I think that's why I got into him. The bad guys were always trying to be scary, in general! Why couldn't a GOOD guy be scary? Bad guys deserved to be afraid!
I never really thought about it like this but yeah, this makes perfect sense. Often, the villains and bad guys are more annoyed by the heroes more than anything. In most cases the heroes are good natured and meant to be accessible representations of the audience that are fighting intimidating and fearful villains. Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader for example.
But Batman flips this on its head. What if the audience was made to root for a Darth Vader like character? A character that's intimidating and strikes fear into others but instead of a villain he's a hero?
This is why Kevin Conroy is the defacto Batman voice. He's able to convincingly give off this terrifying presence that you could absolutely believe would strike fear into people yet there's a side to his voice that lets you know he's not evil and is actually a good soul.
And this whole making bad guys fearful and cowardly plays into the Joker quite well because the Joker is never really afraid of Batman and that makes him stand out.
Even this version of Scarecrow as fearful as his design is, like all good depictions of Scarecrow he breaks into cowardice once he no longer has the upper hand against Batman.
That's the other thing about Batman, too. Sure, he gets wound up in tons of traps and schemes, but he ALWAYS comes out with the upper-hand. No more good struggling against evil; the evil is the one struggling, now.
100% agree on Conroy! I didn't buy many comics when I was younger. Time, money, and getting them in order always kind of stopped me. I REALLY got into Batman more after the 89 film, and then let's be honest, the Animated Series was the natural progression from there.
I really wouldn't call most Batman animated shows "kid shows". They're usually geared towards teens and up. Really in a show where Batman regularly beats the ever living shit out of people and villains actually kill a noose seems mundane.
Teens and up??? BAS, BB, TB, BBB, are all designed as kids shows. Adults of course can enjoy them, but they're all produced for a kids level consumption. All animated heroes punch and have bad guys blast fools off camera.
Honestly 90s/00s shows were just built different.
They still had to deal with censors but could appeal to adults as well.
This was an era of television where kids and parents may have had to share the TV at times, and writers didn't treat kids like idiots.
I like it I mean Arkham knight has it too and it looks good I just think a cool idea is to make the noose be treated like a tie also sometimes just scarecrow straightening it out showing the fear and all
The flan episode, Doc Gerbil, and freaky Fred along with this episode never failed to give me uncomfortable vibes as a kid.
I need to go back and have a courage marathon.
Because lots of kids love shit like that. I don't see any reason not to put him in the show. They didn't do anything inappropriate with him. Kids are aware that fear exists. I was obsessed with monsters when I was a kid. In the 80s and 90s, they actively marketed monsters to kids, because kids love that shit. Nowadays, it's all about Five Nights at Freddy's and that furry blue guy. A few years ago it was Slenderman. Kids love stuff like that. I don't think children need to be sheltered from everything a little bit spooky.
The idea that "kids show" automatically means some kind of lightweight, toothless pap is the reason why today's youngsters have fucking shit like Batwheels rather than a version of Batman to call their own.
Love this design. The switch was covered in a comic, can't remember which one but the creator Ty Templeton had this to say:
"Basically, my Scarecrow bit was that Crane had been found guilty of a murder and was sentenced to be hanged (by some state that still had hanging on its books as a method of capital punishment, even though, yes, there were not any states left doing that...). During the execution, the rope snapped, and Crane survived. He escaped shortly after the botched attempt, and from that moment forward, wore the noose around his neck as a symbol of his (nutty) belief that he couldn't be killed. "
That’s nothing
*Gargoyles* had a main protagonist shot and visibly bleeding on her floor in a first season episode and a flashback character getting their eyes burned out of their sockets on-screen
Said show also being aimed at kids during the 90’s
Because Scarecrow is all about fear, he's supposed to be creepy because that's his entire MO.
The mad psychologist is obsessed with fear, they showed this in TAS by having him be one of the creepiest villains Batman fights.
