Scarecrow

Origin

In his original appearance, Jonathan Crane was a professor of psychology. He was shunned by the other teachers for not dressing well, as he spent all his money on books. Crane was fired when he shot a gun in class, while teaching the psychology of fear. He then became the Scarecrow, to represent the combination of poverty and fear. In this incarnation he was shown as a good hand-to-hand fighter, but he used a gun rather than fear gas.

The Scarecrow's history was greatly expanded on in Batman/Scarecrow #1, and Batman/Scarecrow Year One. Unloved by his mother and abandoned by his father, Crane lived mostly with his grandmother, who was a religious zealot. Whenever Crane would do something she disapproved of, she would lock him in a church, where he would be attacked by crows. At school, he was also picked on, due to his skinny body and long extremities. One day, Crane secretly watched his grandmother, who was preparing the suit he was forced to wear when he was sent into the church. He learned how she managed to get all the crows to attack. Later, he snuck into the room his grandmother had strictly forbidden him to enter. He found a library. Without his grandmother's knowledge, he learned all he could about all types of sciences, particularly chemistry. He developed his own version of the mixture his grandmother had used to attract the crows. He tested it out on one of the bullies at school. He was attacked by birds, and half blinded. When he realized Crane's involvement, he beat him up again, leading him to develop stronger chemicals. Eventually, Scarecrow killed his grandmother. 

When Crane was in high-school, he was still being mocked. In addition to being called Scarecrow, he was compared to Ichabod Crane. Eventually, Crane had had enough. Fueled with the fury at having been rejected - by Sherry Squires - and having put up with the torment most of his childhood, he dressed as a scarecrow and took a gun to the senior prom, brandishing it in the parking lot. He frightened a car driven by Bo Griggs, the leader of the bullies, off the road, leaving Griggs paralyzed from the waist down and his girlfriend - Squires - dead.

Crane finds that he takes tremendous pleasure in scaring people, literally to their deaths. He moves on to become a psychology professor at Gotham University but gets fired from his position for harming a student during a demonstration of his theories. He chooses to take the persona of the Scarecrow and use the emotion of fear as his main weapon to take vengeance on those responsible for his dismissal from the university.The Scarecrow leaves straws as a calling card much like the Joker's playing card. 

Later History/Notable Appearances

While he made very few appearances in the Golden Age, Scarecrow was a regular enemy of Batman during the Silver Age. He was frequently a member of the Injustice Gang. During this time Scarecrow was sometimes shown with a trained crow named Nightmare. During the Knightfall story arc, Scarecrow teamed up with the Joker to hold the mayor hostage. Fed up with the Joker's tricks and games, he tried to use his fear gas on him. However, the Joker was immune, and hit Scarecrow with a chair. He appeared again when Azrael was acting as Batman. Scarecrow planted fear gas bombs across the city, and threatened to detonate them if he was not declared the god of fear. He was stopped by Azrael and Anarky.

In Batman: Hush, Scarecrow worked with Hush and the Riddler.

During the As the Crow Flies story arc, Scarecrow was turned into the vicious Scarebeast. This was caused by genetic tampering by Fright, Scarecrow's lab assistant, following orders from the Penguin. The Scarecrow only made one other appearance as Scarebeast: During the War Games story arc, Scarecrow was betrayed by Black Mask. In his fury he transformed into the Scarebeast.

Scarecrow was a member of Alexander Luthor's Secret Society. 

One Year Later, Scarecrow confronted Batman and Robin, revealing their fears of their parallel selves from other parts of the Multiverse, as well as Robin's fear of Superboy -Prime.

In Superman/Batman: Torment, Scarecrow works with Desaad to capture Superman. He succeeds, but then turns on Desaad. He is captured, but later rescued and brought back to Earth by Superman and Batman.

During the Absolute Terror story arc, Scarecrow decided to stop using his fear toxin. He used his training as a psychologist to spread fear throughout the city. When confronted by Batman at his hideout, Scarecrow accidentally ran into one of his own scythe-swinging scarecrow machines, and was disemboweled. At the hospital, the doctors managed to save him.

During the Gotham Underground series, Scarecrow is apprehended by the Suicide Squad. However, he had rethought his decision to abandon his fear gas, and used it to escape. He teamed up with the Ventriloquist's gang. However, he betrayed them, leading them into a dead end surrounded by Tobias Whale's men. Whale then betrayed him, beating him up and hanging him, hurt but alive, up like a Scarecrow.

He later appeared in the Heart of Hush story arc. When he was younger, and interning at a mental institution, he met Thomas Elliot, later known as Hush. He taught Hush the power of fear, and had him released from the institution early. During the period before Batman R.I.P, when the Heart of Hush story is taking place, Scarecrow again teams up with Hush. He distracts Batman while Hush prepares. When sent back to Arkham Asylum, Batman shows up and forces Scarecrow into telling him Hush's hideout.

Scarecrow is one of the villains forced to work for Black Mask during Battle for the Cowl.

Out of Continuity

Scarecrow has appeared in several Elseworlds stories. He has also appeared in some Batman crossovers, including one with Daredevil, and one with Judge Dredd.

Scarecrow appeared in Alex Ross' Justice.

Powers and Abilities

Scarebeast

In Other Media

Cartoons

The Scarecrow made his first animated appearence on the Batman/Superman Hour voiced by Ted Knight.

The Scarecrow appeared in the animated series of the 70's The Superfriends. He was one of Batman's enemies in the Legion of Doom leaded by Lex Luthor.

"Fear... is power."

They depicted him as quite the useless foe, and most of the times he was just there to be beaten either by Batman and Robin or by some other member of the Superfriends. He gets one episode to himself.

In Batman: the Animated Series, a cartoon from the 90's, the Scarecrow was far more competent as an enemy of the Dark Knight. In several episodes he has caused Batman to nearly succumb to his greatest nightmares and fears such as the death of his parents, his enemies triumphing, or him failing his duties as the Dark Knight. 
 
In The New Batman Adventures he is given a much more sinister character design. With a harsher voice, a noose around his neck, and a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-esque mask, he is made to look more like a corpse than a scarecrow.

Scarecrow appeared in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. He was planning on terrorizing a town on Halloween but foiled by Batman and Jay Garrick.
 

Video Games

Scarecrow appears in Batman: Arkham Asylum.This version of him wears a gas mask resembling a hooded scarecrow, and a glove retrofitted with syringes. He appears numerous times in the game, and you have to fight him while under the influence over his fear gas. On one of his patient interview files you can hear the names Dr. Murphy and Dr. Combs. They are most likely references to his past portrayers, Jeffrey Combs and Cillian Murphy.

Films

"Would you like to see my mask?"