CHARACTER NAME: Jonathan Crane. The Scarecrow.
CHARACTER AGE: 34.
SERIES: DC Live-Action (Nolan-verse).
CHRONOLOGY: Just after being gassed by Batman at Arkham.
CLASS: VILLAIN. I think he would consider such a classification beneath him, and he certainly doesn't consider himself a standard career criminal. He will prove himself the sort of villain whose natural trajectory has no natural end, and that makes him dangerous.
HOUSING: He would prefer to live solo.

BACKGROUND:

Past:

x

Present:

x


PERSONALITY:

To understand Jonathan Crane, it's important to learn how to distinguish between two sides of a character. Similarily, it must be acknowledged that the second self, the alter ego, is a term applied both to the persona adopted by an actor and one's shadow. This term for the unconscious mind is from the writings of Carl Gustav Jung; Crane reveals he's a Jungian psychiatrist during the course of the movie. The short argument is that there are two centers to Crane's personality.

Putting it clearly, one must study Jonathan Crane in three parts:

1) The Ego: Jonathan Crane.
2) The Shadow: Scarecrow.
3) The Self: The two integrated.

The Scarecrow was originally a persona created by Jonathan Crane to use in his experiments. At the same time, it is an aspect of his personality that gives him the freedom to live all those fantasies in his head, good or bad, without revealing himself. When Crane dons his mask, he sinks into his own depths; he retreats into the vicious shadow lurking underneath his ego. He becomes more of a risk-taker and becomes likely to act on flashes of impulse. His obsession with fear floods his consciousness, shattering the boundaries of his behavior, and he shivers with a vicious thrill when torturing victims with his toxin. For example, his mocking of Carmine Falcone when he screams. The terrifying thing is that Crane was able to turn into the Scarecrow at any moment - all he had to do was whip on a mask. When the Batman swooped upon him at Arkham, the interesting part is that he was not consumed by his alter-ego. When his mind was shocked, confused and paralysed by the fear gas Batman sprayed him with, it was Crane's mind that sunk into his own depths, leaving only Scarecrow.

The 'real' Jonathan Crane can only be said to exist when Scarecrow and his Ego are no longer divided, but brought together in fragile unity. The merging of his two halves is beginning at the exact moment chosen as his canon point, meaning he may look very dead and lost in the eyes, his mind in a standstill and unable to make quick decisions because he's retreated into his alter-ego to recover and make sense of things. Jonathan Crane basically transformed into a new person on the day Batman gassed him in the face.

What makes Crane and his alter-ego different from Batman and Bruce Wayne is that Crane owns up to what he is and stands by it - on all counts. He doesn't maintain a false persona like a certain billionaire playboy. His personality is consistent and true. When Scarecrow rides his horse down the Narrows, he allows us to see that he has abandoned his old identity as Jonathan Crane, the administrator of Arkham Asylum, because that was no longer who he was. What Scarecrow brings out are Crane's hidden personality traits - all of them exist without the mask, but are hidden behind a calm, emotionless and dry-witted shell. The real problem is that Crane seems delusional. He believes the whole world runs on fear. He also believes his metamorphosis was a gift, and seeks to help people experience terror, claiming in Crane's voice that he "wants to help".

It's important to note that this doesn't mean Crane's lost everything that makes him tick. He remains independent and willful, and scientifically anarchistic. His methods were unorthodox and dangerous before, and now they're even worse. Although he meets the Chechen at a later point, his words reveal this beautifully; what the criminal thought were normal drugs were part of a wider experiment - Crane had secretly dosed them with fear toxin. Just like he was before, he is driven by his goals - science and work - and is unshakeable. He still craves power and displays horrific sadism. Jonathan Crane arguably continues to exist as both Crane and Scarecrow at the same time. Each are two centers of his personality.



At this point, they can't stop us. But the Batman has a talent for disruption. Force him outside, the police will take him down.



Crane lives in the world of ideas and logical planning. He is a keen analyst and observer who made his living by observing people and then explaining them to others. His compulsive desires to know what makes people tick, exceptional intelligence and years of experience, have made him an expert in reading people. For instance, he needed little time to discern Rachel Dawes's inability to be bought. Less to observe she would become a problem in the future. They clashed only briefly in legal settings, the courtroom or on a visit to Arkham, yet he displayed a good understanding of her motives and intentions when talking to Falcone. Crane's ability to psychologically dissect people includes the metaphorical concept of societal groups and structures, and how they operate, as we see from his personal dealings - he displays a good understanding of mob mentality and hierarchy on separate occasions when discussing Rachel and Ra's al Gul with Falcone, and knew the courts valued his professional opinion.

But as much as he's a psychiatrist, Crane is a scientist. He can read and understand complex literature and scientific equations and theories. He notices behavioral patterns and partners them with psychological theories and his data to learn about his patients; he used to diagnose and evaluate them in legal settings. His alter-ego, Scarecrow, was adopted during his tenure at Arkham Asylum to help in his experiments. For the most part, Crane acts on logic and common sense; he knows what works and what doesn't. He's got a good sense of how events can develop. Upon realizing Batman had infiltrated Arkham, he told his men to call the police, because they were far better equipped to deal with the vigilante than Crane and his group of thugs, and unlike Batman, wouldn't have been able to stop his plans.

