Top 100 Batman VILLAINS

2 - Scarecrow

#2 - Scarecrow
First Appearance: World's Finest #3 (Sep 1941)

"Though it is simple to bring on, you cannot escape from fear. For fear is not a delusion. You are a sentient mortal condemned to die, and time is against you." ~Scarecrow

The first time I sat up and took notice of Scarecrow was when the Doctor Destiny story of Sandman by Neil Gaiman. I found it superbly creepy and cerebral that Crane would simply simulate hanging himself so casually in order to unnerve his guards in Arkham, all the while so focused on his conversation with Dr. Destiny. It struck such a deep chord in me that I needed to go out and find more Scarecrow stories immediately... and by was I in for a great reading experience.

Scarecrow's capacity for fear takes away Batman's greatest advantage; everything the Bat has inspired, worked toward for years to create in the hearts of the superstitious and cowardly lot, it goes out the window when the Scarecrow arrives. Batman's power essentially is useless against the Scarecrow, himself a master of fear; that perhaps is the best part of Scarecrow - he can create a level playing field in a way that only Scarecrow can. And in a way most villains can't, Scarecrow's personality, design and agenda transitions well across franchises and across mediums. For me, the best villain in any Batman film has been Jonathan Crane in the Dark Knight trilogy, as Cillian Murphy brings the concept of the Scarecrow so perfectly to a trilogy that so often veered away from the more bombastic designs of villains. Murphy's Crane is exactly what Crane should be - an unhinged man who seems perfectly sane in a city gone mad. Crane can simultaneously be the most rational and most insane individual in a well-written story. On the other hand, he can be completely unglued, untethered from everything except the taste of fear in others. Scarecrow's performance in Batman: Arkham Asylum is easily the highlight of that video game - it reached heights that even Hamill's immaculate Joker couldn't reach.

Scarecrow is ultimately the perfect representation of fear - a scarecrow is constant reminder of mortality, the quintessential cause of all fear being death. And Crane IS a scarecrow. That's what makes him one of the greatest villains of all time from ANY franchise, and the #2 Batman villain of all time.

Greatest Scarecrow Stories Ever Told:
1. Batman: The Animated Series - "Never Fear" - One of the best episodes of a show chock full of best episodes, Never Fear captures Scarecrow in a way no other tale has ever done so. It's a beautiful and haunting story that really demonstrates how Scarecrow is a villain that reaches into a Batman in a way no other villain can.

2. Fear of Faith - A great story provided to us in the midst of the year-long No Man's Land (which once again I stand by as the greatest era of Batman storytelling ever), Scarecrow is allowed sanctuary into Gotham's one safe-zone, the religious quarter. A really unique story that explores both religious belief and fear in only the way a story with Scarecrow can. Also, the ending is easily one of the best endings to a Batman story imo (although it might seem like an odd choice).

3. Identity Crisis (the one from Batman #455-457) - Good villains can make themselves look good. Great villains can make their opposing heroes look good. And for Tim Drake in one of his earliest appearances, the Scarecrow provides all of the ammunition for not just a great story that allows us to really delve into the mind of Tim Drake, but also the ammunition for Drake to win us over as both a character and as a Robin. I've always thought that Alan Grant told such an underappreciated tale here, one that I recommend.