Crane grew up on a farm in Georgia with his strict religious grandmother. She'd frequently punish him by forcing him into his sunday school clothes and tie him to a pole out in the corn field to be attacked by birds.

One day, during one of these punishments, a tornado hit. Granny swore she forgot he was out there. Miraculously Jonathan survived completely unscathed, with the tornado landing dead center over him. Staring up into the calm eye of the storm was one of the most hypnotic and fascinating things he ever felt in his life, in spite of the fear that had accompanied it. The experience made him addicted to fear.

He still dislikes tornadoes themselves however, as a later one in his tween years ended up destroying half the farmhouse, his bedroom with every book he owned, and killed his favorite horse. His grandmother had locked the poor animal in the barn before the storm, instead of letting it escape to safety in the pasture like he begged.

He'd long plotted to kill his grandmother in revenge for all the abuse she inflicted on him, but her death ended up being more of an accident when he pushed her off him at the top of a staircase in self defense after she had been grabbing him to beat him. Police had cleared him, and he ended up in care of the state until he aged out a year later. He did not regret it.

He took theater classes in high school and college, and is a little too proud of it. He ultimately is a better singer as a result of being forced into the church choir for years.

Gay and was closeted for all of his teen years and well past college. As a teen, his grandmother had found a valentine he kept from a schoolboy he liked and punished him severely for it, temporarily forcing him out of the house. Even as an adult he does not discuss this with anyone aside from the few close people he has grown to trust, and found acceptance with them.

He's a very good cook out of spite, he stole his grandmother's recipes and mastered them. He likes cajun and soul foods, his favorite being hoecakes/pancakes. Can make a very good fried catfish, but Gotham's fish markets are surprisingly lacking in catfish, so he hasn't gotten to make it in years. He's usually so busy with experiments, he doesn't have time to cook anyway, so he'll eat whatever snack he can grab. He's got the worst sweet tooth, and his allies can usually bribe him with dessert.

He's a talented artist, but he doesn't frequently doodle. He treats drawing and painting as a mastered discipline and will spend hours on a piece.

He's trained crows and ravens to fetch him shiny objects. He will keep what he likes and sells what is valuable.

Very allergic to cats.

Pretends he is above gossip, but seceretly he eavesdrops on all the tea spilled in the Arkham rec room.

He's a lightweight, and he becomes a very looselipped and giggly drunk. Harley and co. think he's quite fun after a few shots of bourbon. He once had to be escorted back to Arkham in the Batmobile after his companions of the night fled without him. Robin resisted the urge to record The Master of Fear being sauced.

Rolls high on intelligence. Low on wisdom. He's hit his head on doorways before.

Growing up in the South makes him very tolerant of the summers. He can walk through heatwaves in thick burlap, not be bothered, and wonders what all the fuss is about.

Loves classical and jazz music