Now, Crane knows he's not physically imposing, appearing frail and non-threatening, so when shrouded by his disguise as the Scarecrow he uses the environment to his advantage and uses his fear gas as a weapon. As for his victims, well... Crane enjoys seeing reactions to his mask and drugs. This is because of his need to feel fear, and thus what his patients see is a puzzle to solve - something which lends itself to his analytical, observant nature.



I respect the mind's power over the body. It's why I do what I do.



Even in his current state, Crane is an intelligent and articulate man. He constructs logical arguments to support his observations and needs and presents them well - he summarized a Jungian archetype for Rachel in no time at all. He's quick to think on his feet and is a good planner, ahead of time or even on the spot. He oversaw and organized his drug shipments with Falcone, and acted as the liaison between Falcone and Ra's Al Gul. Crane was the guy who kept the plan going behind the scenes - the "third man in the narrows" - the man who oversaw the secrets of scary people.

Crane's also innovative. He has brilliant expertise in psychology and biochemistry. He invented his fear toxin, displaying a knowledge of chemical manipulation. He displays inventive methods of planning. For example, he collaborated with Ra's, who provided him with the rare flowers he needed for his toxin, to plunge Gotham into fear and turn the whole city into his experiment. Crane's spent his whole life working on one single idea - fear, and how much of it the human mind can take. He is driven by intellectual goals - science and work - and is precise, systematic and unemotional about his work. His obsession is unshakeable. Though, Crane needs to be higher than everyone psychologically. He likes to be in power over the mind to have power over people. His hallucinogenic toxins are made to control and terrorize people. He worked with Ra's to hold Gothamites to ransom with fear. Still, he shows reverence for the human mind: "it's why I do what I do".

But even working for somebody more powerful, Crane is brilliant and sharp enough that he is his own boss. Working under Falcone's thumb was uncomfortable, and this showed in his body language and facial expressions in all their encounters - and his mocking words when he donned the Scarecrow cowl and drove Falcone insane. When extremely irritated, Crane'll remove his glasses or thin his mouth and purse his lips. Working under Ra's was acceptable because his goals and needs were being fulfilled - and Ra's was on a whole other level to Falcone as far as Crane was concerned.



Would you like to see my mask? I use it in my experiments.



It's important to note that Crane is not a good guy at all. Serious, deep issues have plagued him from a young age. His introverted, quiet nature hides a deep-rooted inferiority complex, even whilst his mind is brilliant at the same time. He fears his oppressors and has no ambitions of his own outside his work. He acted as Ra's pawn and tolerated being under Falcone's thumb out of self-preservation, much as for his greater plan of experimenting on Gotham. Though, Crane's more of a pragmatist. He may deviate from his logical patterns for personal gain - his work or his need to feel fear, maybe both at the same time. There's no way he'd get the money for it, so he has to commit crime, but also by committing crime he can make the Batman notice him - and thus validate his existence. He's also a dirty fighter who'll use psychological and even chemical warfare in fist fights.

Crane's a tough guy to make friends with. He's a clinical, judgmental man with few friends. He is cold, arrogant and bitchy. His speech and body language is polite yet rude at the same time - he can look mean when he's expressionless, even without meaning to. Most of this developed as a defense mechanism from years of physical and mental abuse. Crane was bullied terribly and incessantly, treated as an outcast since birth, and ostracized by his peers for his appearance and being a geek. He's suffered at the hands of everyone - his family, grandmother, peers and even so-called friends. So he hides behind his quiet exterior and constantly watches others. His reactions towards others are cold and clinical, though post-capture he's slowly coming out of his shell and showing a great appreciation of theatrics. He had kept silent to disguise his motives. Now, he's free in mind and body. He doesn't have to pretend, and clearly enjoys what he's doing.

But now as much as then, Crane craves power, especially over powerful people. His hallucinogenic drugs are his medium to exploit and break the mind and create fear in order to make himself superior to his victims. Crane, you see, has a huge streak of sadism. Not only is he fascinated by how people react to their fears, he enjoys bringing out their reactions, either as a psychological experiment or for his own amusement. He despises being laughed at - Batman and people proving him as foolish, misguided, etc, and will seek revenge if slighted. If you insult his work, his image, his ability to instill great fear - which includes misrepresentations of what he, as Scarecrow, stands for, then one day he'll come after you. He is fear. And he demands equal parts fear and respect.

Crane also loves affirming his authority. During Victor's trial, he basked and enjoyed the thrill of having the courtroom hanging on his expertise - that was his moment. And, on a much larger scale, he turned Arkham into his spider web. Though he has fallen from grace, Crane loves that he intimately knows all its corners and hidden passages and rooms, and how the system runs.

Repeated exposure to fear - his childhood and experiments, and Batman's gassing in Arkham's basement - has left Crane insensitised to fear. He feels dissociated from horror and phobia - the passions of his life. He desires to feel fear. He's numb and needs to seek and engage and experience what others see and feel. His egotistically intelligent mind is a crux here - it drives him to a seemingly unattainable goal. His fear of Batman is an adrenaline rush, and he'll push boundaries to find what sets him off. Crane's recklessness and inability to feel fear, stirred with his twitchy, cautious nature, seem like extroverted aspects of his nature - but it's to assure his own self-survival. Crane is truly fearless - except for one thing.

