Batman famously loves to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. However, Scarecrow just figured out the Dark Knight’s greatest fear.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman: Special Edition, now on sale.
Batman and Scarecrow are more than just enemies. They are dark reflections of one another, each being obsessed with how to use fear. While Batman terrorizes criminals to stop them from harming others, Scarecrow instills fear in others selfish reasons.
For a long time, the Dark Knight had a clear advantage, but that all changed in Fear State tie-in story by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey and Clayton Cowles in this year’s Free Comic Book Day’s Batman: Special Edition. Now, the Gotham supervillain has finally figured out how to beat Batman by tapping into his greatest fear.
The story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman is famous. When Bruce was a little boy, his parents were gunned down in a back alley in front of him. Traumatized by this loss, the orphaned billionaire used all of the resources at his disposal to turn himself into a living weapon, becoming a costumed vigilante who struck fear in the hearts of criminals, since he concluded that criminals are both cowardly and superstitious. He weaponized his own fear, and in the process, overcame it (or so he thought). As it turns out, Scarecrow knows how to exploit fear far better than Batman ever could.
Professor Jonathan Crane became the Scarecrow after developing a special Fear Toxin that he used to induce debilitating psychological terror in people. He continued to tamper with the formula over the years and recently created the strongest strain of Fear Toxin to date, which he just dosed Batman with. While the Dark Knight had previously managed to overcome the effects of Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin, this new strain drove him to madness.
He ran screaming through the empty corridors of the abandoned Arkham Asylum, stumbling and falling, even crawling on the ground. He tried messaging Oracle and other members of the Bat-family for support, but they didn’t answer. Hallucinations overwhelmed his senses as he saw himself in a cornfield while a giant towering version of Scarecrow loomed in the skies overhead. Once he finally managed to get to the Batmobile, he injected himself with an anti-toxin.
The Gotham vigilante is famous for being a brooding loner. However, the fact that Batman reached out to talk to others after he was dosed with the Fear Toxin suggests that he is deeply afraid of being alone. Batman has abandonment issues over the traumatic loss of his parents. It would make sense that he would fear being alone, especially as (despite portraying himself as a loner) Batman has worked hard to cultivate a found family. He also recently lost Alfred Pennyworth, who was both his butler and his father figure, so the sense of loss and loneliness would make him especially vulnerable.
There are some very interesting psychological and philosophical implications that emerge from this. He reached out to Oracle first. Considering that she has been there to support him for years, it is possible that in his panicked state, he instinctively sought a form of motherly comfort and so turned to the only woman who had provided him regular support.
Batman also panicked over the possibility that his mind might have been compromised. From a psychological perspective, fear of mental decline is actually connected to his fear of isolation. People are social animals who understand their own existences in relation to others. To be trapped in his own head and unable to trust his brain is the ultimate form of loneliness, cutting Batman off from anyone he cares for. Batman may pride himself on how he strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies, but Scarecrow just reminded him what it feels like to be a terrified child in Crime Alley, completely alone with nothing but his pain and fear.
About The Author
For all the latest Comics News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