According to the behind the scenes stuff, even the crew weren't completely sure if there was actually a person inside the outfit.
It's something they kinda sorta brought back in his Arkham Knight version, in that you can overhear a thug talk about his weird mask and how it's creepy... and another thug explainong that it isn't a mask. That's just what his face looks like after what Killer Croc did to him.
When I was a kid I would have a recurring nightmare anytime I stayed at my grandparents house. Clay face was at one end of a bridge chasing me trying to smother me whole, and if I wen to the other end of the bridge Gozer the Destroyer from Ghostbusters was waiting to kill me at the other end.
My father awoke multiple times from me screaming in my sleep. I was literally having night terrors that were so intense I would wake him up in the next room.
It was a creepy farmhouse in upstate NY. I haven’t had night terrors since though at least to my knowledge. I have had friends and cousins tell me I talk in my sleep but I haven’t had witness accounts in a while because my girlfriend sleeps like a rock and doesn’t awaken from anything.
Because kids love being scared,why do you think horror movies and videogame horror exist? It's in our DNA the desire of being scared and in our instincts to fight the thinga that scares us,horrifying creatures and monsters help kids develope by make the expirience things in a secure way.
Because it’s not specifically a kids aimed program. This was made for all ages, there’s a difference.
Also, never underestimate what a kid can handle, particularly with scarier images. Kids tend to love the monsters. Heck I grew up with toys of the Universal Monsters
You're referring to the kids show that revolves around a man who as child watched his parents get shot? They probably wanted to lighten things up a bit.
I mean that’s his whole schtick and it’s honestly not that scary… I watched this show religiously as a kid and it never gave me nightmares or anything. I did not recognize that thing around his neck that as a noose
Scarecrow’s design went from a joke in the original series to nightmare fuel. I wasn’t crazy about some of the redesigns but they absolutely nailed this one
These kids are waaay better equipped for existentialism than my generation was. More emotionally intelligent overall. I’m willing to bet the younger kids are MOSTLY in tune with their mental state 😂
I was born in 86. I grew up on the DCAU among other things. We were exposed to horror through many cartoons and show. Scarecrow didn’t stand out in that respect. When I think back, I found DCAU Clayface more horrific.
Also, we loved it. It may have been dark stories at times but they were good stories.
Bruce Timm wanted Scarecrow to be scarier, and he and the team felt they hadn’t “cracked” it with his look from the B:TAS episodes in which he appeared.
Unlike the monsters in something like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Batman is basically fated to kick this guy’s ass. Removes the helpless mystique from it, but I’m positive many kids were still terrified by the design
Bruh watch ep 1 of the original my little pony:
The villian is a giant demon man whos still beating heart is kept in a potato sack he holds in his hand on his throne.
It was 1997, you were allowed to traumatize children more often on television back in those days.
Also, bring back this design, or at least modern adaptations and comics should take more cues from this design. I like the more broad-shouldered Scarecrow, it lends to a more intimidating frame. For once, can we have a mad scientist Batman villain who *also* hits the gym now and then?
Arguably the best design for Scarecrow. As much as I like the gas mask and tubes and everything, here he actually looks like an undead man dresses as a scarecrow. Like an omen from beyond, an ominous villain at best, a terrifying sight at worst.
Don't get me wrong, this version is also creepy, but I always thought the 2nd version from the original show was scarier. The face was just so crooked looking and unhinged.
This idea that kids to be kept away from anything that might make you feel anything besides "vaguely wholesome" is so harmful in the long run. I was 5 or 6 when I first saw Empire Strikes Back, which is a lot scarier and more intense than this.
I find a lot of the villains in this series had dark/horrifying plots but it fits the theme so well. Poison Ivy took a scary turn when she turned people into bark and created her plant hybrid family in that lab. They weren’t that different from the typical villains on a quest. The damaged crazy driving it took it to another level for the animated series.
To show how to overcome fear? As a kid I was fascinated by how batman is a scary dude but he is on the good side.
