Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow
Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as The Scarecrow, is a DC Comics supervillain and an enemy of Batman. Created by Batman creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane, he first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941). His scarecrow costume, lanky appearance and surname were inspired by Ichabod Crane of the horror fable "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The Scarecrow is an overly-obsessive and deranged ex-professor of psychology who uses a variety of drugs and psychological tactics to use the fears and phobias of his adversaries. He does not commit his crimes for wealth, but rather as a form of "research" to further study the effects of fear on humans (later, he does it to satisfy his own psychopathic desires), making the innocent citizens of Gotham his unwilling guinea pigs.
The Scarecrow made only two appearances in the 1940's. Batman writers of the 1960's revived him and he has since consistently appeared in Batman comic books. He was featured several times in the Emmy-winning 1990's cartoon Batman: The Animated Series, where he was first played by Henry Polic II. When the series was revamped and shown together with Superman: The Animated Series, the character was voiced by Jeffrey Combs. In the 2005 film Batman Begins and its sequels The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, he was portrayed by Cillian Murphy. |
Real name: Jonathan Crane
First Appearance: World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941) Created by: Bob Kane, Bill Finger Affiliations: Injustice League, Assorted Batman rogues, Injustice Gang, Secret Society of Super Villains, Sinestro Corps Abilities: Well-educated on the psychology of fear, Develops various tools which induce crippling fear, May transform under duress into the monstrous "Scarebeast", gaining superhuman strength, endurance, and a more potent hallucinogen. |
History
Golden Age
Elements of the Scarecrow fear gas appeared in Batman publications prior to his first appearance. For instance, the idea of fear gas first appeared in Detective Comics #46 in December 1940, in a story featuring Hugo Strange, in which Strange uses a special fear dust in order to scare the police and successfully rob a bank.
In his first appearance in World's Finest Comics #3 during the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Scarecrow is first introduced as Jonathan Crane, a professor of psychology, who turns to crime after he is fired; an expert in the psychology of fear, he had fired a gun in a classroom full of students to illustrate a point. The only thing revealed about his early life is that, as a child, he had liked to frighten birds. Ostracized by his fellow professors for his appearance and reclusiveness, he turned to crime to make himself part of the social elite. His modus operandi is to use his Scarecrow persona and threaten his victims into doing whatever he wants. In terms of his costume, he merely wore a ragged black hat, trench coat, mask, and wielded a Tommy gun.
His first crime involved a businessman named Frank Kendrick being sued by a former partner, Paul Herold. When Herold refused to cooperate upon meeting and hearing his demands, the Scarecrow killed him and became a media sensation. Bruce Wayne, who happens to be a patron and trustee of the university, investigates the matter as Batman and discovers Crane's disturbing behavior and forced resignation, leading him to suspect the professor. In his second appearance, he approached a store owner named Dodge with the offer to rob other establishments, in order to increase his sales. After Batman and Robin learn of the plan and question Dodge, Scarecrow attempts to kill him, but the Dynamic Duo capture him in the nick of time. He is then sent to Gotham State Penitentiary.
Two years later in Detective Comics #73, he escapes from jail and forms a gang of criminals to do his bidding. While he struggles to rob a Chinese antique dealer, Batman and Robin foil the plan, and he and his cronies are sent back to prison. This version of the Scarecrow was much like other gimmick villains in that he based a lot of crimes around nursery rhymes and words that rhymed with "hat." He does not appear from 1943 to 1955, but it is revealed that he developed a hallucinogenic chemical toxin that could be used to invoke deep phobias within those who breathe it in. When Batman tries to intervene, he is affected by the toxin and hallucinates that all of his allies have disappeared. Feeling he has no once else to turn to, he confides in an old enemy, Catwoman, to help him stop Crane, and she is successful in helping stop the Scarecrow and getting Batman over his delusions. Exactly what happened to Crane is not revealed because of the revelation that the Golden Age universe was actually Earth-2, part of the Multiverse.
Silver Age
Throughout the 1960s Silver Age of Comic Books, the Scarecrow was revived to be one of Batman's most recurring rivals. He is a frequent member of the Injustice Gang. Ironically, in this Earth-One incarnation, Crane has a strange fear of birds, even though he has a pet magpie named Craw. Scarecrow also owned a pet crow he named Nightmare.
