and losing others to make Mother think she understands him. In the present day, as Mother unleashes a new hypnotic signal to take control of the world's children, the Bat Family abduct Scarecrow to brew up a new batch of his trauma toxin after determining that it nullifies the controlling influence of Mother's signal until they can shut down her main base.

DC Rebirth

In the DC Rebirth rebooted universe, Scarecrow has a cameo appearance as one of the many trials that Batman's apprentice Duke Thomas has faced in his training. He later works with The Haunter to release a low dose of fear gas around Gotham on Christmas, and sets up a small stand for her to pickup the fear gas. Both he and Haunter are paralyzed by the effects of the fear gas and arrested by Batman. The Scarecrow later emerges using a Sinestro Corps' Power ring to induce fear and rage against Batman in random citizens throughout Gotham, to the point where he provokes Alfred Pennyworth into threatening to shoot Simon Baz as part of his final assault.

Powers, abilities and equipment

Jonathan Crane is a brilliant psychologist who specializes in fear and phobias. With this knowledge, he knows how to use words to affect a person's actions.

Though he doesn't do so often, Scarecrow is skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He is a master of Crane style Kung-Fu, which he uses as part of a self-created style of combat known as "violent dancing", which also incorporates drunken boxing and makes use of his long arms and legs.

In the story arc As the Crow Flies, after been secretly mutated by Dr. Linda Friitawa, Scarecrow gains the ability to turn into a large monster with greatly enhanced strength, endurance, and a fear gas he naturally emits. However, he has to be under physical strain or duress to transform.

Fear gas

He is also an accomplished biochemist for his invention of fear gas, also known as fear toxin, that causes his victims to experience nightmarish hallucinations. He wears his Scarecrow mask to enhance the effect of the hallucinogen. The mask contains filters to protect him from his own gas. Prolonged exposure to his own gas has damaged Crane's brain despite measures that have been made to protect himself from it, rendering him nearly incapable of being afraid of anything, except Batman. This is problematic for him, as he is addicted to fear and compulsively seeks out confrontations with Batman to feed his addiction.

Weapons

The Scarecrow at times wields a scythe which he uses in addition to his "violent dancing". Scarecrow also uses a hand-held fear gas sprayer in the shape of a human skull, straws which he leaves as a calling card, special straws which can be snapped in half to release a fear poison (as seen in Batman: Hush) and stuffed scarecrows which scare his victims.

During the Blackest Night mini-series, Scarecrow is temporarily deputized into the Sinestro Corps by a duplicate of Sinestro's Power ring. He proves to be very capable in manipulating the light of fear to create constructs, until his ring is stolen by Lex Luthor.

Other versions

As one of Batman's most recognizable and popular opponents, the Scarecrow appears in numerous comics which are not considered part of the regular DC continuity, including:

Batman/Daredevil

The Scarecrow appears in Batman/Daredevil: King of New York, in which he attempts to use the Kingpin's crime empire to disperse his fear gas over Gotham City. He is defeated when Daredevil, the "Man Without Fear", proves immune to the gas.

DC vs. Marvel

In DC vs. Marvel, the Scarecrow temporarily allies with the Marvel Universe Scarecrow to capture Lois Lane before they are both easily defeated by Ben Reilly.

JSA: The Liberty Files

The Scarecrow is featured in part two of the four-part in JSA: The Liberty Files. This version of Scarecrow is portrayed as a German agent who kills a contact working for the Bat (Batman), the Clock (Hourman), and the Owl (Doctor Mid-Nite). In a struggle with Scarecrow, the fiancée of agent Terry Sloane is killed. This causes Sloane to return to the field as Mister Terrific and kill Scarecrow.

Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty

A stand-in for Jonathan Crane named Jenna Clarke/Scarecrone appears in the Elseworlds original graphic novel Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty as a henchwoman/consort under the employ of Vandal Savage. Scarecrone also acts as a stand-in for Two-Face. She has the power to invade a person's psyche and make their deepest fears appear as illusions simply by touching them. "Scarecrone" is actually a separate personality from Jenna Clarke, Vandal Savage requires Clarke to switch to her Scarecrone persona through a special formula that he has made Clarke dependent on. The two personalities are actually extremely antagonistic towards each other. It's revealed that when the formula brings out Scarecrone the right side of her face becomes heavily scarred. This scarring is healed once the formula wears off and the Jenna Clarke personality becomes dominant again.

Justice

The Scarecrow is one of the main characters in Alex Ross' maxi-series Justice as part of the Legion of Doom. He is first seen out of costume in a hospital, injecting a girl in a wheelchair with a serum allowing her to walk. Scarecrow was later seen in costume during Lex Luthor's speech alongside Clayface inside the home of Black Canary and Green Arrow. Crane gases Canary while Clayface attacks Green Arrow, but the attack fails on Crane's end when Black Canary finds her husband attacked by Clayface. Oliver defeats Clayface by electrocuting him with a lamp, and the duo flee soon after Canary unleashes her Canary Cry. Scarecrow is later seen with Clayface and Parasite, having captured Commissioner Gordon, Batgirl, and Supergirl. When the Justice League storms the Hall of Doom, Scarecrow does not appear to face any particular target and duels the League as a whole. He is one of the few villains to escape the League's initial attack. The Justice League follows Scarecrow to his city, whereupon he sends his city's population to attack the League, knowing that they would not hurt civilians. However, John Stewart's ring frees the city from Scarecrow's control, subsequently freeing Scarecrow from Brainiac's control. Scarecrow does not seem bothered by this realization, admitting he would have done it anyway. He causes a diversion by releasing his fear gas into his entire city, driving his citizens into a homicidal frenzy, and manages to escape capture, but he is ambushed and nearly killed by the Joker in retaliations for not having been invited to the Legion of Doom. Scarecrow's city is again saved by the Justice League.