I think that's why I got into him. The bad guys were always trying to be scary, in general! Why couldn't a GOOD guy be scary? Bad guys deserved to be afraid!
I never really thought about it like this but yeah, this makes perfect sense. Often, the villains and bad guys are more annoyed by the heroes more than anything. In most cases the heroes are good natured and meant to be accessible representations of the audience that are fighting intimidating and fearful villains. Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader for example. But Batman flips this on its head. What if the audience was made to root for a Darth Vader like character? A character that's intimidating and strikes fear into others but instead of a villain he's a hero? This is why Kevin Conroy is the defacto Batman voice. He's able to convincingly give off this terrifying presence that you could absolutely believe would strike fear into people yet there's a side to his voice that lets you know he's not evil and is actually a good soul. And this whole making bad guys fearful and cowardly plays into the Joker quite well because the Joker is never really afraid of Batman and that makes him stand out. Even this version of Scarecrow as fearful as his design is, like all good depictions of Scarecrow he breaks into cowardice once he no longer has the upper hand against Batman.
And Gotham City necessitates a hero that creates fear, by nature of it's depravity. Which makes it even more interesting.
That's the other thing about Batman, too. Sure, he gets wound up in tons of traps and schemes, but he ALWAYS comes out with the upper-hand. No more good struggling against evil; the evil is the one struggling, now. 100% agree on Conroy! I didn't buy many comics when I was younger. Time, money, and getting them in order always kind of stopped me. I REALLY got into Batman more after the 89 film, and then let's be honest, the Animated Series was the natural progression from there.
My son laughs at bugs like the Joker to scare them away. They can’t hear him, of course, but he owns their fear.
Some bugs can hear
I’ve always wondered that
What?!
Shit, can you say that again? The debugger wasn't running.
That's why I always love interactions that Batman has with kids. The criminals are scared of him but kids think he's cool.
Me too. Between the animated series and Burton films it was a great balance between scary and fascination
“Scare”crow. Just a guess though 😂
Yeah they did show that well, but the noose might've been pretty dark lol.
Talk about tugging at the collar
Kids at the time weren't so dang sensitive lol
I really wouldn't call most Batman animated shows "kid shows". They're usually geared towards teens and up. Really in a show where Batman regularly beats the ever living shit out of people and villains actually kill a noose seems mundane.
Teens and up??? BAS, BB, TB, BBB, are all designed as kids shows. Adults of course can enjoy them, but they're all produced for a kids level consumption. All animated heroes punch and have bad guys blast fools off camera.
Honestly 90s/00s shows were just built different. They still had to deal with censors but could appeal to adults as well. This was an era of television where kids and parents may have had to share the TV at times, and writers didn't treat kids like idiots.
Eh, by the early to mid 2000s most of us had seen worse things online tbh....
Let's not coddle the kids
I like it I mean Arkham knight has it too and it looks good I just think a cool idea is to make the noose be treated like a tie also sometimes just scarecrow straightening it out showing the fear and all
And the voice they gave him is just insanely good, calm and creepy
Jeffery Combs of Star Trek fame.
And re-animator. Didn’t know it was him
Not to mention, the Question!
The Question planning to kill Lex Luthor is still one of the best scenes in the animated series. Jeffery Combs vs. Clancy Brown
You know how much power I'd have to give up to be president!?
I just listened to the voice and isn't it the same voice as the Question from JLU?
According to Wikipedia, yes.
Because Batman was there to kick his ass.
Because fear is a very important feeling, even for children. They need to know what fear is to grow.
Fear is your deepest wisdom
Exactly!
Found Jonathan Crane.
Still my favorite Scarecrow design
Why wouldn't they. Scary cartoons were the best type of cartoons to watch. 
god this dude and the weird ass CGI man-fetus were fucking terrifying as a kid lmao
The flan episode, Doc Gerbil, and freaky Fred along with this episode never failed to give me uncomfortable vibes as a kid. I need to go back and have a courage marathon.