Elements of the Scarecrow fear gas appeared in Batman publications prior to his first appearance. For instance, the idea of fear gas first appeared in Detective Comics #46 in December 1940, in a story featuring Hugo Strange, in which Strange uses a special fear dust in order to scare the police and successfully rob a bank.
In his first appearance in World's Finest Comics #3 during the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Scarecrow is first introduced as Jonathan Crane, a professor of psychology, who turns to crime after he is fired; an expert in the psychology of fear, he had fired a gun in a classroom full of students to illustrate a point. The only thing revealed about his early life is that, as a child, he had liked to frighten birds. Ostracized by his fellow professors for his appearance and reclusiveness, he turned to crime to make himself part of the social elite. His modus operandi is to use his Scarecrow persona and threaten his victims into doing whatever he wants. In terms of his costume, he merely wore a ragged black hat, trench coat, mask, and wielded a Tommy gun.
His first crime involved a businessman named Frank Kendrick being sued by a former partner, Paul Herold. When Herold refused to cooperate upon meeting and hearing his demands, the Scarecrow killed him and became a media sensation. Bruce Wayne, who happens to be a patron and trustee of the university, investigates the matter as Batman and discovers Crane's disturbing behavior and forced resignation, leading him to suspect the professor. In his second appearance, he approached a store owner named Dodge with the offer to rob other establishments, in order to increase his sales. After Batman and Robin learn of the plan and question Dodge, Scarecrow attempts to kill him, but the Dynamic Duo capture him in the nick of time. He is then sent to Gotham State Penitentiary.
Two years later in Detective Comics #73, he escapes from jail and forms a gang of criminals to do his bidding. While he struggles to rob a Chinese antique dealer, Batman and Robin foil the plan, and he and his cronies are sent back to prison. This version of the Scarecrow was much like other gimmick villains in that he based a lot of crimes around nursery rhymes and words that rhymed with "hat." He does not appear from 1943 to 1955, but it is revealed that he developed a hallucinogenic chemical toxin that could be used to invoke deep phobias within those who breathe it in. When Batman tries to intervene, he is affected by the toxin and hallucinates that all of his allies have disappeared. Feeling he has no once else to turn to, he confides in an old enemy, Catwoman, to help him stop Crane, and she is successful in helping stop the Scarecrow and getting Batman over his delusions. Exactly what happened to Crane is not revealed because of the revelation that the Golden Age universe was actually Earth-2, part of the Multiverse.
Silver Age
Throughout the 1960s Silver Age of Comic Books, the Scarecrow was revived to be one of Batman's most recurring rivals. He is a frequent member of the Injustice Gang. Ironically, in this Earth-One incarnation, Crane has a strange fear of birds, even though he has a pet magpie named Craw. Scarecrow also owned a pet crow he named Nightmare.
Post-Crisis, Modern-Age Version
Following the 1986 multi-title event Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot, Crane's origin story was greatly expanded in the 1989 graphic novel Batman/Scarecrow #1, part of the Batman: Year One continuity. In the novel, he becomes obsessed with fear and revenge from being bullied throughout his childhood and adolescence for his lanky frame and bookish nature. He commits his first murder at the age of 18 by brandishing a gun in his high school parking lot during the senior prom. Dressed in the ghoulish scarecrow costume that would later become his trademark, Crane causes the head bully, Bo Griggs, and his girlfriend, Sherry Squires, who had rejected Crane, to have an automobile accident which paralyzes Griggs and kills Squires. From this, Crane discovers a savage delight in literally frightening people to death.
He grows up to become a professor of psychology at Gotham University, specializing in the psychology of fear. The flower pot incident is left intact, but the real reason he is fired is due to injuring a student by accident. After his dismissal, he kills the regents who fired him and becomes a career criminal. Following this, he transferred to Arkham Asylum and became a psychiatrist, where he performed more fear-induced experiments on his patients. He takes the moniker "the Scarecrow", the favorite taunt of the hated bullies, as part of his revenge. The 2005 miniseries, Batman/Scarecrow: Year One, expands upon the earlier origin story. The novels explains that Jonathan Crane is born out of wedlock and also suffers terrible abuse from his fanatically religious great-grandmother. His father takes off before he is even born, and his mother does not show any love or affection towards her son at all. He develops a taste for fear and an affinity for crows when his grandmother locks him in a dilapidated church full of birds. The story also shows Crane murdering his grandmother, and learning that his mother gave birth to a baby girl, causing him to feel great jealousy and grief, reasoning why he is very cold.