Batman: Crimson Mist

The Scarecrow appears in the third and final chapter of Batman & Dracula: Red Rain, in which his suit has been adorned with laces of severed fingers from past victims — the bullies who tormented him in school. He is about to kill a former football player when vampire Batman appears, noting that Scarecrow is almost worse than him; he now has no choice but to kill, but Scarecrow has a choice and yet he chose to prey on innocents. Batman then grabs Scarecrow's vial of fear gas, crushing it along with the supervillain's hand, and cuts Scarecrow's head off with his own sickle, declaring that Scarecrow has no idea what fear really is.

The Batman Adventures

In The Batman Adventures #1, Scarecrow is seen along some other Batman rogues at Arkham Asylum. In issue #9, Scarecrow is seen during a flashback sequence. Series writer Ty Templeton mentioned during an interview that he originally wanted to use the Scarecrow in a story which would have revealed why an accident and a murder trial provoked him to change his costume, as his face was never seen in The New Batman Adventures TV show, but the series was canceled before Scarecrow's mystery could have been revealed.

Batman Beyond

In the 2010 adaptation of Batman Beyond, the character never appears on screen, but it is mentioned that Crane ended up retiring from his life of crime, and spent the last ten years of his life writing out experiments.

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Scarecrow is one of the many villains subsequently killed by Batman.

Batman: Earth One

In the Batman: Earth One graphic novel, Dr. Jonathan Crane is mentioned as the head of the Crane Institute for the Criminally Insane, and one of its escapees is one Ray Salinger, also known as the "Birthday Boy", used by Mayor Cobblepot to his advantages.

Batman: Arkham Unhinged

In Batman: Arkham Unhinged, the Mad Hatter mentioned that he acquired and modified Scarecrow's fear gas to make Batman see his "Alices" as various Alice in Wonderland characters who, in turn, were drugged by Hatter and placed under his control.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

The Scarecrow appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us's prequel comic. In Year One, the alternate universe's Joker poisons Scarecrow with his laughing toxin, which left him in a state of induced coma. Later, Scarecrow's body is found in S.T.A.R. Labs by the Flash, with his face twisted into a smile. Joker would use Scarecrow's fear toxin laced with kryptonite to make Superman see his wife Lois as Doomsday, causing the Man of Steel to accidentally murder her and seal Metropolis's fate. In Year Five, after awakening from his coma, Scarecrow goes to Bludhaven, where he meets with Black Mask, Man-Bat, Bronze Tiger, Mad Hatter, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Robin later arrives and fights the villains. When they start to overwhelm Robin, Deadman arrives and possesses Bronze Tiger to knock out the villains before calling for help.

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

In Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover, the Scarecrow appears mutated into a crow as one of the various other Arkham inmates mutated by Shredder and Foot Clan to attack Batman and Robin. Batman is captured, but Robin manages to escape. The Ninja Turtles and Splinter then arrive, where Splinter defeats the mutated villains, while Batman uses his new Intimidator Armor to defeat Shredder and the Turtles defeat Ra's al Ghul. Later, Gordon tells Batman that the police scientists have managed to turn all of the inmates at Arkham back to normal and are currently in A.R.G.U.S. custody.

Batman '66

The Scarecrow appears in Batman '66 (which is based on the 1966 TV series). This version of the character was adopted in the childhood and raised in a small Appalachian town, aptly named Jitters Holler, after being abandoned by his parents. He also was bullied by his adoptive brother Zeke, who constantly scared Jonathan with a scarecrow. After heading off to college, Crane returns to exact his revenge in the citizens of Gotham City. While robbing the bank of Gotham, Scarecrow is confronted by Batman and Robin and, through a weapon created by himself, infects them with his fear gas, making them see their greatest fears and allowing the Scarecrow a chance to escape. After that, Batman and Robin follow a trail of clues which lead them to Jitters Holler, where they confront the villain and are able to defeat the Scarecrow after exposing him to his own fear gas.

In other media

Television

Live-action

Charlie Tahan as The Scarecrow in Gotham.

