Scarecrow - an A-list Villain?

[prepmaster]

Problem is, most writers don't really think that much of him. He's not "cool". He's not their favorite. They see him as one note, so they write him as one note, so he remains one note. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.

Sometimes Scarecrow is used more as plot device for interesting visuals rather than as a villain.

Scarecrow is a master of fear but he can also be intimidated. Fear of pain, fear of death, fear of having your own work destroyed.

Batman instills the fear of pain onto other criminals
His villains instill the fear of death onto their potential victims.
Scarecrow makes people hallunicate their fears.

Scarecrow does not make people afraid of him, he makes people of afraid of their own worst nightmares.

[Tzigone]

Problem is, most writers don't really think that much of him. He's not "cool". He's not their favorite. They see him as one note, so they write him as one note, so he remains one note. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.

And he wouldn't even be that if the fear gas hadn't changed a good bit from when first introduced (or hadn't been introduced at all), when it was more generic fears. But more than that, I do think that's him - if he's only ever been written as one note (and I think that's pretty much accurate), then he is one note. He may have the potential to be more than that, but so does every other one note character, so that doesn't make him stand out among the rest to me. As it is, I find him pretty dull with, for the most part, one story retold over and over, and not personally engaging enough to make it fun to read. IMO, he's nothing but a mechanism for the gas the bulk of the time, and the gas itself is sometimes (not always) boring, too. Now, yes, he could be written in a more interesting way, but then so could every other boring villain.

That said, it's difficult to make villain intriguing to me. I don't care for villains. I do think they are generally boring and really only want them as obstacles for the hero to overcome. The ones I do like are either funny (without the writer pretending they aren't villains) or just fun to hate. The occasional sympathetic villain (whom B:TAS Mister Freeze typifies) is only enjoyable for one or two stories before I'm no longer sympathetic to the character, and just get irritated every time I'm supposed to feel sorry for them while they do horrible things. So I'm a bit biased against seeing potential in villains.

[prepmaster]

Well, we already established that Scarecrow isn't just trying to "scare" them. He's trying to traumatize his victims mentally through terror for documentation in his research. The purpose for his research is his "higher calling".

This is the same as the mad scientists who conduct unethical experiments on innocent people for the sake of "science". Its just that Scarecrow is even more specialized while mad scientists archetype can conduct various types of horryfing experiments.

[Uncanny Mutie]

Absolutely. He may be at the bottom of the A-List compared to guys like Joker, Riddler, and Two-Face, but he's STILL A-List.

[Restingvoice]

Should a psychologist be specialized in just one thing like the nature of fear or anger? A psychologist should know alot more about wide range of human emotions.

Maybe they should but they decided that this is the subject they're most interested and obsess
Strange is Batman
Crane is fear
Harley is the criminal minds

[MajorHoy]

from Scarecrow's first appearance in World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941)


from Infinite Frontier #0 (May 2021)

[Confuzzled]

I liked how Joker's Asylum: Scarecrow bothered to use him more than just the sprayer of gas. The story eventually devolved into generic teen horror but gave a glimpse into his psyche when he tempted an unpopular girl being bullied by the mean kids to be the bully instead and use fear against the very people who tormented her.

[Rac7d*]

He been the main villain of a big film and game,
he been in multiple television shows animated and live, theme park appearances
yes, he is about as A list as you can get

[Confuzzled]

He been the main villain of a big film and game,

TBF Ra's was the main villain of Batman Begins. Scarecrow was like a recurring B-lister throughout the Nolan trilogy.

[cgh]

Absolutely he is A-List, more so than Bane in my opinion (I think Bane is a pretty crap villain, to be honest). I've dug the Scarecrow since these days:

[prepmaster]

Absolutely he is A-List, more so than Bane in my opinion (I think Bane is a pretty crap villain, to be honest)

Bane at his worst is a guy that can give Batman a physical challenge, at his best is the guy that can plan against Batman and has other villains work under his command. The guy grew up in a prison and became a king in there. He became a figure to be feared in that prison. Bane wants to rule over others the same way he ruled over the criminals in that prison. Scarecrow would not survive the same thing that Bane went through. Scarecrow without his fear gas is not gonna become the most feared figure in a prison.

You can see why Nolan with his grounded take on Batman used Bane as the main villain while relegated Scarecrow to just being a side villain.

[TheRay]

I agree with your list, but would put Scarecrow in A.
If Killer Croc is B, then I would put Calendar Man at C List.

[Rac7d*]

TBF Ra's was the main villain of Batman Begins. Scarecrow was like a recurring B-lister throughout the Nolan trilogy.

doesnt matter, the general public has seen him multiple time in many different iternations
he has had more public appearances then Wonder Woman
Most bat rouges are A listers in general, their ranking within the Bat verse is another matter

[MajorHoy]

doesnt matter, the general public has seen him multiple time in many different iternations
he has had more public appearances then Wonder Woman...

I must have missed the Scarecrow network TV show that lasted for at least three seasons . . .

[Rac7d*]

I must have missed the Scarecrow network TV show that lasted for at least three seasons . . .

At least his first Movie appearance wasnt as a lego