During a Batman Confidential story arc, he is shown out of costume at Arkham Asylum still working as a psychiatrist, while planning the renovation of Arkham, and he briefly comes face to face with the criminal who will one day become The Joker.
In the Knightfall storyline, Scarecrow is one of the prisoners that escaped from Arkham after Bane blows it up. He first attacks one of The Joker's henchmen, who tells Scarecrow that his boss is after the commissioner. Scarecrow goes to the Joker and decides to become partners in terrorizing the mayor. Soon they go to the sewers with the mayor, where Batman arrives. Scarecrow gasses him with fear toxin, but instead Batman gets angry. Panicked, Scarecrow floods the sewers. Batman escapes with the mayor but Joker and Scarecrow escape as well. Later, at Scarecrow and Joker's hideout, the Joker savagely beats Scarecrow with a chair after he tries to poison him. He is then sent to Arkham.
In the Shadow of the Bat storyline, Scarecrow escapes and brings together a small group of college students to terrorize the city while he enjoys the chaos. Soon, Batman's successor, Jean-Paul Valley, and Anarky arrive and together they defeat the Scarecrow and save the boys.
In stories written by Jeph Loeb, such as Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Hush, Crane is shown to have an inclination to sing nursery rhymes at times. In the Elseworlds story Batman: Crimson Mist, Crane is shown to be singing a modified version of "Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead", from The Wizard of Oz.
Crane undergoes a major change in the 2004 Batman story arc As The Crow Flies. While working with the Penguin, he is mutated into a monster. He turns into this "Scarebeast" during times of great strain or when it is necessary to defend himself.
Scarecrow rejoins the new Secret Society of Super Villains, and is part of the assault on the Secret Six (Villains United #6). He is caught in an explosion caused by Parademon. He is later seen in Villains United Special #1, alive and well. He is also seen in Detective Comics #820 as part of One Year Later, where he is defeated by the combined efforts of Batman and Robin.
Recently, the Scarecrow has decided to stop using his typical fear gas, as he feared that other Arkham inmates were right that he was nothing without them. Instead relying on his training as a psychologist, he drives two inmates to suicide using only his words, also apparently terrifying the rest of Arkham's inmates. After manipulating the guards into freeing him, Crane embarks upon a string of vicious serial murders, terrifying Gotham without using his trademark gimmicks.
On Green Lantern vol. 3 #27, after Green Lantern Laira murdered Amon Sur, the son of the deceased Green Lantern Abin Sur and a member of the Sinestro Corps, his yellow power ring attempted to reach Crane as his successor in Arkham Asylum due to his mastery of fear, but thwarted by two Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
On the cover of Justice League of America #13 (Vol.2), it shows Scarecrow as a member of the new Injustice League.
In the Batman: Battle For The Cowl storyline, Scarecrow is recruited by a returning Black Mask to a part of a group of villains that aiming to take over Gotham. He later assists the crime lord in manufacturing a new recreational drug called "Thrill," which caught the attentions of Oracle and Batgirl. The Scarecrow uses his fear gas on Batgirl but she shows enough will to break through it eventually he is defeated by Batgirl and once again arrested.
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 gas) renders him practically invincible to the invading Black Lanterns. However, his current status of fearlessness has taken a further toll on his sanity, exacerbated by the long disappearance of Batman: he craves for fear, exposing himself deliberately to the reverent army, but knowing that only Batman could scare him again.
Following the 1986 multi-title event Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot, Crane's origin story was greatly expanded in the 1989 graphic novel Batman/Scarecrow #1, part of the Batman: Year One continuity. In the novel, he becomes obsessed with fear and revenge from being bullied throughout his childhood and adolescence for his lanky frame and bookish nature. He commits his first murder at the age of 18 by brandishing a gun in his high school parking lot during the senior prom. Dressed in the ghoulish scarecrow costume that would later become his trademark, Crane causes the head bully, Bo Griggs, and his girlfriend, Sherry Squires, who had rejected Crane, to have an automobile accident which paralyzes Griggs and kills Squires. From this, Crane discovers a savage delight in literally frightening people to death.