The Scarecrow appears in Gotham, portrayed by Charlie Tahan. He is introduced in the first season episodes "The Fearsome Dr. Crane" and "The Scarecrow". His father, Gerald Crane (portrayed by Julian Sands), creates the "fear toxin", a serum designed to eliminate fear, and then injects Jonathan with it. Detectives Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock save Jonathan's life, but are too late to save his sanity; the toxin has left him in a state of perpetual terror, plagued by hallucinations of his greatest fear: scarecrows. He is next seen in the season four episode "The Fear Reaper", in which he is institutionalized in Gotham Asylum, where the corrupt administrator uses his fears to keep him under control. A gang of criminals led by Grady Harris and Merton kidnaps him and forces him to re-create his father's fear toxin so they can use it to control Gotham City. Jonathan eventually embraces his fear, however, and uses the toxin against his captors. He then wreaks havoc on Gotham with the toxin as "The Scarecrow".

Animation

• Scarecrow appears in the 1968 The Batman/Superman Hour episode "The Great Scarecrow Scare", voiced by Ted Knight. Although he does not use fear gas in this series, he uses knock-out gas which he keeps in eggs.
• Scarecrow appears in the 1978 Challenge of the Super Friends, voiced by Don Messick. He is as a member of Lex Luthor's Legion of Doom and is shown to have control over a flock of crows, but no other powers.
• Scarecrow appears in the Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, voiced by Andre Stojka. In the episode "The Fear", Scarecrow captures Robin and Wonder Woman after he expose them and Batman to his fear transmitters, as he forces the Caped Crusader to relive the memories of his parents' murder in Crime Alley, which would be the first animated rendition of Batman's origin. In the same episode, Professor Crane was working as a consultant for Commissioner Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department to help them find Scarecrow and put an end to his exploits of fear, without anyone knowing yet that both are the same person. Using his detective skills, Batman was able to figure out that Scarecrow and Professor Crane were one and the same. Later, Batman confronts the villain in a cornfield, where he was soon able to apprehend Crane, rescue Wonder Woman and Robin, and turn him over to the Gotham City Police.
• Scarecrow appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. In the episode "Trials of the Demon", he collaborates with Scream Queen to put jack-o'-lanterns filled with fear gas on a Halloween night in a local neighborhood. Scarecrow is defeated by Batman while Scream Queen is defeated by the Flash using the toxin in some pumpkins in a patch against Scream Queen. Scarecrow appears as an inmate at Blackgate Penitentiary in the episode "Night of the Huntress", and is among the singing inmates at Arkham Asylum in the episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!".

DC Animated Universe

Scarecrow's designs throughout Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.

• The Scarecrow is featured in multiple animated series set in the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Henry Polic II with a British accent in Batman: The Animated Series, and by Jeffrey Combs (in "Never Fear") and Jeff Bennett (in "Over the Edge", albeit uncredited) in The New Batman Adventures.
  • The character first appears in Batman: The Animated Series. In the episode "Nothing to Fear", he plots to use his fear gas to take revenge on the Gotham University Board members who fired him for experimenting on his students. Scarecrow drugs Batman with his fear toxin, inflicting upon the Dark Knight visions of his worst fear: his late father, Thomas Wayne, telling his son that he is ashamed of him. Scarecrow kidnaps the Dean of the University and escapes in a stolen Gotham police blimp. But when Batman arrives, he activates a self-destruct mechanism and leaves the two to die. During the assault on the blimp, Batman wills himself to overcome the toxin, and uses Scarecrow's own weapon against him. Scarecrow hallucinates about his own phobia - a fear of bats - and collapses into helpless terror; Batman then takes him to Arkham Asylum. In the episode "Fear of Victory", Scarecrow combines his fear gas with adrenalin to use on Gotham's athletes, rendering them unable to play; he then bets against their teams. He is defeated by Batman and Robin (Dick Grayson) before he can realize the final stage of his plan: to use fear toxin on an entire stadium. In the episode "Dreams of Darkness", Scarecrow plots to taint the water supply beneath Arkham with fear toxin, in the process using it on Batman put in Arkham; Batman manages to overcome the toxin, and defeats Scarecrow. In the episode "Trial", Scarecrow makes a non-voiced appearance (due to Henry Polic's throat surgery) on the jury during the rogue's gallery's 'trial' against Batman. In the episode "Lock Up", Scarecrow meets his match with Arkham security guard Lyle Bolton's brutal interrogation methods terrifying even him; he breaks out of Arkham to get away from Bolton, only to be brought back by Batman and Robin. Scarecrow joins Harley Quinn and the Ventriloquist & Scarface in issuing a complaint, resulting in Bolton being fired. When Bolton, as the villain Lock-Up, ends up in Arkham, Scarecrow vows to "teach [Lock-Up] new lessons in fear".
  • Scarecrow returns in The New Batman Adventures. The character gets revamped from his earlier appearances because producer Bruce Timm felt the character never actually looked scary; this problem was finally rectified with the second redesign. Director Dan Riba said that he "evolved the most of all the characters", saying that "we got darker, darker, and darker with the character". Timm described the revamped look as resembling a "western preacher", complete with a noose around his neck, as well as a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Leatherface, kind of look, and it really had nothing to do with being a Scarecrow per se. But he was definitely scary". This version was never shown out of costume, because Paul Dini said "we weren't even sure if there was an actual guy in the suit" and also spoke in a low, rasping whisper with which the show's creators felt he should have spoken with all along. In the episode "Never Fear", Scarecrow creates a new toxin that completely eliminates fear and makes its victims reckless and dangerous. Batman is exposed to the gas, which renders the Dark Knight unafraid to kill. When Batman begins to lose control, Robin (Tim Drake) subdues Batman and goes after Scarecrow himself. Batman escapes and nearly kills Scarecrow, until Robin gives the Dark Knight the antidote; the Dynamic Duo then apprehend him peacefully and take him to Arkham Asylum. In the episode "Over the Edge", Scarecrow attacks Gotham City Hall, and sprays Batgirl with his fear toxin. The poison makes her have a nightmare in which she is killed and a vendetta erupts between Batman and her father, Commissioner Gordon. Barbara later awakes from this nightmare when the fear toxin wears off.
  • Scarecrow was originally planned to appear in the third season of Justice League Unlimited, as a member of the Legion of Doom. Due to the Bat-embargo, this was not possible. This would have been a tribute to the fact that he was one of the original 13 members of the Legion of Doom in Challenge of the Super Friends.

