Scarecrow in other media

DC character Scarecrow in other media
Television
show(s)

The Scarecrow, a supervillain in DC Comics and an adversary of the superhero Batman, has been adapted in various forms of media, including films, television series, and video games. The character has been portrayed in film by Cillian Murphy in The Dark Knight Trilogy, and in television by Charlie Tahan and David W. Thompson in the Fox series Gotham, and Vincent Kartheiser in the HBO Max streaming series Titans. Henry Polic II, Jeffrey Combs, Dino Andrade, John Noble, Robert Englund, and others have provided the Scarecrow's voice in animation and video games.

Television

Live-action

David W. Thompson as Scarecrow in Gotham
  • Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow appears in Gotham, portrayed by Charlie Tahan in the first season and the first half of the fourth season, and by David W. Thompson for all other appearances.[1][2][3] This version is injected with a serum designed to eliminate fear by his father, Gerald Crane (portrayed by Julian Sands), which instead amplifies Jonathan's fear of scarecrows and drives him insane.[4][5] After being institutionalized in Arkham Asylum, Jonathan embraces his fears and recreates his father's toxin to become the Scarecrow, and forms alliances with other criminals to terrorize Gotham City.[6][7][8]
  • Dr. Jonathan Crane appears in the third season of Titans, portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser.[9] This version is a former Arkham Asylum inmate turned profiler and consultant for the Gotham City Police Department.[10] He brainwashes Jason Todd into helping him turn Gotham City against the Titans, who ultimately defeat and re-incarcerate him in Arkham.[11]

Animation

DC Animated Universe

Scarecrow's designs in the DC Animated Universe

Scarecrow appears in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU).

  • The character is introduced in Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Henry Polic II. This version is a former psychology professor at Gotham University who was terminated for using his students as test subjects for his fear experiments, leading him to develop a fear-inducing toxin and become the Scarecrow to seek revenge, which brings him into conflict with Batman.
  • Scarecrow returns in The New Batman Adventures, voiced by Jeffrey Combs while an uncredited Jeff Bennett provides his laugh in the episode "Over the Edge". The character is given a "darker" revamp in both design and personality to make him more "scary". Producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini described Scarecrow's redesign as a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Leatherface kind of look. It really had nothing to do with being a scarecrow per se, but he was definitely scary [....] He looked like a hanged man who had been cut down and gone off to terrorize people. We weren't even sure if there was an actual guy in the suit."[12]

Film

Live-action

Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow in The Dark Knight (2008)
  • In Batman & Robin (1997), Coolio made a cameo appearance as a character retroactively identified as Jonathan Crane, and stated that he was to reprise the role in the cancelled sequel Batman Unchained.[13]
  • Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow appears in The Dark Knight Trilogy, portrayed by Cillian Murphy. This version wears a burlap sack with a built-in rebreather that doubles as a gas mask for his fear experiments. Murphy explained that the relatively simple mask, as opposed to the full scarecrow costume seen in the comics, was utilized "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".[14]
    • Introduced in Batman Begins (2005) as a corrupt psychopharmacologist and Arkham Asylum's Chief Administrator, Crane secretly creates a fear-inducing hallucinogen and plots to use it with Ra's al Ghul to plunge Gotham City into chaos. Crane exposes mafia boss Carmine Falcone, Batman, and assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes to his fear toxin, though Batman later subdues Crane with his own drug. Despite being institutionalized in Arkham, Crane escapes and takes the name "Scarecrow" amidst a mass breakout during Ra's attack on Gotham.
    • In The Dark Knight (2008), Scarecrow is apprehended by Batman while overseeing a drug deal with the Russian mob.[15]
    • In The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Crane is freed from Blackgate Penitentiary during Bane's takeover of Gotham, and presides over proletarian kangaroo courts wherein he offers Gotham's elite a choice between death and exile.[16]

Animation

Video games

  • Scarecrow appears as a boss in Batman: The Animated Series (1993).
  • Scarecrow appears as a boss in The Adventures of Batman & Robin (1995).[24]
  • Scarecrow appears as a boss in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (2003), voiced again by Jeffrey Combs.[25]
  • The Dark Knight Trilogy incarnation of Scarecrow appears as a boss in the Batman Begins (2005) tie-in game, voiced by Cillian Murphy.
  • Scarecrow appears as a boss in the Nintendo DS version of Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame (2010).
  • Scarecrow appears as a boss in DC Universe Online (2011), voiced by Christopher S. Field.
  • The Dark Knight Trilogy incarnation of Scarecrow appears as a boss in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) tie-in mobile game.
  • The Batman: Arkham Asylum incarnation of Scarecrow makes a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) in the Arkham Asylum stage.
  • Scarecrow appears in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure (2013).
  • Scarecrow appears in Batman (2013).
  • Scarecrow appears as a playable character in Injustice 2 (2017), voiced by Robert Englund.[26][27] This version is a member of Gorilla Grodd's Society.