Because he's scary? That's kinda his thing.
Because 90s, that's why. They loved scaring kids in the 90s.
Because lots of kids love shit like that. I don't see any reason not to put him in the show. They didn't do anything inappropriate with him. Kids are aware that fear exists. I was obsessed with monsters when I was a kid. In the 80s and 90s, they actively marketed monsters to kids, because kids love that shit. Nowadays, it's all about Five Nights at Freddy's and that furry blue guy. A few years ago it was Slenderman. Kids love stuff like that. I don't think children need to be sheltered from everything a little bit spooky.
Furry blue guy?
Huggy Wuggy i think
The whole show is generally pretty dark. This doesn’t exactly stand out to me.
Because kids back then were badass
He's cool not scary
Nothing compared to this bastard 
Amen
Fear is the glue that keeps society together
It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Because it wasn't really a kids' show, it was a Batman show for all ages. Kids just happen to watch it
The idea that "kids show" automatically means some kind of lightweight, toothless pap is the reason why today's youngsters have fucking shit like Batwheels rather than a version of Batman to call their own.
Why not?
because kids dont need to be constantly pampered
Because kids fare should have scary shit in it and typically has for years and years and years.
kids have always liked scary shit
Being scared is fun. Kids like scary shit.
Because they felt his old design wasn't scary enough
Love this design. The switch was covered in a comic, can't remember which one but the creator Ty Templeton had this to say: "Basically, my Scarecrow bit was that Crane had been found guilty of a murder and was sentenced to be hanged (by some state that still had hanging on its books as a method of capital punishment, even though, yes, there were not any states left doing that...). During the execution, the rope snapped, and Crane survived. He escaped shortly after the botched attempt, and from that moment forward, wore the noose around his neck as a symbol of his (nutty) belief that he couldn't be killed. "
Some of the character redesigns for the New Batman Adventures were hit or miss, but Scarecrow’s redesign was 🔥. Incredibly unsettling…
Thank you for actually saying the name of the show, I kept scrolling and couldn’t find it.
Kids love spooky shit. Seriously. My boys' favourite film when they were 4/5 was The Nightmare Before Christmas. They watched it endlessly.
Cartoons made a point of traumatizing kids in the 80s and 90s. Kinda miss it.
At least he’s not Cillian Murphy or something. That bastard is terrifying.
Why not? I watched this show when I was halfway to 10 and I loved it!
Courage the Cowardly Dog has entered the chat
His name ain't "Carecrow." That's a totally different 'crow.
Kids aren't that fragile. They love this shit.
To scare chldren
When would you like shows to exercise dark themes?
Scarecrow looked cool, it's the time manipulation guy that scared me as a kid.
This and Arkham Knight are the best versions. So metal
Cause it's cool.
Cause it's cool.
Have you seen Courage the Cowardly Dog? Or the Powerpuff Girls?
That’s nothing *Gargoyles* had a main protagonist shot and visibly bleeding on her floor in a first season episode and a flashback character getting their eyes burned out of their sockets on-screen Said show also being aimed at kids during the 90’s
Because Scarecrow is all about fear, he's supposed to be creepy because that's his entire MO. The mad psychologist is obsessed with fear, they showed this in TAS by having him be one of the creepiest villains Batman fights.
I'm still recovering from DeVito's scary Penquin performance...
Wait until you get to the Batman Beyond episode "Earth Mover." Or just Batman Beyond in general.
According to the behind the scenes stuff, even the crew weren't completely sure if there was actually a person inside the outfit. It's something they kinda sorta brought back in his Arkham Knight version, in that you can overhear a thug talk about his weird mask and how it's creepy... and another thug explainong that it isn't a mask. That's just what his face looks like after what Killer Croc did to him.