Film

Live-action

• Scarecrow was one of the villains planned to star in Batman Unchained, the fifth in the Batman film series, before it was cancelled. Actors Nicolas Cage, Steve Buscemi and Jeff Goldblum were courted for the role,; Coolio's uncredited role in Batman & Robin was revealed to have been a portrayal of Jonathan Crane in February 2017,, with Coolio set to reprise the role in Batman Unchained. The Scarecrow would have appeared alongside Harley Quinn. Scarecrow's fear gas was meant to resurrect the Joker, who would be portrayed by Jack Nicholson once again.
• Scarecrow was intended to appear as the main villain of Batman: DarKnight, another film of the Batman film series that was canceled. In the film, Dr. Jonathan Crane uses his position as professor of psychology at Gotham University and as head psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum to conduct experiments concerning fear (this element would later appear in Batman Begins). During a vengeful confrontation with a colleague, Dr. Kirk Langstrom, Crane unknowingly initiates Langstrom's transformation into the creature known as Man-Bat. Crane then exacts revenge on those responsible for his dismissal from both Arkham and the university while encountering truths about his past.
• A concept art of Scarecrow for Suicide Squad reveals that he was originally set to appear in the film, but was cut for unknown reasons.

The Dark Knight Trilogy

Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow in Batman Begins.

• Cillian Murphy portrays Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, and is the only villain to appear in all three films. This version of Scarecrow wears a burlap sack with a built-in rebreather, which doubles as a gas mask for his fear experiments. Murphy explained that the relatively simple mask, as opposed to the full scarecrow costume usually seen in the comics, was done because Murphy "wanted the Scarecrow to avoid the Worzel Gummidge look, because he's not a very physically imposing man—he's more interested in the manipulation of the mind and what that can do".
  • In Batman Begins, Dr. Jonathan Crane is the corrupt head psychologist at Arkham Asylum who helps international terrorist Ra's al Ghul smuggle a hallucinogenic chemical into Gotham through the connections of mob boss Carmine Falcone, which he uses as a fear toxin for experimenting on his patients. When Crane testifies in court that Victor Zsasz is legally insane and should be moved to Arkham for rehabilitation, Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes accuses him of being corrupt, prompting Crane and Falcone to have Dawes murdered. When Falcone later attempts to blackmail Crane after being arrested, he dons his Scarecrow mask and douses Falcone with his fear toxin, which drives the mob boss insane and repeatedly uttering 'Scarecrow'. During Crane's first encounter with the Batman, he sprays the vigilante with his fear toxin and sets him on fire, and Batman narrowly escapes with both life and mind intact. With the help of Lucius Fox, Batman acquires an antidote to the toxin. At Arkham Asylum, Crane has used his fear toxin on Rachel when she discovers his illegal operations. However, Batman arrives and overpowers Crane's henchmen before spraying the doctor with a dose of his own medicine. Crane is subsequently arrested by Sgt. Gordon after telling Batman he works for Ra's. But despite being institutionalized at Arkham, Crane later escapes in the mass release of the asylum's inmates as part of a plot masterminded by Ra's to destroy Gotham City. As Ra's unleashes Crane's fear gas on Gotham's slums, Crane, now calling himself 'Scarecrow', pursues Rachel and a boy through an alley on a horse, dragging a dead mounted police officer from its stirrups. To the boy affected with the gas, Scarecrow appears as a fiery-eyed monster riding a fire-breathing horse. Rachel eludes Scarecrow by shocking him in the face with a taser. Thus incapacitated, Scarecrow aimlessly rides off into the night, screaming in pain. At the end of the film, Gordon informs Batman that Crane is still at large.
  • In the sequel, The Dark Knight, Scarecrow returns in a minor role. Before the Joker's rampage on Gotham, Scarecrow sells his toxins to customers on the black market. He meets with mob boss Chechen, who complains about the effects that the toxin has on his customers. A group of Batmen impostors then arrive and attack the two criminals, only to be interrupted by the real Batman. Scarecrow escapes in his van after spraying a Batman imposter with the toxin, but the real Batman jumps on the vehicle from an above floor, crushing it. Batman then ties Scarecrow up along with the impostors for the police to arrest them.
  • Jonathan Crane has a cameo appearance in the third and final film The Dark Knight Rises. He is released along with many other prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary when Bane plunges Gotham into anarchy. Once liberated, Crane presides over a show trial wherein Gotham's wealthiest citizens are given a choice between death and exile. Those who choose "exile" are made to cross the thin ice over the frozen river connecting Gotham to the other shore, with an almost certain chance of falling through the ice and drowning. In addition, Bane also grants Crane full control of the courts to the extent that even Bane himself would not affect his ruling decision. When Commissioner Gordon, several cops, and Miranda Tate are captured and brought into trial, Gordon and his men tell Crane that they won't go on the ice willingly and therefore chooses death. But Crane sentences them to "death by exile", while Bane takes Miranda. However, Batman manages to save Gordon. After stopping Bane's plan to detonate a nuclear bomb in Gotham, Crane is presumably arrested by Gotham police along with many other convicted criminals.

