We’ve been hearing a lot of reports about Matt Reeves’ The Batman in recent days, from the general tone of the movie and the characterization of Bruce Wayne, to what villains may end up being in its universe. And one new leak says that Reeves wants to introduce his own version of Scarecrow at some point, further fleshing out the Dark Knight’s rogues’ gallery in this particular incarnation of Gotham City.
Although there aren’t more details than that, and no confirmation as to the report’s validity, any take on Jonathan Crane and Scarecrow would fit with the back-to-basics approach of The Batman. Depending on how he’s played, the villain can be an over-the-top monster, or a more psychologically grounded figure, as we saw with Cillian Murphy’s portrayal in the Nolan films.
In addition, Crane and his fear gas would provide the psychological menace that’s apparently a big part of this depiction of the hero, while tying into the talk that Pattinson’s performance will push the mental health implications of his mission. Given what we’re hearing about the Riddler, it’s also possible that there’ll be changes to how Scarecrow traditionally appears, and maybe even the name and background of the character.
In terms of on-screen appearances, the Master of Fear has been profitably mined in many live-action and other adaptations of the comics, notably in the Nolan trilogy, but also in Gotham, and will be introduced to Titans this season. Furthermore, he’s had many animated incarnations, and always seems to be in the running for whatever new DC production is being developed.
As with the rest of the stories surrounding The Batman, it’s difficult to know how much truth there is to this, and whether Reeves is already able to make firm decisions about sequels, but bringing in Scarecrow to fight Pattinson’s Dark Knight makes sense considering how often he’s been used by other filmmakers.