He grows up to become a professor of psychology at Gotham University, specializing in the psychology of fear. The flower pot incident is left intact, but the real reason he is fired is due to injuring a student by accident. After his dismissal, he kills the regents who fired him and becomes a career criminal. Following this, he transferred to Arkham Asylum and became a psychiatrist, where he performed more fear-induced experiments on his patients. He takes the moniker "the Scarecrow", the favorite taunt of the hated bullies, as part of his revenge. The 2005 miniseries, Batman/Scarecrow: Year One, expands upon the earlier origin story. The novels explains that Jonathan Crane is born out of wedlock and also suffers terrible abuse from his fanatically religious great-grandmother. His father takes off before he is even born, and his mother does not show any love or affection towards her son at all. He develops a taste for fear and an affinity for crows when his grandmother locks him in a dilapidated church full of birds. The story also shows Crane murdering his grandmother, and learning that his mother gave birth to a baby girl, causing him to feel great jealousy and grief, reasoning why he is very cold.
During a Batman Confidential story arc, he is shown out of costume at Arkham Asylum still working as a psychiatrist, while planning the renovation of Arkham, and he briefly comes face to face with the criminal who will one day become The Joker.
In the Knightfall storyline, Scarecrow is one of the prisoners that escaped from Arkham after Bane blows it up. He first attacks one of The Joker's henchmen, who tells Scarecrow that his boss is after the commissioner. Scarecrow goes to the Joker and decides to become partners in terrorizing the mayor. Soon they go to the sewers with the mayor, where Batman arrives. Scarecrow gasses him with fear toxin, but instead Batman gets angry. Panicked, Scarecrow floods the sewers. Batman escapes with the mayor but Joker and Scarecrow escape as well. Later, at Scarecrow and Joker's hideout, the Joker savagely beats Scarecrow with a chair after he tries to poison him. He is then sent to Arkham.
In the Shadow of the Bat storyline, Scarecrow escapes and brings together a small group of college students to terrorize the city while he enjoys the chaos. Soon, Batman's successor, Jean-Paul Valley, and Anarky arrive and together they defeat the Scarecrow and save the boys.
In stories written by Jeph Loeb, such as Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Hush, Crane is shown to have an inclination to sing nursery rhymes at times. In the Elseworlds story Batman: Crimson Mist, Crane is shown to be singing a modified version of "Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead", from The Wizard of Oz.
Crane undergoes a major change in the 2004 Batman story arc As The Crow Flies. While working with the Penguin, he is mutated into a monster. He turns into this "Scarebeast" during times of great strain or when it is necessary to defend himself.
Scarecrow rejoins the new Secret Society of Super Villains, and is part of the assault on the Secret Six (Villains United #6). He is caught in an explosion caused by Parademon. He is later seen in Villains United Special #1, alive and well. He is also seen in Detective Comics #820 as part of One Year Later, where he is defeated by the combined efforts of Batman and Robin.
Recently, the Scarecrow has decided to stop using his typical fear gas, as he feared that other Arkham inmates were right that he was nothing without them. Instead relying on his training as a psychologist, he drives two inmates to suicide using only his words, also apparently terrifying the rest of Arkham's inmates. After manipulating the guards into freeing him, Crane embarks upon a string of vicious serial murders, terrifying Gotham without using his trademark gimmicks.
On Green Lantern vol. 3 #27, after Green Lantern Laira murdered Amon Sur, the son of the deceased Green Lantern Abin Sur and a member of the Sinestro Corps, his yellow power ring attempted to reach Crane as his successor in Arkham Asylum due to his mastery of fear, but thwarted by two Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
On the cover of Justice League of America #13 (Vol.2), it shows Scarecrow as a member of the new Injustice League.
In the Batman: Battle For The Cowl storyline, Scarecrow is recruited by a returning Black Mask to a part of a group of villains that aiming to take over Gotham. He later assists the crime lord in manufacturing a new recreational drug called "Thrill," which caught the attentions of Oracle and Batgirl. The Scarecrow uses his fear gas on Batgirl but she shows enough will to break through it eventually he is defeated by Batgirl and once again arrested.
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 gas) renders him practically invincible to the invading Black Lanterns. However, his current status of fearlessness has taken a further toll on his sanity, exacerbated by the long disappearance of Batman: he craves for fear, exposing himself deliberately to the reverent army, but knowing that only Batman could scare him again.