Animation

• Scarecrow appears in the direct-to-DVD animated production Batman: Gotham Knight, voiced by Corey Burton. During the character's appearance in the segment "In Darkness Dwells", Scarecrow gathers an army of Arkham inmates in the sewers and uses Killer Croc to get them from above. As Jonathan Crane, he had been Killer Croc's psychologist at Arkham Asylum. Scarecrow uses Killer Croc to capture the priest Cardinal O'Fallon to hold on a mock trial in the sewers because Scarecrow is angered by O'Fallon's attempts to help the homeless. Scarecrow sentences O'Fallon to death, but is saved by Batman triggering an explosion in the process. Nevertheless, Scarecrow escapes the authorities when the sewers begin to flood.
• Scarecrow didn't appear in Justice League: Doom, but he is mentioned by Batman. Also in the film, his fear gas is used by Star Sapphire in trap against Green Lantern, to undermine his will and exploit his fears, convincing him that he doesn't deserve the power and Jordan renounces his ring. Batman then shows himself and offers to Jordan the antidote, but refuses, instead summoning his ring and reestablishes his willpower, removing the effects of the fear gas.
• Scarecrow appears in Batman: Assault on Arkham, voiced by Christian Lanz. Scarecrow is one of the many inmates released from Arkham Asylum by the Joker during his plans to activate a dirty bomb within Gotham and the Suicide Squad's mission to infiltrate the institution. He injected his fear gas into some of the guards before ultimately being recaptured.
• Scarecrow didn't appear but is mentioned in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. In the film, Batman is pursuing some of Scarecrow's henchmen in order to scare them and give to Batman his location, but Green Lantern intervened and caught them, which angers Batman.
  • Scarecrow also appears in an animated short included on home video of the film called Nightwing and Robin, with Michael Rosenbaum providing the voice for the character. The short features Nightwing and Robin facing Scarecrow and his gang in a warehouse, which results in the villain's defeat.
• Scarecrow appears in Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem, voiced by Brian T. Delaney. This version of the character is tall, muscle and with green skin, which uses a gas mask and a sickle as weapon. He (along with Silver Banshee, Solomon Grundy and Clayface) has join the Joker's gang of monsters to wreak mayhem on Gotham City.
• Scarecrow makes an uncredited appearance in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Gotham City Breakout. He is among the villains Superman unintentionally releases from Arkham Asylum. When the Justice League is held captive at the Joker's funhouse, Scarecrow douses the Justice League with fear gas, rendering them cowardly enough for the other villains to torment them. Scarecrow is last seen towards the end of the movie where he is defeated by Robin and put back in Arkham Asylum.
• Scarecrow appears in The Lego Batman Movie, voiced by Jason Mantzoukas. At the start of the film, Scarecrow is one of the many supervillains attacking Gotham City as part of Joker's army, but he is defeated by Batman and escape alongside the others. In the following day, Scarecrow invades the city's winter gala party with the rest of Gotham's villains. At the start of the attack, Scarecrow breathed fear gas onto a gate guard. He and the rest of them are apprehended by the police when Joker persuaded them to surrender. Later, along with the other city's villains, Scarecrow is recruited by Batman and his allies to work together to send back the escaped villains into the Phantom Zone and save Gotham City. Once Gotham is saved, Batman allows Scarecrow and the rest of his rogues gallery to escape.