Batman. He sees the vigilante as his predator, and that's of mankind's primal fears. Oblivion. Batman is the bully from school, and the harsh and unforgiving guardian who locked him in the aviary and beat him for every mistake. The people who laughed at his appearance. Worst of all, Batman has the intellect to oppose him - but Crane seems to enjoy this, as being as intelligent as he is is a rare thing, indeed. Batman's challenge to his intellect is a stark reminder of the redundancy forced on him by the university's board. But Batman does everything without needing toxin. He is fear. And that makes Crane grateful and so incredibly happy.

It's interesting that, at his core, Crane is a man of human aspects, not supernatural ones.



Dr. Crane isn't here right now, but if you'd like to make an appointment...



Crane, whose identity seems nebulous, felt his mind crack under the strain of his own fear toxin, and all he could do was focus his terror on "an external aggressor" - a twist on what he had told Rachel earlier. But this doesn't mean he's dependent on the mask for his identity. When he told Batman "Dr. Crane isn't here right now," he wasn't in costume, but he sure wasn't Crane.

His clothing is tailored and neat, but bland and unremarkable with no identifying patterns or features. He is well-presented but shows a lack of internal stimulation. He doesn't want to draw attention. Crane senses and perceives outside himself to learn - he's an abstract thinker - how things tick. He's comforted by abstract ideas, theories and experimentation. Places of work to Crane are just that. His work environments are plain with no home comforts. His glasses give the impression of intelligence, heightening his egotistical sense of superiority. His clean appearance helps him to blend in, and the irony isn't lost on him that it's a marked contrast to his youth. Imprisoned at Arhkam, however, image becomes less of a priority.

Unfortunately, Crane is not very perceptive. He didn't realise Ra's aim was to destroy Gotham, which would have prematurely ended his research. He lunged at Batman with his fear toxin, though he's not a physical fighter, and got a face full of gas for his trouble. Though, Crane shows a complete lack of panic in most situations. When Batman came knocking at his door in the Narrows, he kept cool, doused the vigilante with fear gas, splashed him with flammable liquid and lit him on fire. And enjoyed doing it.

Now, Crane's experiences have amalgamated into a personality that's more willing to take risks and turns in his efforts to feel and spread fear. He experiences the present and absorbs it, but doesn't act or show any comfort from it. He's not loyal to people or principles - he acts according to business deals and favours - and shows little thought along ethical lines and no interest in forming inter-personal relationships. His motivations are purely scientific curiosity and fear, and revenge if you happen to make him look a fool. He appears understanding and sympathetic if that's his best approach to intellectually figuring people out, but he struggles with real, honest sympathy.



There is nothing to fear but fear itself. I'm here to help.


Where there was once restraint, Crane will show very little. Whenever people say anything that piques his interest, he'll make a beeline and respond in the most appropriate manner that nets him information. Crane will still seem eerily serene while people are screaming. Remarkably, he will smile and laugh more than he used to - disturbingly so. He'll speak more freely, too, though sometimes he is remarkably cryptic. When interrogated by Gordon, "what's the plan, Crane?", he merely responded with "Oh, you cannot stop it" and then smiled. He clearly enjoys his superiority.

Lastly, Crane now has a greater propensity for violence, though he's not open about it. He was prepared to traumatise his university students, and now he's free to pursue his research. So he's quicker to conduct an opportune field experiment, so to say. Why pass on opportunity? But with his freedom to act comes certain movements. Twitching hands, body twisting, untrustworthy movements akin to a spider. He will utterly explode at simple descriptions of his work, and go on a tangent to defend it. However, he will speak in a calm tone of voice most of the time. Just don't buy any of it. He jokingly told Rachel Dawes to "clear your head" right before he was about to drug her. Inadvertently, his calm and smug behaviour can lead to unintentional hilarity.


POWER:

CANON ABILITIES:

First, it's important to say that Crane prides himself on three things:

1) His mind.
2) His training in psychology.
3) His proficient chemistry.

He has a genius-level intellect that's well-versed in psychology - specifically fears and phobias. Fear is so fascinating and nourishing that he's developed encyclopedic knowledge of it as a subject. Stir everything together, and you have a corrupt doctor who can figure out the deepest things about his patients within a couple of quiet hours.

Hand in hand with his psychology, Crane is specialised in the field of psychopharmacology. A proficient chemist due to developing 'medicine' for his patients, he has conducted scientific studies of the effects drugs have on mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior, especially fear. Fear gas is his signature weapon. Victims go into utter fright, terror, horror, and panic. The toxins operate on mental, audible and visual levels. They are so complex and difficult that making an antidote is an excruciating process, as Lucius Fox claims. These drugs can break weaker minds, and his victims may be affected for the rest of their lives. Otherwise Crane's drugs have different working times, lasting anywhere from a few hours to a week, depending on character factors and player preference.