Warning! Spoilers for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #19!On the rare occasion thatBatmanneeds help, he has either the Justice League or the expansive Bat-Family that he can turn to. But with Gotham City in flames and the Bat-Family driven insane, Batman has to save Gotham City by recruiting his last-ever choice into the Bat-Family: Scarecrow.
This desperate recruitment took place inBatman: Brave and the Bold#19 story “The Hum” by Zac Thompson, Stefano Raffaele, Lee Loughridge, and Troy Peteri. In this story, a persistent hum is heard throughout Gotham City, and it’s driving the citizens mad. By the timeBatmanrealizes what was happening, the majority of Gotham’s citizens and the entire Bat-Family had become homicidal.
With no other options, and considering the frequency that seems to be making people insane from fear,Batman turns to the Scarecrow for help, even though he has been locked up in Arkham Asylum for a long stretch. While he admits that it’s a desperate move, Batman ultimately lets the Scarecrow free, all in an attempt to stop his city from tearing itself apart due to fear.
Batman’s Last Resort Is Recruiting Scarecrow to the Bat-Family
An Iconic Gotham Villain Becomes Batman’s Greatest Ally
Batman is no stranger to teaming up with his villains if the situation calls for it. Just this year, it was revealed thatBatman used to have a partnership with the Penguin.He’s also teamed up with both the Riddler and the Joker over the years. He even trained Harvey Dent how to fight and left him in charge of Gotham City for an entire year. While villains aren’t Batman’s first choice for allies, there’s a definite history that shows how, when he has no choice,he’ll take whatever help he can get to save Gotham City. While Batman’s partnership with Scarecrow is a desperate move, they do have a lot in common.
All Scarecrow wants is to become the master of fear and plunge the world into terror.
Batman uses fear as an essential tool when he deals with criminals. He has built his entire reputation on being scary. As Batman is only one man, he knows that he can’t be everywhere at once to stop every criminal. But if a criminal is scared enough of the idea of running into Batman, that can prevent them from committing a crime.Jonathan Crane has dedicated his life to studying fear. All Scarecrow wants is to become the master of fear and plunge the world into terror. This mutual use of fear could make them fantastic partners, withScarecrow helping Batmanimprove how he terrifies criminals.
Scarecrow Is Batman’s “Last Choice” for the Bat-Family
Could Scarecrow Ever Take Robin’s Place?
Batman will do absolutely anything to save Gotham City, which has been his life’s mission for decades. Batman built his extensive Bat-Family so, if a problem is ever too great, he can have people to fall back on for help. Unfortunately, when the Bat-Family is gone, Batman has to improvise. While Batman clearly doesn’t trust Scarecrow - and he really shouldn’t - there’s no denying that the two work well together. While he isn’tBatman’sfirst choice as a member, to save Gotham City, Scarecrow had to become part of the Bat-Family - at least for a little bit.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold#19is available now from DC Comics!
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