Video games

• Scarecrow appears as a boss in the Game Boy's Batman: The Animated Series.
• Scarecrow appears as boss in The Adventures of Batman & Robin. In the stage "Perchance to Scream", he uses a blimp to get his revenge on Gotham State University. Scarecrow plans spray his fear gas on air using the blimp, so that it can turn Gotham's citizens on criminals, but he is later defeated by Batman.
• Scarecrow appears as boss in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, voiced by Jeffrey Combs. Along with Clayface and Bane, he is manipulated by Sin Tzu into escaping Arkham Asylum and challenging Batman.
• Scarecrow appears in the Batman Begins video game, voiced by Cillian Murphy. At the beginning of the game, Batman tries to capture the corrupt Dr. Jonathan Crane at the asylum, but Crane dons his Scarecrow mask and douses Batman with fear gas, causing Batman to go through a distorted version of the game with the Dark Knight's worst fears and childhood fear of bats. Batman thinks that Scarecrow is in front of a window but instead was an illusion and Batman jumps out of the window on fire. Later, after being informed by Detective Flass about Crane working with Falcone and using Arkham Asylum's water supply to install a liquid venom compound of his fear drug, Batman returns to Arkham to save Rachel Dawes having been exposed to the poison fear gas by Crane. In the game, you must take out his thugs and then fight Scarecrow while taking off his mask and exposing the doctor to his own fear gas, which will cause him to see you as a monstrous sight and tell you who he is working for. You then knock Crane out and continue to save Rachel. During the riots at the Narrows, Scarecrow tries to lower the bridge to release the maniacs poisoned by the venomous, fear toxin but is confronted by Batman. He detonates a bomb, sending Batman flying out a window. Batman returns and confronts Crane having been exposed to fear toxin, driving him insane and causing him to see a demonic, terrifying version of Batman. Panicking, he falls into the river. Alfred Pennyworth believes he is dead, but Batman thinks he survived.
• Scarecrow is a boss in the Nintendo DS version of Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame. In the game, Batman wakes up from a slab and as moves onward, he enters a nightmarish realm and runs into Scarecrow, who leaves his accomplice Scream Queen to finish off Batman, but he is able to defeat her. Eventually, Batman finds Scarecrow with Robin hanging on to the building. After dispatching Scarecrow, Batman fails to save Robin. At this moment, it's revealed that Batman was actually experiencing a virtual reality simulation cooked up by The Brain.
• Scarecrow appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Christopher S. Field.
• Scarecrow plays a prominent role in The Dark Knight Rises android game, based loosely on The Dark Knight Rises film. He never wears his trademark Scarecrow mask and it's only seen in a cutscene as he's being led away by police.
• Scarecrow appears in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. He is one of the villains ordered to collect Starites and one of 5 Batman villains to do so (along with the Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Ra's al Ghul). He is seen in Arkham Asylum where he douses Maxwell with fear gas. Maxwell then sees hallucinations of four of his brothers, which he destroys by giving them what they want. He then finds a hallucination of his father, which he destroys by shrinking it. Maxwell is then chained and hung upside-down, with Doppelgänger lowering him into a tub of acid. But the fear gas makes Maxwell thinks it is his beloved sister Lily. Luckily, Maxwell comes to his senses and the fear gas wears off. Scarecrow is then defeated by Batgirl and Maxwell is freed. Scarecrow can also be spawned by the player and is playable in the Wii U version of the game.
• Scarecrow appears in Batman, as one of the escapees from Arkham. Scarecrow sets fear gas-filled hot air balloons, challenging Batman to stop him. Batman manages to destroy all the balloons.

Lego Batman

Main article: Lego Batman

• Scarecrow appears in Lego Batman: The Videogame, with vocal effects provided by Dave Wittenberg.It was written by satyajit ray. He is seen working for the Joker. He has only one special ability: mind control, with which he can make guards open doors. He also sprays his fear gas which petrifies his victims; however, it only works at close range. In addition he makes full use of his "violent dancing" martial arts skills in unarmed combat. Scarecrow also uses a biplane, which he uses to distribute his fear gas, and is a vehicle boss in the hero campaign.
• Scarecrow appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced by Nolan North. After the Joker breaks out of Arkham once again, Batman and Robin investigate. The elevator breaks and they fall under the asylum, where lots of rioting inmates are on the loose. Scarecrow is then seen watching and he tries to slow Batman down multiple times using fear toxin. After Batman shuts down all the fear venom barriers, Batman finally faces Scarecrow. Scarecrow then floods the room with fear toxin which makes Batman and Robin see visions of a giant Scarecrow. Once Batman and Robin turns on the fans to stop the fear poison, they easily take down Jonathan Crane. Later, when all the inmates of the asylum are on the loose, Scarecrow hides out in a pumpkin tent in the amusement mile. He is flooding the amusement park with fear poison, which you can see the citizens running and screaming. Batman confronts Scarecrow, but Scarecrow fills the tent with his fear toxin, which makes Batman see a giant version of Scarecrow once again. Batman then destroys the pumps that are producing fear venom, which makes Scarecrow look normal size again. Batman then easily takes down Crane and brings him back to custody. After you defeat Scarecrow, you can buy him and play as him anytime in free play mode.
• The Batman Begins version of Scarecrow appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham via downloadable content.

Batman: Arkham

Main article: Batman: Arkham

Scarecrow in a promotional image for Batman: Arkham Knight.

The Scarecrow appears in the Batman: Arkham video game series. The version of the character as he first appeared sports a mechanical gauntlet strapped with four fluorescent hypodermic needles on his right hand, which he uses to inject fear toxin into his victims. His voiceover work was provided by vocal artist Dino Andrade in Arkham Asylum and the mobile game Arkham Underworld, and by actor John Noble in Arkham Knight.