Lego series

  • Scarecrow appears as a boss in Lego Batman: The Videogame (2008), voiced by Dave Wittenberg.
  • Scarecrow can be unlocked as a playable character in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012), voiced by Nolan North.
  • The Dark Knight Trilogy incarnation of Scarecrow appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014) via downloadable content.
  • Scarecrow appears in Lego DC Super-Villains (2018), voiced again by Jeffrey Combs.[28] This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.

Batman: Arkham

Scarecrow as depicted in Batman: Arkham Asylum (left) and Batman: Arkham Knight (right)

Scarecrow appears in the Batman: Arkham series, voiced by Dino Andrade in Arkham Asylum and Arkham Underworld, and by John Noble in Arkham Knight.[29] This version wields a mechanical gauntlet with four hypodermic needles laced with his fear toxin.[30]

  • In Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), Scarecrow is among the inmates freed during the Joker's takeover of Arkham Island. He exposes Batman to his fear toxin and attempts to infect Gotham City's water supply, only to be attacked and dragged into the sewers by Killer Croc. In a post-credits scene, Scarecrow emerges from the ocean and grabs a floating crate of the Titan formula.[31]
  • In Batman: Arkham City (2011), Scarecrow leaves hidden radio frequency broadcasts for Batman that, when decrypted, reveal three messages: "I will return Batman", "You will pay for what you have done to me", and "Fear will tear Gotham City to shreds".[32] A boat in Arkham City's harbor also contains a human test subject for his fear toxin.[33]
  • In Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), Scarecrow returns and forms an alliance with the Arkham Knight to unite all of Gotham's criminals and force a citywide evactuation by unleashing his new strain of fear toxin on Halloween.[34][35][36][37] Though Batman defeats the Knight and Poison Ivy sacrifices herself to neutralize the toxin's effects, Scarecrow takes Commissioner James Gordon and Robin hostage to force Batman to surrender at the ruins of Arkham Asylum. Scarecrow unmasks Batman as Bruce Wayne on live television before injecting him with fear toxin,[38] but Batman overcomes his fears and subdues Scarecrow with his own drug, after which he is taken into the Gotham City Police Department's custody.[39]
  • Scarecrow appears as a playable character in Batman: Arkham Underworld (2016).

Miscellaneous

  • The DCAU incarnation of Scarecrow appears in The Batman Adventures.[40][41] Writer Ty Templeton intended to provide an explanation for the character's revamped design in The New Batman Adventures before the series was cancelled.[42]
  • The Injustice incarnation of Scarecrow appears in the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic.[43][44]
  • Scarecrow appears in Batman '66 #28.[45][46]
  • Scarecrow makes non-speaking appearances in the Batman Unlimited web series.
  • Scarecrow will appear in the limited comic series Batman '89: Echoes.[47]

