#scarecrow analysis

It's not that he doesn't have the capacity to be better and to see what he's doing is wrong. Quite the opposite the actually. He KNOWS he's perpetuating the same cycle of abuse that tormented him as a child.

and that's the point.

Jonathan Crane is a case of what not to do.

How not to become obsessed with the very thing that harms you. How to not go down the wrong path, again and again and never learn anything from it. And even when given chance after chance, he stills falls back on fear. Yes, even in Study Hall. Especially in Study Hall.

He can be faced with the absolute fact that he's an abuser and still continue to abuse. This is why he is a foil to batman. Brice Wayne--who took tragedy and said "I never want this to happen to another person"

Meanwhile, Jonathan Crane suffered his own tragedy and said "I want everyone to feel the same pain I felt"

This is the basis of good and evil

Black and White

I know, I know. He's an evil person

But imagine if you will: a set of parents who don't torture him with self taught crows or use him for their own sick and twisted research.

And instead they instill within him a love for reading and teaching.

What would that Jonathan Crane be like?

Would he want to teach children, or perhaps his life circles the same professorial path and he works at Gotham University. Perhaps he is supported by the same parents monetarily and doesn't end up a symbol of poverty (and fear)

It's interesting to think about. Yeah, he would be entirely different--but I think that's the point. To imagine a world were he is loved, supported and thrives.

He thrives off of fear. But it's more than it. It's not just an obsession, but a way of life. Fear may be a basic emotion in the Disney movie, Inside Out, but there's always something hiding behind fear. More often than not, it's anger. Anger at those who abused him, who bullied him, who put him through hell.

He was not born a villain, he was made into one.

One who found no other way to be listened too, other than fear and anger. He wanted to be respected. He wanted a better life. He wanted to be SOMEONE. Not just a nobody, lanky, Ichabod of a Crane.

And that's why Jonathan Crane is complex. He's not just his toxin, or his abuse, he's everything and more. He's horror incarnate because that's wast the world made him into.

And I say that because there's multiple times in the canon where he shows himself to still be human under the mask. I'm not saying he's a good person, far from it actually. BUT that doesn't mean he CAN'T DO GOOD for christs sake.

He tortured his favorite students abuser, in which it's heavily hinted to be sexual abuse

He returned to teaching multiple times, even teaching classes IN arkham

He gave up a scheme to make Gotham illiterate all because Robin convinced him that knowledge is important and that HE is important

The little girl he abused in Cycle of Violence drew him a picture and he actually cried over it, and in the end he saved her from an exploding building when he very well could have left her to die.

To me, this is enough proof that he does have a conscious, even if it is small and useless most of the time. When push comes to shove, he CAN do the right thing

Jonathan Crane wears a literal mask. Except, he feels most at home with the mask on. We see more and more in comics that he feels "naked" (his words) without it, and given the opportunity he'll ask for it from a guard or even Batman

When Jonathan puts on his burlap, he feels himself. He feels like the master of fear, not only does it give him confidence, but it gives him a scary look,so really--it's perfect for him.

I feel like Jonathan's metaphorical mask is when he's not the Scarecrow. When he's bare, human, dare I say...normal

First off, I want to preference this with the fact that I will write both angles; a soft Jonathan and an evil to the core rat bastard Crane, and sometimes it lands somewhere in the middle

Personally, despite anything I've written, I don't think he'd be a good teacher in most canons (BTAS/Adventures would be an exception, see: Study Hall) In his original origin and many subsequent retellings, he uses his students for his own gain. Sometimes he actually experiments on them, taking it a step further than shooting a blank in the classroom. (which, is still bad btw) He's been known to lure students in with money, and we all know the average collage student is piss poor. Not only that,but he often insults and berates his students.

So, with that in mind--Jonathan would abusively abuse those without power, those in vulnerable positions. Who is more vulnerable (in his eyes) than someone with anxiety;/depression or someone in a wheelchair? I can easily see him ignoring any sort of accommodation, requiring a student to jump through unreasonable hoops or doing whatever in his power to make their life hell.

Jonathan Crane hates bullies, and nine times outta ten.. he turns into the very bully he hates. ("The Irony is not lost on him" - actual comic quote)

It really depends on what version we're talking about, and most of them hit a bit of a grey area. Sure, there may be some irredeemable versions of Jonathan Crane, but comics are a lot more complex than simple black/white ideals. Batman itself is a critique of the old mental health facilities and how ignorance on mental health can be harmful. The system is broken, and Bruce wishes to fix that (at least, in most canons)

To say Scarecrow is pure evil is poor analysis. Every single rogues is their own story of mental health, even Joker to an extent. (Moreover: Joker is the one you want if you want pure evil and chaos) And many have tried to recover, to varying degrees of success

Misunderstood is also wrong, Batman understands his rogues more than anyone. He's always willing to give them a second chance, multiple second chances even.

I know in fandom spaces, a pure evil Scarecrow is popular, but when you analyze canon, you clearly can see he is not a just monster. Depending on the canon, he's a victim of family abuse, bullying, he was abandoned as a baby in one story and in another, everyone treated him like an outcast, gawking stares piercing into his soul.

Sure, he does bad things. But he's more than that. There's multiple times in which he's tried to teach again. And shan't we forget the infamous story in which Crane plots revenge for a student of his undergoing horrible abuse. Even in New52, arguably the darkest and evilest Crane, has second thoughts about his own cruel actions