Arkham Asylum

Main article: Batman: Arkham Asylum

In the series' first game, Scarecrow's character design is shirtless, wearing a pair of tattered pants and emphasizing his overall skinny body type. Set free by the Joker during his takeover of Arkham Island, he appears several times over the course of the story using his fear toxin to make Batman experience powerful and nightmarish hallucinations. Presented with haunting images featuring his enemies as well as the deaths of his parents, Batman has to overcome each scenario by using a manifestation of his willpower, the Bat-Signal, to defeat Scarecrow in each hallucinatory instance.

After his final defeat, Scarecrow eventually flees down to Killer Croc's lair in the bowels of the Asylum to dump his most potent toxin into Gotham's water supply in an attempt to drive Gotham City into madness. However, a hungry Croc suddenly attacks Scarecrow and attempts to eat him. Acting quickly, Batman activates his electric collar with a Batarang, and the monster disappears, dragging Scarecrow back into the water with him. In one of the three possible post-credits endings, Scarecrow's hand is seen emerging from the water and grabbing onto a floating box of the Titan formula, which was used to transform several of Joker's henchmen into large, mindless beasts.

Arkham City

Main article: Batman: Arkham City

Scarecrow is not physically present in the eponymous prison during the events of the series' second game, which takes place approximately one year after Arkham Asylum. That prison, "Arkham City," consists of a few districts in the larger Gotham City that have been walled off from the other neighborhoods of Gotham. It is administrated by Hugo Strange, with the story revealing its creation to be a step toward a plot of larger global domination by Strange and his master.

While exploring Arkham City, the player can discover several artifacts and signals that point toward Scarecrow's continued activity in Gotham, and allusions to a future confrontation he is preparing for with Batman. Near the Industrial District, which has been claimed by the Joker, Batman can discover Scarecrow's discarded mask, which unlocks a story that gives ideas to Scarecrow's fate after his encounter with Killer Croc in the Asylum. In the story it's revealed that nobody has laid eyes on Jonathan Crane since the night Batman saw him at the Asylum. While some write him off as having surely been killed by Croc, Batman maintains no such belief: he knows that Crane is still out there somewhere, and needs to be stopped.

Also in Arkham City's Industrial District, Batman can locate a small boat in the harbor that doesn't register anything out of the ordinary on his Detective Mode vision. When he lands on this boat and uses his Cryptographic Sequencer gadget to unlock a secret and hidden door, it opens to reveal several indications as to Scarecrow's activities. The most obvious sign is a nearly comatose test subject, one of the Joker's henchmen, tied to a chair and mostly unconscious. Looking further, you can see a flood of crawling cockroaches up the walls, as well as a document from Falcone Shipping indicating Crane's importation of live insects for undisclosed medical research. While monitoring radio frequencies in Arkham City, the player can also discover hidden broadcasts of a mysterious voice reading a sequence of numbers. When translated, the frequencies reveal three different phrases: the first says, "I will return Batman!" The second says, "You will pay for what you have done to me!" And the final code says, "Fear will tear Gotham to shreds!"

Arkham Origins

Main article: Batman: Arkham Origins

In the prequel game taking place roughly five years before the events of Arkham Asylum during the second year of Batman's crimefighting career, Scarecrow makes no physical appearance either as his costumed persona or as Dr. Jonathan Crane. Though not confirmed, it seems likely that by this point in the timeline he had yet to make his debut as Scarecrow.

There are a couple of allusions to Crane, however: after saving Vicki Vale and a group of other reporters in the opening segment taking place in Blackgate Penitentiary, the player can walk into the guard office to the right and see that Dr. Jonathan Crane has signed in several times to visit Blackgate inmates. Additionally, a flyer soliciting test subjects for Dr. Crane's research on fear can be found on the Penguin's ship, the "Final Offer," docked at Amusement Mile.

Arkham Knight

Main article: Batman: Arkham Knight

Scarecrow appears in Batman: Arkham Knight. Seeking revenge on Batman, Scarecrow re-emerges in Gotham City two years after being attacked by Killer Croc in Arkham Asylum. Scarecrow's appearance has been changed drastically, with knee braces on his legs and scars all over his body. His face has also been raggedly reconstructed after his encounter with Killer Croc, with elements of his former gas mask now apparently affixed to his cheeks as part of his body.

Scarecrow joins forces with a man known only as the "Arkham Knight", a paramilitary commander who commands a militia that answers only to him and Scarecrow. In his latest campaign against Gotham, Scarecrow unites all of Gotham's criminals in an attempt to finally kill Batman. At the beginning of the game, Scarecrow threatens to release his new strain of fear toxin on the streets of Gotham, resulting in the evacuation of most of the city's civilian population. The Arkham Knight's militia then conquers Gotham, preventing the authorities from interfering with Scarecrow's plan. Batman soon discovers that Scarecrow's new fear gas is being manufactured at the ACE Chemicals plant. Defeating the militia there, Batman confronts Scarecrow in the central mixing chamber, where the villain informs Batman that Barbara Gordon has been captured, before locking the hero inside the imploding facility. Batman manages to reduce the blast radius and narrowly escape, after contending with a hallucination of the deceased Joker.

