The third season of Titans will be introducing some brand new heroes and some brand new villains. While it's easy to get excited about the arrival of Red Hood, or the introduction of Barbara Gordon, the newest antagonist to hit the scene might just send chills down the team's spines.
Scarecrow is being introduced in season 3 of the show and with him comes a whole host of opportunities to adapt some classic stories onto the small screen. Those at HBO Max who are working on the show are aware of how many great stories involve this classic Batman villain. Some of them would actually work extremely well in the context of the show.
Haunted Knight
The Haunted Knight story actually takes place at Halloween, features three of Batman's most well-known villains including The Joker, The Mad Hatter, and of course Scarecrow. The first story in the anthology is based around the master of fear.
The character continues to terrorize Gotham using Halloween as the perfect opportunity. He actually uses poisoned crows in order to attack Batman, an image that was incredibly powerful. The themes of this story and the use of the crows and Halloween could work well for season 3.
Blackest Night
The Blackest Night storyline actually took place across the DC Universe and saw some incredibly famous comic book characters rise from the dead again in order to join the Black Lantern Corps. Scarecrow was one of the few unaffected by this rise.
He couldn't feel any fear at all, something that actually worried him. He joined the Sinestro Corps and was happy to feel his fear again. Elements of waking the dead and the lack of fear that Crane actually feels could all play into a new season of Titans.
Brightest Day
The Brightest Day story was essentially the aftermath of Blackest Night and saw Scarecrow get revenge on Lex Luthor after it was Luthor that stole his yellow ring from him. This could play into the arrival of LexCorp in Titans.
After attacking numerous members of Lex's staff, he creates a fear toxin that actually impacts Kryptonians. This is a vital part of the story considering that Superboy is now a member of the team.
Crimson Mist
The Crimson Mist universe actually features Batman as more of a vampire than a man. Nonetheless, Scarecrow is still taking his victims and trying to instill fear into them. This version of the villain is actually more extreme.
The version of Scarecrow here is portrayed as a deranged serial killer. He even wears fingers and thumbs on his outfit, signifying his kills. This creepy version of the character could be a big departure for the show, from previous adaptations.
Victim Syndicate
The Victim Syndicate is a group of villains that have actually become the victims of other master criminals from the Batman universe. They have teamed together in order to get revenge but often end up blaming the heroes.
They may be quite the interesting group of foes to face off against the Titans. Madame Crow is a former victim of Scarecrow, who now inflicts her own version of the fear formula on those who have hurt her. It's a dark story perfect for the tone of this show.
Cycle Of Violence
Scarecrow crosses a dark line in this story and begins to kidnap children in the hope that he can use them to produce new toxins. This plan is one of his most despicable and it's a work that he becomes more obsessed with than normal.
It's the kind of crime that might put him on the radar of the Titans, perhaps especially if he kidnapped someone like Raven in order to unlock the gifts of her own nightmares. It's a perfect setup for a new season that can rival the first two.
Knightfall
Knightfall is a far more complex story than just the Joker but it essentially involves the downfall of Batman himself. However, one partnership of interest is that of the Joker and the Scarecrow. Joker has already been seen in the series before.
The two end up as rivals and the fear gas is even used unsuccessfully on the Joker. However, their plot revolves around using the gas to try and control the Mayor of Gotham. With the Titans returning to the city this may be a great story to start with.
Batman Beyond
![Batman Beyond Scarecrow] DC](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Batman-Beyond-Scarecrow.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The Batman Beyond universe is set in the far future where a lot has changed. The comics continued on from the animated series and introduced a brand new Scarecrow, with a hidden identity.
Eventually, it was revealed that this really was someone new under the mask, a female Scarecrow that had been corrupted by her fears. It's a story that could translate well into an episode of the show.
New 52 Origins
The New 52 version of Scarecrow had his costume revised slightly that could serve as a good starting point for the series to adapt. It also updated his origin story slightly, which may modernize it a bit.
The links to his father in particular and his abuse is certainly interesting and thematically links up to a few of the other characters. It could therefore really work as a background story in order to build the villain up.
Absolute Terror
Deciding to rely purely on the fear he creates rather than the terrible toxin he invented, Scarecrow goes on a mission to see how much chaos he can cause without any of his normal abilities. The results are truly haunting.
In a show that has often played with expectations and adapted niche stories for the characters, it could be a perfect story to bring to the small screen to set Scarecrow up as a terrifying threat, before he is then using his fear gas again.