The Scarecrow is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. He first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941). He would make only one more appearance during the 1940s and would not turn into one of Batman's main adversaries until his appearances in the 1970s. Professor Jonathan Crane became obsessed with fear and revenge from being bullied throughout his childhood and adolescence for his lanky frame and bookish nature. He committed his first murder at the age of 18 by brandishing a gun in his high school parking lot during the senior prom. Dressed in the ghoulish scarecrow costume that would later display his identity, Crane caused the main bully (Bo Griggs) and his girlfriend (Sherry Squires), who had earlier rejected Crane, to have an automobile accident which paralyzed Griggs and killed Squires. Crane discovered a savage delight in frightening people literally to death. He became a professor of psychology at Gotham University, specializing in the psychology of fear. After his dismissal for firing a bullet at a flower pot to get his point across (a shard hit a student in the face, just missing her eye), he killed the regents responsible for his dismissal and became a career criminal. He took the moniker "the Scarecrow", the favorite taunt of the hated bullies, as part of his revenge. As one of Batman's principal modern adversaries since the Silver Age, the Scarecrow was a regular member of the Injustice Gang and briefly joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains. A psychopathic sadist, the Scarecrow is one of the many criminals in Gotham City to be confined to Arkham Asylum whenever Batman apprehends him. Ironically, the Scarecrow has a phobia of birds, although he has been shown occasionally as having a pet crow named Craw (sometimes named Nightmare). In stories written by Joseph Loeb, the Scarecrow has an inclination to quote nursery rhymes. Crane underwent a major change in the 2004 Batman story arc "As The Crow Flies", during which he was mutated into a monster by his lab assistant while working with Penguin (comics). He turns into this "Scarebeast" during times of great strain or when it's necessary to save his life. Scarecrow rejoined the New Secret Society of Super-Villains, and was part of the assault on the Secret Six ("Villains United" #6). He was caught in the explosion caused by Parademon. He has not been seen nor mentioned since. However, given his Scarebeast form, it's probable that he managed to survive the explosion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarecrow_(comics)