Scarecrow later appears on an airship owned by magnate Simon Stagg, revealing that he had hired the businessman to create "the Cloudburst:" a device that will disperse his toxin in the form of a giant cloud over Gotham. When Stagg attempts to double-cross Scarecrow, the villain captures him and takes charge of the device. Scarecrow evades Batman once again, and the Cloudburst is extracted with the help of the Arkham Knight. After Batman deactivates the device, he defeats and unmasks the Arkham Knight, discovering his identity as Jason Todd, his second partner to serve as Robin whom he believed for the last several years to have been killed by the Joker in the bowels of Arkham Asylum.

Using a weaponized network of plants, Poison Ivy sacrifices herself to dissipate the fear gas. After the Arkham Knight disappears, his militia swear their allegiance to Scarecrow and their new appointed commander, Deathstroke. Batman locates and confronts Scarecrow again, but the villain holds Barbara at gunpoint, and forces Commissioner Gordon to shoot Batman in exchange for his daughter's life. Scarecrow then betrays the Commissioner by pushing Barbara off the building. Though Gordon shot Batman, he did so in a reinforced area of his suit, which allowed him to save Barbara. In the mayhem, Scarecrow and his militia forces escape, now holding Commissioner Gordon hostage. After kidnapping an already incapacitated Robin, Scarecrow tells Batman to surrender at the abandoned Arkham Asylum, where he unmasks Batman as Bruce Wayne for the world to see, before injecting the crime-fighter with three full doses of fear toxin. Batman eventually overcomes the chemical, and is soon after freed by the newly-reformed Jason Todd, who has adopted a new persona as the "Red Hood" before Scarecrow can kill him. Batman subsequently injects Scarecrow with his own toxin, and the villain is subdued and taken into custody.

Arkham Underworld

In the freemium mobile game Batman: Arkham Underworld Scarecrow appears as a playable character. He is the last villain to be unlocked, after the player completes a mission for him, wielding a scythe and his fear gas to great effect, even being able to teleport short distances. The game takes place in an undetermined period before the events of Arkham Asylum.

Injustice

• Scarecrow makes a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us. In the Arkham Asylum stage, if one of the characters is thrown through the cell door on the right side of the first tier, they will be attacked by Scarecrow. He will poison the player with his fear toxins, take a gigantic appearance, beats up the opponent before sending the player into the next arena. Scarecrow is also seen in many S.T.A.R. Labs Missions.
• Scarecrow appears as a playable character in Injustice 2, voiced by Robert Englund. This version of the character seems to have taken some inspiration from the Dark Trilogy version, as he wears the traditional Scarecrow mask, but wears a doctor's lab coat with a noose as a necktie. In combat, he uses his fear gas to make the opponents face a hallucination of a monstrous version of himself. In the story, Scarecrow is one of Gorilla Grodd's Society members, and has joined them in order to sow fear and panic around the world. Scarecrow is first seen at the Slaughter Swamp, alongside Deadshot and Poison Ivy, sending large amounts of his toxin to Grodd until Green Arrow, Black Canary and Harley Quinn show up to face them, but after Swamp Thing emerges, Scarecrow flees on a boat. Later, during Brainiac's invasion, Scarecrow confronts Wonder Woman inside a bar at Metropolis, where he is defeated by her. In his single player ending, he stays aboard Brainiac's ship to study the fears of the thousands of civilizations Brainiac has collected.

Web series

Scarecrow makes non-voice appearances in the web series Batman Unlimited. He appears in the episodes "Bank Heist", "Fight Night at the Museum", and "Breakout or Bust".

Merchandise

• A Batman: The Animated Series Scarecrow figure was released by Kenner in 1994.
• A Scarecrow figure was released in Mattel's DC Super Heroes line.
• Two figures of Scarecrow were released in the Batman Begins movie line, both featuring the same face changing gimmick. The first version wears an Arkham Asylum straitjacket, while the other wears a blood-stained shirt.
• Hot Toys has released a 12' Scarecrow collectible based on his appearance at the end of Batman Begins.
• A Scarecrow figure was released in the Movie Masters line for The Dark Knight, featuring an unbound Arkham Asylum straitjacket.
• A Scarecrow figure was released as part of the Batman: Hush figure line. This figure was later re-released in a three-pack.
• Fisher Price Imaginext has released a Scarecrow minifigure in their DC Super Friends line, packaged with Poison Ivy.
• In 2015, DC Collectibles released a Scarecrow figure in series 1 of their Batman: Arkham Knight line.
• Funko Mystery Minis has released a Scarecrow minifigure in their Batman: Arkham Series line, based on his Arkham Knight design.

Parodies

• Scarecrow is featured as one of the antagonists in Holy Musical B@man!, portrayed by Dylan Saunders. In the show, Scarecrow, along with other rogues, worked with Sweet Tooth in a plot to kill Batman and take over Gotham City by putting nuclear warheads in the city's water supply.
• Scarecrow is featured in one of Collegehumor's "Badman" shorts. The short parodies when Scarecrow first meets Batman in Batman Begins and sprays his fear toxin on him, but in this version he finds that Batman has odd fears such as Girl Scouts, Roombas, and actor Christopher McDonald.

See also

• List of Batman Family adversaries

External links

• Scarecrow's origin @ dccomics.com