Notice! Spoilers for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #19!On the rare occasions when Batman needs help, he has the Justice League or the extended Bat-Family he can turn to. But with Gotham City on fire and the Bat-Family running amok, Batman must save Gotham City by recruiting his last choice for the Bat-Family: Scarecrow.
This desperate recruitment took place in Batman: Brave and the Bold Story #19 “The Hum” by Zac Thompson, Stefano Raffaele, Lee Loughridge, and Troy Peteri. In this story, a persistent buzzing sound is heard throughout Gotham City and is driving citizens crazy. By the time Batman realizes what was happening, most of Gotham’s citizens and the entire Bat-Family have become homicidal.
With no other options, and considering how often it seems to be driving people crazy with fear, Batman asks Scarecrow for helpalthough he was locked in Arkham Asylum for a long period. Although he admits it is a desperate move, Batman eventually frees Scarecrow, all in an attempt to stop his city from destroying itself out of fear.
Batman’s last resort is to recruit Scarecrow into the Bat-Family
An iconic Gotham villain becomes Batman’s greatest ally
Batman is no stranger to partnering with his villains if the situation calls for it. Later this year, it was revealed that Batman already had a partnership with the Penguin. He has also teamed up with 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 of allies, there is a definitive story that shows how, when he has no choice, he will accept any help he can get to save Gotham City. Although Batman’s partnership with Scarecrow is a desperate move, they have a lot in common.
All the Scarecrow wants is to become the master of fear and plunge the world into terror.
Batman uses fear as an essential tool when dealing with criminals. He built his entire reputation on being scary. Since Batman is just one man, he knows he can’t be everywhere at once to stop all the criminals. But if a criminal is scared enough by the idea of running into Batman, it could stop him from committing a crime. Jonathan Crane dedicated his life to the study of fear. All the 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, with Scarecrow helping Batman improve the way he terrorizes criminals.
Scarecrow is Batman’s “last choice” for the Bat-family
Could Scarecrow take Robin’s place?
Batman will do absolutely anything to save Gotham City, which has been his life’s mission for decades. Batman has built his extended bat family so that if a problem gets too big, he can have people to turn to 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 is not from Batman first choice as a member, to save Gotham City, Scarecrow had to become part of the Bat-Family – at least for a while.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #19 is now available from DC Comics!