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Upgrade the Scarecrow
The Joker may be the most iconic Batman villain.
Nevertheless, I was wondering if instead of the Joker, it was Johnathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, who got the monstrous serial killer status. You know, killing his victims with fear venom or something like that.
"When criminals want to scare each other, they tell each other Scarecrow stories."
If something like that HAS occured, please let me know.
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I liked the Scarecrow in Batman Begins. It would be interesting to take the character and turn him into a Josef Mengele type villain, who practices eugenics and experiments on people. Making them twisted and evil and setting them loose on society etc.
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[QUOTE=Mia;890158]I liked the Scarecrow in Batman Begins. It would be interesting to take the character and turn him into a Josef Mengele type villain, who practices eugenics and experiments on people. Making them twisted and evil and setting them loose on society etc.[/QUOTE]
Interesting concept, I guess.
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[url]http://www.comicvine.com/detective-comics-835-absolute-terror-part-1-of-2/4000-112669/[/url]
THIS. This story should have been what people based Scarecrow's depiction on going forward, as it really elevated him and showed just why he can be so formidable. If you never read it, basically when in Arkham, the regular cons push him around and mock him for being useless without fear toxin. His response is to later whisper something to one of them in his cell that causes the guy to commit suicide. He escapes, and then decides to use psychology and his actual knowledge of fear to create a panic in the city by picking off random victims and leaving their bodies to be discovered in terrifying ways, while Batman grows increasingly unnerved by the fact that he can no longer predict what a truly cerebral Scarecrow will do next. This was just a fill-in story, but it was pretty praised at the time for doing something new with the character, but somehow people just went back to the Fear Toxin schtick soon after. Such a waste.
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[QUOTE=Stazz;891104][url]http://www.comicvine.com/detective-comics-835-absolute-terror-part-1-of-2/4000-112669/[/url]
THIS. This story should have been what people based Scarecrow's depiction on going forward, as it really elevated him and showed just why he can be so formidable. If you never read it, basically when in Arkham, the regular cons push him around and mock him for being useless without fear toxin. His response is to later whisper something to one of them in his cell that causes the guy to commit suicide. He escapes, and then decides to use psychology and his actual knowledge of fear to create a panic in the city by picking off random victims and leaving their bodies to be discovered in terrifying ways, while Batman grows increasingly unnerved by the fact that he can no longer predict what a truly cerebral Scarecrow will do next. This was just a fill-in story, but it was pretty praised at the time for doing something new with the character, but somehow people just went back to the Fear Toxin schtick soon after. Such a waste.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. Read that story and loved it.
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I think how he's depicted could be a lot better. His redesign for the last season of B:TAS was brilliant and should carry over to the comics:
[IMG]http://sharetv.com/images/guide/307503.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111112204919/batmananimatedseries/images/thumb/b/ba/Scarecrow_stare.PNG/640px-Scarecrow_stare.PNG[/IMG]
[IMG]https://blogdorogerinho.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/960.jpg[/IMG]
He has a power set with the fear toxin that is unique among the Bat-villains. There's a lot that could be done with this still--like making him a Freddy Krueger-type villain that messes with people psychologically.
I really hope Snyder and Capullo get around to doing a Scarecrow story. Seems like a villain particularly suited to Capullo's art style.
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From a costuming standpoint I'm actually opposed to the big hat. It's a mixed bag. It's not like classic scarecrows can't be scary, though. Doctor Who's Series 3 "The Family of Blood" had way-scary scarecrows. But if any villain should represent ... like the horror movie tropes and cliches to perfection ... the Scott Snyder brand ... it should be Scarecrow, right?
Literal upgrades are often pretty silly. Yellow Lantern fear rings, for instance. Fun and "very DC" and homage to the Legion of Doom perhaps, but silly nonetheless.
Costume upgrade are easy and easily incorporate classic horror movie stuff. I really, really like the Arkham games version with the mashup burlap sack/gas mask and the 80s style hood (my favorite Scarecrow look I can never find good images of) and the Freddy-esque needle fingers. And VG Scarecrow is properly gangly, too. Almost "too skinny".
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The hat needs to make a comeback. Batman Begins was 10 years ago, there's no need to continue with that Scarecrow costume.
I'm also not a huge fan of the respirators or finger-syringes from the Arkham verse.
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I kind of like the idea of the Scarecrow adopting the mask worn by the Merrymaker...
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I'd prefer a moratorium on Scarecrow AND Mad Hatter for at least a couple of years . . . as with the Riddler, they're getting used way too often in the various comic book stories these days.
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[QUOTE=Stazz;891104][url]http://www.comicvine.com/detective-comics-835-absolute-terror-part-1-of-2/4000-112669/[/url]
THIS. This story should have been what people based Scarecrow's depiction on going forward, as it really elevated him and showed just why he can be so formidable. If you never read it, basically when in Arkham, the regular cons push him around and mock him for being useless without fear toxin. His response is to later whisper something to one of them in his cell that causes the guy to commit suicide. He escapes, and then decides to use psychology and his actual knowledge of fear to create a panic in the city by picking off random victims and leaving their bodies to be discovered in terrifying ways, while Batman grows increasingly unnerved by the fact that he can no longer predict what a truly cerebral Scarecrow will do next. This was just a fill-in story, but it was pretty praised at the time for doing something new with the character, but somehow people just went back to the Fear Toxin schtick soon after. Such a waste.[/QUOTE]
agreed. love that story. overall i would love for an 'upgrade'. quite frankly, scarecrow is my favorite character in bat-lore, but yea he just hasn't really had his own iconic story or mark left. i have been begging snyder to write a scarecrow story from the start, especially since capullo draws him so viciously gruesome. here's hoping
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Scheme Slideshow
From "Batman: The Animated Series" (Fox TV), Season 1, Episode 19: 'While investigating a mysterious series of athlete panic attacks during games, Robin is exposed to the fear toxin of the culprit, The Scarecrow' (source of summary: Internet Movie Database [IMDb]).
Athlete behavior is so symbolic in our age of media. The care and concern for them reflects social attitudes towards traffic.
Here, Scarecrow is seen affecting the lives of athletes with a strange fear toxin. Scarecrow is obviously a character we can draw on to talk about unusual subversion.
If we take such stories about specific plots, we might be able to raise him up to the level of the Riddler.
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[QUOTE=Rod G;890060]The Joker may be the most iconic Batman villain.
Nevertheless, I was wondering if instead of the Joker, it was Johnathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, who got the monstrous serial killer status. You know, killing his victims with fear venom or something like that.
"When criminals want to scare each other, they tell each other Scarecrow stories."
If something like that HAS occured, please let me know.[/QUOTE]
That would be a horrible story. It isn't in the Scarecrows MO to do so and if you want the story use the joker. Character should be used want they are meant to be and not written out of character. The Scarecrow wants to study fear in people not kill random people.
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No, Scarecrow could definitely use an overhaul and some experimentation. Almost every Scarecrow incarnation in other media is better than the comic version. Personally id ripoff Arkham Asylum's Scarecrow.
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[QUOTE=Godlike13;898507]No, Scarecrow could definitely use an overhaul and some experimentation. Almost every Scarecrow incarnation in other media is better than the comic version. Personally id ripoff Arkham Asylum's Scarecrow.[/QUOTE]
Sure you can do that. However making him a killer just to make him edgy, dark and cool is making him a killer for all the wrong reason. It isn't in the Scarecrow's MO to kill people but to make them experience the ultimately fear to see what it does to them psychological.