References

  1. ^ Chan, Robert (February 2, 2015). "'Gotham' Recap: Fear and Loathing". Yahoo.com. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  2. ^ Gerding, Stephen (July 22, 2017). "Gotham Debuts First Look at Scarecrow's Comics-Accurate Costume". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  3. ^ Ausiello, Michael (January 25, 2018). "Gotham Recast: David W. Thompson Taking Over as [Spoiler]". TVLine. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  4. ^ Stephens, John (writer) & Behring, John (director) (February 2, 2015). "The Fearsome Dr. Crane". Gotham. Season 1. Episode 14. FOX.
  5. ^ Woodruff, Ken (writer) & Copus, Nick (director) (February 9, 2015). "The Scarecrow". Gotham. Season 1. Episode 15. FOX.
  6. ^ Stephens, John (writer) & Cannon, Danny (director) (September 21, 2017). "A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina". Gotham. Season 4. Episode 1. FOX.
  7. ^ Stephens, John (writer) & Cannon, Danny (director) (September 21, 2017). "A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina". Gotham. Season 4. Episode 1. FOX.
  8. ^ Cannon, Danny (writer) & Milito, Lous Shaw (director) (September 28, 2017). "A Dark Knight: The Fear Reaper". Gotham. Season 4. Episode 2. FOX.
  9. ^ Otterson, Joe (April 28, 2021). "'Titans' Season 3 Casts Vincent Kartheiser as Scarecrow". Variety.
  10. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (August 22, 2020). "'Titans': Red Hood, Barbara Gordon And Scarecrow Set To Appear In Season 3 – DC FanDome". Deadline.
  11. ^ "Titans Season 3 Ending & All Future Setup Explained". Screen Rant. 21 October 2021.
  12. ^ Batman - Arkham Files
  13. ^ Couch, Aaron (February 9, 2017). "Coolio Was Courted to Play Scarecrow in Scrapped 'Batman & Robin' Sequel". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  14. ^ Adam Smith (July 2005). "The Scarecrow". Empire. p. 77.
  15. ^ Loder, Kurt (July 18, 2008). "'The Dark Knight': Ledgerdemain". MTV. Retrieved September 14, 2008.
  16. ^ Corliss, Richard (July 16, 2012). "'The Dark Knight Rises' Review: Best Superhero Movie Yet". Time.
  17. ^ "The World's Finest - Justice League: Throne of Atlantis". www.worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  18. ^ "EXCLUSIVE TRAILER DEBUT: Joker Rules in "Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem"". CBR. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  19. ^ "LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League - Gotham City Breakout". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  20. ^ "Full Voice Cast for 'The LEGO Batman Movie' Includes Some Big Surprises". Collider. February 3, 2017.
  21. ^ Stone, Sam (July 3, 2020). "Scooby-Doo Teams With Elvira to Fight a Batman Villain in First Halloween Movie". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  22. ^ Weiss, Josh (July 3, 2020). "Exclusive Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo! Trailer Unmasks Bill Nye, Elvira, and Batman Baddies". SyFy Wire. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  23. ^ "Batman: The Long Halloween Part Two - Exclusive Trailer Debut". IGN. May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  24. ^ "The Adventures of Batman & Robin Review". Playing with Super Powers. 8 August 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  25. ^ D'Marcus, Beatty (December 17, 2003). "GameCube:Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu - Review". Gaming Target. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  26. ^ McWhertor, Michael (March 30, 2017). "Injustice 2 adds Scarecrow and Captain Cold". Polygon. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  27. ^ @RobertBEnglund (March 31, 2017). "[Watch] New Injustice 2 trailer reveals Captain Cold and my voice as Scarecrow" (Tweet). Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ McWhertor, Michael (May 30, 2018). "New Lego game lets you team up with Joker, Harley Quinn and other DC bad guys". Polygon. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  29. ^ Saed, Sherif (May 7, 2015). "Batman: Arkham Knight voice cast includes Breaking Bad and Twilight Saga actors". VG247. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  30. ^ Fahey, Mike (July 27, 2009). "Arkham Asylum's Scarecrow Design Is BioShock Creepy". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  31. ^ "Batman: Arkham Asylum - Encountering Scarecrow". IGN.
  32. ^ "Easter Eggs - Batman: Arkham City Wiki Guide - IGN". 19 October 2011 – via www.ign.com.
  33. ^ "Batman Arkham City Easter Egg - Scarecrow's Secret Room". www.eeggs.com.
  34. ^ Jackson, Leah B. (June 9, 2014). "E3 2014: Scarecrow Missions Coming To Batman: Arkham Knight PS4". IGN. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  35. ^ Hussain, Tamoor (June 24, 2014). "PS4 exclusive Batman Arkham Knight content teased". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  36. ^ Krupa, Daniel (March 27, 2014). "Batman Arkham Knight: What You Really Need To Know". IGN. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  37. ^ Purchese, Robert (March 5, 2014). "Rocksteady reveals Batman: Arkham Knight in detail". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  38. ^ Tassi, Paul (June 26, 2015). "Arkham Knight's First Ending Is Great, Its Second Is Bad, And Its Third Is Insane". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  39. ^ Perry, Spencer (July 4, 2015). "Spencer's Soapbox: Let's Talk about the Ending of Batman: Arkham Knight". SuperHeroHype.com. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  40. ^ The Batman Adventures (vol. 2) #1. DC Comics.
  41. ^ The Batman Adventures (vol. 2) #9. DC Comics.
  42. ^ "The World's Finest - Batman Adventures: Tribute - The Comic - Ty Templeton". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  43. ^ Injustice: Gods Among Us #2. DC Comics.
  44. ^ Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #14. DC Comics.
  45. ^ Ching, Albert (July 14, 2014). ""Injustice" Ends, Killer Croc Debuts in "Batman '66" and More from DC in October". Comic Book Resources. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Valnet, Inc. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  46. ^ Batman '66 #28. DC Comics.
  47. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (August 21, 2023). "Batman '89: Echoes Adds Scarecrow and Harley Quinn to the Burtonverse - IGN". IGN. Los Angeles, California, United States. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
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