Scarecrow appears again in Blackest Night #6. When Ganthet creates duplicates of the seven Lantern Corps rings, Scarecrow is chosen by the yellow ring because of his ability to instill great fear, and becomes a temporary member of the Sinestro Corps. He was soon elected to be the Sinestro of Sector-2814.
Overjoyed at finally being able to feel fear, Scarecrow gleefully and without question follows the commands of Sinestro. For a time, he willingly did his duty, and even assisted against the Black Lanterns, personally attacking Black Hand. His joy is cut short, however, when Lex Luthor, overwhelmed by the orange light of greed, steals his yellow power ring.
Some time later during the events of Brightest Day, Scarecrow begins kidnapping and murdering college interns working for LexCorp as a way of getting back at 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.
Scarecrow briefly appears in Batman and Robin #25, he was going to gas Gotham with his Fear Toxin but Batman stopped him before he was able to fulfill his plans.
Overjoyed at finally being able to feel fear, Scarecrow gleefully and without question follows the commands of Sinestro. For a time, he willingly did his duty, and even assisted against the Black Lanterns, personally attacking Black Hand. His joy is cut short, however, when Lex Luthor, overwhelmed by the orange light of greed, steals his yellow power ring.
Some time later during the events of Brightest Day, Scarecrow begins kidnapping and murdering college interns working for LexCorp as a way of getting back at 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.
Scarecrow briefly appears in Batman and Robin #25, he was going to gas Gotham with his Fear Toxin but Batman stopped him before he was able to fulfill his plans.
Powers and Abilities
Fear Gas
Scarecrow's chief weapon is a toxin he created called fear gas. With it, he can cause his victims' worst fear to come to life. He can also cause a person to fear something they didn't before, as when he caused two guards at Arkham to fear glass in order to break out. This substance is versatile as it has been used in gas, darts, capsules, etc. His mask was made in order to enhance the effects of the hallucinogen while also acting as a gas mask of sorts to keep him from poisoning himself. Even so, he seems to have formed an immunity to fear, which depresses him.
Close Combat
Though he doesn't do so often, Scarecrow is skilled in hand-to-hand combat. In addition to being a master of Crane style Kung-Fu, which he utilizes in a self-created style of combat known as "violent dancing" which also uses drunken boxing and makes use of his long arms and legs.
For weapons, he is skilled with farming tools so he tends to use pitchforks, sickles, and scythes. He has occasionally used firearms.
Psychology
Scarecrow greatly understands the power and uses of fear. He even has a PhD in psychology. With this knowledge, he knows how to use words to affect a person's actions, once managing to drive two men to suicide with nothing but words. He also can use this insight to find people's mental weaknesses and exploit them.
Scarebeast
After some genetic manipulation done to him secretly by Dr. Linda Friitawa (also known as the criminal "Fright"),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.
Qwardian Power Ring
During the 'Blackest Night' event, 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.
Scarecrow's chief weapon is a toxin he created called fear gas. With it, he can cause his victims' worst fear to come to life. He can also cause a person to fear something they didn't before, as when he caused two guards at Arkham to fear glass in order to break out. This substance is versatile as it has been used in gas, darts, capsules, etc. His mask was made in order to enhance the effects of the hallucinogen while also acting as a gas mask of sorts to keep him from poisoning himself. Even so, he seems to have formed an immunity to fear, which depresses him.
Close Combat
Though he doesn't do so often, Scarecrow is skilled in hand-to-hand combat. In addition to being a master of Crane style Kung-Fu, which he utilizes in a self-created style of combat known as "violent dancing" which also uses drunken boxing and makes use of his long arms and legs.
For weapons, he is skilled with farming tools so he tends to use pitchforks, sickles, and scythes. He has occasionally used firearms.
Psychology
Scarecrow greatly understands the power and uses of fear. He even has a PhD in psychology. With this knowledge, he knows how to use words to affect a person's actions, once managing to drive two men to suicide with nothing but words. He also can use this insight to find people's mental weaknesses and exploit them.
Scarebeast
After some genetic manipulation done to him secretly by Dr. Linda Friitawa (also known as the criminal "Fright"),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.
Qwardian Power Ring
During the 'Blackest Night' event, 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.