Scarecrow’s interaction with the Boy proves his theory that fear makes people stronger is correct.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from “House of Gotham: Chapter 3” in Detective Comics #1049, on sale now.
The Scarecrow was recently reincarcerated after his attempt to enact his theory, the Fear State, upon all of Gotham City. The underlying principle behind it was that when people are pushed to their breaking point by fear they can overcome it and evolve into a much stronger person mentally. Up until now, the only confirmed proof of Scarecrow’s theory was Batman himself, which is slightly skewed data due to his peak performance in every aspect of human physicality and mentality.
However, in “House of Gotham: Chapter 3” from Detective Comics #1049 (by Matthew Rosenberg, Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, Rob Leigh), it was revealed that Scarecrow has had another piece of evidence supporting his theory: the Boy, Gotham’s mysterious new character, actually overcame his own fear and became stronger for it, proving the Scarecrow right after all.
The Boy’s predicament was slightly less intense than Batman’s, but for a child his age, it would have been no less daunting. After moving into the orphanage following his parents’ death, Bruce Wayne had been implied to be showing preferential treatment to him when he visited. This had the unintended consequence of causing other children, who were jealous, to bully the boy, sometimes physically assaulting him. Being much smaller than his bullies, the Boy did not fight back. It wasn’t long though before Doctor Crane took notice of him and tried to give him some helpful advice.
Things took a turn when the Boy woke up one night to find Crane in his Scarecrow regalia. He explained to the Boy that he studied fear and how to overcome it, asking what the Boy was afraid of. After some prompting, the Boy admitted to fearing the Joker, to which Scarecrow told him that one day, he might be able to turn his fear into strength. That day would be the following morning, as this time when an older boy picked on the child, he fought back, quite viciously. In short order, the Boy had overcome his fear of bullies and managed to physically outmatch them despite his smaller size.
This not only proved Scarecrow right about the Fear State theory but probably reinforced his obsession with it. The idea behind the Fear State was that after overcoming a tremendous amount of fear, a person can become stronger than they were before. Batman was the prime example, having come close to losing everything, but rising from it stronger than ever. The Boy seems to have a similar situation, having tapped into a level of ferocity he never showed before now, no longer willing to be anyone’s punching bag.
However, the Boy’s use of his newfound strength was remarkably different from Batman’s. Whereas the Dark Knight used his improved self to rededicate himself to Gotham, the Boy chose to vent his pent-up rage and frustration on one unsuspecting kid. Granted, this boy was a bully, but there is a difference between throwing a punch and leaping at him like a feral animal. Regardless though, the Boy’s change in attitude proved that the Fear State is true, it’s just up to the individual to determine how they use their new state of being.
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