In a new interview with DC Comics' Batman writer James Tynion IV, big things are coming next year for the Dark Knight. Frightening things. Much to Tynion's excitement, the classic Batman villain known as the Scarecrow will be playing a big role in 2021, and the timing couldn't be worse for Batman all things considered. After the events of the Joker War, the entire status quo for Batman and Gotham City has shifted, and not in a good way. Alfred is dead, Batman's son has gone off on his own and rejected his role as Robin, a new anti-vigilante mayor has been elected, and large swathes of the city have turned on the Caped Crusader as a result. All that to say, there's plenty of things for Batman to be fearful of that Scarecrow will no doubt prey upon in his future torment of Batman.
Dr. Jonathan Crane is one of Batman's most iconic villains, despite not being very active in recent Batman comics. The Scarecrow is a truly terrifying foe, utilizing his unique fear gas to make his victims face what scares them most right before their eyes as if it's truly right in front of them. While Batman has been able to create antidotes to his fear gas, Crane is constantly upgrading and tweaking his toxin, making it even more potent and lethal to keep the Dark Knight on his toes. Most recently, Crane was last seen hidden away in the Penguin's bunker, waiting out the Joker War alongside several other Batman foes who were smart enough to stay out of the Clown Prince of Crime's way. However, it looks as though Crane will be getting quite the large spotlight in the coming months, including DC's Future State that will explore Gotham's not too distant future.
According to an interview with Newsarama, Scarecrow is one of James Tynion IV's favorite Batman villains of all time, and he's really excited to put Crane front and center in 2021. Tynion also teased big plans not just for Future State, but also when DC heads back to the present in March:
We are going to be doing something very big with him. Jorge Jimenez has a phenomenal new design for him. We're off to the races, and what I'm setting out to do is I hope I can tell one of the best Scarecrow stories ever. It's more than just a Scarecrow story. He's not the only key piece to it.
When asked if the story would redefine the character of Scarecrow of pull from elements that have already been seen, Tynion responded by saying that his upcoming story will feature a mixture of the two. By the end of the story, Tynion says that he's hoping to have created "a whole bunch of new Scarecrow fans". It seems as though Tynion intends to introduce Crane to a whole new generation of comic book readers as well, which is pretty cool.
For those who are already fans of Crane, Tynion's teases and evident excitement for what he'll be bringing to the table with the character should be pretty good news. As previously mentioned, there's plenty of things Batman has to be afraid of right now in Gotham City, and several elements of his crusade are full of uncertainty and risk. What could make those scenarios even more perilous than the return of the Scarecrow himself?
Source: Newsarama