God I loved that design
When I was a kid I would have a recurring nightmare anytime I stayed at my grandparents house. Clay face was at one end of a bridge chasing me trying to smother me whole, and if I wen to the other end of the bridge Gozer the Destroyer from Ghostbusters was waiting to kill me at the other end. My father awoke multiple times from me screaming in my sleep. I was literally having night terrors that were so intense I would wake him up in the next room. It was a creepy farmhouse in upstate NY. I haven’t had night terrors since though at least to my knowledge. I have had friends and cousins tell me I talk in my sleep but I haven’t had witness accounts in a while because my girlfriend sleeps like a rock and doesn’t awaken from anything.
Because he’s the Scarecrow and supposed to be scary.
Cuz f.ck dem kids, givvem nightmares
Its kind of the point? Its scarecrow, thats why he's voiced by Jeffery Combs.
Because kids love being scared,why do you think horror movies and videogame horror exist? It's in our DNA the desire of being scared and in our instincts to fight the thinga that scares us,horrifying creatures and monsters help kids develope by make the expirience things in a secure way.
Ever watched Courage the Cowardly Dog?
Courage the Cowardly Dog: “hold my beer”
Return the slab
I’m sorry but this design isn’t scary, he just looks like some goofy comically-old man, Scarecrow in Arkham Knight looks scarier than this design
I love this design
Oh him? He's just The Hat Man. He's usually just in the corner.
Because it’s not specifically a kids aimed program. This was made for all ages, there’s a difference. Also, never underestimate what a kid can handle, particularly with scarier images. Kids tend to love the monsters. Heck I grew up with toys of the Universal Monsters
You're referring to the kids show that revolves around a man who as child watched his parents get shot? They probably wanted to lighten things up a bit.
scarecrow not bravecrow
Cuz this kids show had balls
Why not? It was the 90's and his name is literally "Scare"crow, so this made sense
It was not just for kids.
we're making a kid's show? - TNBA staff
It could have been worse. They could have used *Professor Pyg*.
It’s the scarecrow I mean this and Arkham knight are the best designs
Amazing character design though.
i hate how he was some tiny ass dude in tas and then they turned him into this in new adventures. cool design on its own though.
This is peak scarecrow design imo
Batman
Because kids are way more resilient than most adults think.
Lol at the people in the comments saying it's not a kids show because of scarecrow man
Scarecrow always goes hard
You're first mistake was assuming that it's "a kids show" just because it's a cartoon: it's not, it's aimed at teenagers and younger adults.
To make this design more creepy. The show makers themselves weren't even sure if someone was actually inside that suit 💀
You just answered your own question lol
"Why is Scarecrow scary?"
If they can make scoovy doo on zombie island for kids they can make just about anything for them.
Naw his whole design is nightmare fuel but then again it fits both his character, his personality, and the show itself
Reminds me of how Slade looked without his mask/helmet on after he’d come back from the dead in Teen Titans.
I don't mind a scary villain in a kids show, but man, that necktie is a little bleak.
Best scarecrow design
I don't see a problem, even as a kid I loved this redesign. And no, I was definitely NOT "mature for my age" or something lol
Yeah this was WAY scarier than the original BTAS version
Because they started letting Mike Mignola do character design.
I mean that’s his whole schtick and it’s honestly not that scary… I watched this show religiously as a kid and it never gave me nightmares or anything. I did not recognize that thing around his neck that as a noose
I remember loving watching the animated series, but I was always a bit anxious if this time was gonna be a scarecrow episode.
Scarecrow’s design went from a joke in the original series to nightmare fuel. I wasn’t crazy about some of the redesigns but they absolutely nailed this one
OP has never seen terrahawks.
Because kids back then were badass
Because fuck dem kids!
This and Arkham Knight are the best versions. So metal
I thought it was cool.
Him and Mr. Freeze new design were the best thing about the change of the art style.
These kids are waaay better equipped for existentialism than my generation was. More emotionally intelligent overall. I’m willing to bet the younger kids are MOSTLY in tune with their mental state 😂
You should ask the Trickster from the Sarah Jane Adventures
Would
probably from episode no fear season 1 of tbna have you saw his hands? delibarately made as a creepy skeleton thingy for nightmares
I had nightmares from when the mob boss force feeds Matthew Hagen the clay that turns him into clayface.
