What nasty spell does Raven cast on Scarecrow in the Titans season 3 finale? Jonathan Crane had them on the ropes for a while, but the Titans successfully united behind a resurrected Dick Grayson to save Gotham from hearing any more cringe poetry recitals. Everyone's favorite farm-themed Batman villain sought to massacre the citizens of Gotham City by releasing a deadly toxin at 10 key locations. One successfully detonates, but the Titans (with a little help from ARGUS) hack Wayne Manor's computer systems to prevent Scarecrow's remaining explosions. Nightwing and Red Hood then flock into the Manor, beat up the various henchmen who should've made better life choices, and place Scarecrow under arrest.
By the closing moments of Titans season 3, Scarecrow is back in Arkham, not a suspicious cigarette in sight. But this is an ineffectual climax to Jonathan Crane's story. As the man himself points out, Titans season 3 began with Scarecrow behind bars, and he escaped with consummate ease. What's preventing him pulling exactly the same stunt again? Dick Grayson has the same concern and, making a brief stop on their road trip to San Francisco, he requests Raven use her dark, demonic powers on Crane's evil mind.
At first glance, Raven seems to be wielding her standard black goop magic during Titans season 3's final scene. She's shown doing something similar to Crane's police soldiers earlier in the episode, sending them to the floor in agony. The torture Raven uses on Scarecrow, however, is far more specific and far more deadly. Back when Nightwing and Beast Boy were guessing passwords at Wayne Manor, Raven, Donna and Starfire were turning Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus pit into a storm that would resurrect the people of Gotham. To do that, Raven absorbed the Lazarus pit's powerful arcane force into her own body. Teagan Croft's character explained, "It [the Lazarus pit] absorbs the worst fears and nightmares of everyone who's ever been in it."
Fast-forward to the end of Titans season 3's finale, and Raven taunts Scarecrow with, "I have something for you," before ramming a dark magical mouth-snake down his throat. This is actually the regurgitated fears and nightmares Raven absorbed earlier from the Lazarus pit. The giveaway clue comes when Crane chokes down his demonic dinner, and flashes of previous Titans episodes appear on-screen. There's the Flying Graysons tragedy, Jason Todd's near-death experience from Titans season 2, Joker killing Jason, Dick Grayson as Joker killing Jason, and the death of Hank. These are the fears and nightmares of Dick and Jason - the two Lazarus pit bathers - combined into a scary mental stew.
This is not good news for Scarecrow's ambitions of escape. While it's impossible to pin down precisely how the Lazarus pit and Raven's powers work in Titans, there's presumably no way Scarecrow can shake these haunting dreams without Raven herself plucking them back out. Until then, Jonathan Crane will be left to writhe on an Arkham cell floor, unable to commit crimes or celebrate 420 ever again. It's a deeply ironic fate for the villain, as Scarecrow is renowned for manipulating the fears of others to control and hurt them. In an amusing twist, Rachel is now using the fears of others to control and hurt him instead.
The scene is clearly intended to write Scarecrow out of Titans season 4, so don't expect Jonathan Crane to return anytime soon. Also worthy of note is how far Raven's powers have developed in Titans season 3. Not so long ago, the character could barely take a nap without losing control, but now she's expertly absorbing nightmares like a gothic USB stick and implanting them into villains' minds to keep them incapacitated... permanently.