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]
Scarecrow appears in the first season of Harley Quinn, voiced by
Rahul Kohli. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom who is later killed by the
Joker for unmasking Batman.
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 MassacreLeatherface 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]
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]
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]
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]