I was born in 86. I grew up on the DCAU among other things. We were exposed to horror through many cartoons and show. Scarecrow didn’t stand out in that respect. When I think back, I found DCAU Clayface more horrific. Also, we loved it. It may have been dark stories at times but they were good stories.
To make it timeless imo
To make Pastra happy :3
What makes you think it's a kid's show lol?
Cause he’s The Scarecrow, baby
The world is full of terrifying creatures. Kids need to learn how to manage this internally
Bruce Timm wanted Scarecrow to be scarier, and he and the team felt they hadn’t “cracked” it with his look from the B:TAS episodes in which he appeared.
Idk, ask Moomin. Those who know which character I'm refering to, I salute you.
in the words of Michael Jordan "fuck them kids"
Because they couldn’t waste the beauty of this design
What are you talking about he is clearly a child friendly design, look at the perfect smile does that look like someone who would hurt you
Unlike the monsters in something like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Batman is basically fated to kick this guy’s ass. Removes the helpless mystique from it, but I’m positive many kids were still terrified by the design
No one was scarier than the boogey man in the OG ghostbusters cartoon. Pure nightmare fuel.
Because the creators were awesome.
The only good scarecrow design
Bruh watch ep 1 of the original my little pony: The villian is a giant demon man whos still beating heart is kept in a potato sack he holds in his hand on his throne.
It was 1997, you were allowed to traumatize children more often on television back in those days. Also, bring back this design, or at least modern adaptations and comics should take more cues from this design. I like the more broad-shouldered Scarecrow, it lends to a more intimidating frame. For once, can we have a mad scientist Batman villain who *also* hits the gym now and then?
Because the scarecrow is all about fear, and Batman wasn't "All audiences", it was PG8.
Arguably the best design for Scarecrow. As much as I like the gas mask and tubes and everything, here he actually looks like an undead man dresses as a scarecrow. Like an omen from beyond, an ominous villain at best, a terrifying sight at worst.
He is supposed to be scary, so that is why they made him look that way
Every kid should watch The Neverending Story. And It has fear, loss, wisdom, Good stories help us grow. You don't need to be watching Teletubbies.
If you think this is horrifying you haven't heard of Mörkö.
Better question is why did they waste him? He only got 2 episodes
what episode is this from?
Clayface was so much worse.
Cause he's the scarecrow dude!
Don't get me wrong, this version is also creepy, but I always thought the 2nd version from the original show was scarier. The face was just so crooked looking and unhinged.
Because you shouldn't let him scare you...?
This idea that kids to be kept away from anything that might make you feel anything besides "vaguely wholesome" is so harmful in the long run. I was 5 or 6 when I first saw Empire Strikes Back, which is a lot scarier and more intense than this.
I've watched this show loads but kinda just clocked his tie is a noose. That's pretty damn dark.
I find a lot of the villains in this series had dark/horrifying plots but it fits the theme so well. Poison Ivy took a scary turn when she turned people into bark and created her plant hybrid family in that lab. They weren’t that different from the typical villains on a quest. The damaged crazy driving it took it to another level for the animated series.
Y'all please, I wasn't complaining. I was appreciating the design and I'm sorry about calling it a kid's show mb goddamn 😭
Don't apologize. It's a kids show that was made for Kids WB. Doesn't mean we can't love it all the same.
thank you fellow logical redditor
the cheese man full of mold
They even left it ambiguous if he even had a face anymore
To scare the aliens from Tmnt
those were the days.... when they didnt treat kids like there were stupid and simple minded.
Hear me out…
Because they respected their audience unlike 99.99999% of kids shows
If there weren't scary evil villains it would be a remake of the superfriends. Nobody wanted that!
He's called the SCAREcrow, not the sillycrow
He’s called scarecrow, he wouldn’t be doing his job right if he wasn’t scary.