Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Trial

Easily the best part of this episode  was seeing so many villains together and interacting, but lets be honest, the premise of a trial for Batman in Arkham was sort of weak. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Batman Villain Tiptoes

No, these aren't shows, but these gifs of Bat-foes tip toeing are mighty mesmerizing.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Dreams in Darkness

Aha, and here it is. While the Scarecrow's previous appearances had been good, he hadn't quite hit it out of the park yet. Problem solved. Despite his limited screen time, this was the pinnacle for the animated series' Scarecrow. From the very beginning twist of Batman being committed to Arkham, this was a fun, mind-bending ride as we got to watch Batman lose the ability to separate reality from fantasy. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Fear of Victory

Enter Robin. Apparently Dick Grayson had been away at college, but this episode afforded the series' first team-up of the dynamic duo. Returning was the Scarecrow who has now racked up two solid episodes. Scarecrow's scheme provided a nice framework for Robin to overcome his own fears and prove his worth as Bats' sidekick. 

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - Nothing To Fear

 

 

To me, Scarecrow is one of the most perfect villains for Batman, certainly much better than the more recognized Penguin. Batman Begins made the perfect case for the villain. Like Batman, both characters thrive on inflicting and manipulating fear in others. In this BTAS debut for Scarecrow, the underrated villain was able to find some cracks in the previously invulnerable Batman and we got solid look at the motivations and fears of the Dark Knight.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Fear

For the very first time outside of comics, the origin of Batman was finally told and the use of Scarecrow was inspired. I suspect that Batman Begins elected the villain for the same reason 20 years later; Batman's origin is so tied to fear and the Scarecrow is the self-proclaimed master of fear. Also, at least according to my recollection, Scarecrow is one of the Legion Members that had not yet been given a return appearance. He was due. This was pretty much a perfect episode and one that stands out as being much darker in tone than was typical of the Super Friends. DVD special features reveal that this was intended as a pilot for a Batman spin-off.

Crisis of Infinite Episodes - The Great Scarecrow Scare

Although he looked like a better name would have been "Raggedy Andy Man," this was the debut of the Scarecrow.

Evolution of the Batman (and Robin) - Batman Begins

In 2005, Batman Begins convinced audiences that they wanted more Batman movies. Before its release, most people would have been perfectly content with the ones they had. The movie shattered low expectations and set a new standard for Batman movies. Though its $205 million was a modest take, buzz continued to build after the movie's video release paving the way for a Batslide in 2008.

Batman Begins returned to the origins of the Detective setting him in a grounded reality. And even though he did not get to appear in the shelved Batman Triumphant movie, the Scarecrow finally made his live-action debut - a perfect choice for the film's central theme of fear.

Most impressive was the use of Ra's Al Ghul. Not only was the integration with Batman's training genius, but the character was presented as both faithful to the comics, but also realistic. Batman Begins also marked the live-action debut for old Rashie.

Thank goodness Batman finally got his dignity back. Although the character had been consistently popular, Batman Begins was a turning point in once again making him cool.

Up Next: Krypto the Superdog

Batman Serial * Batman and Robin Serial * Batman '66 TV * Batman '66 Movie * Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder * Batman on Scooby Doo * Batman the Super Friend * The New Adventures of Batman * Batman '89 * Batman Returns * Batman: The Animated Series * Batman: Mask of the Phantasm * Batman Forever * Batman and Robin * The New Batman Adventures * Boo Wonder * Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero * Batman Beyond * Gotham Girls * Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker * Batman on Justice League * DCAU Crossovers * Birds of Prey * Teen Titans * Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman * Chase Me * The Batman * Batman Begins *

* Special Musical Edition * Special Christmas Edition * Special OnStar Edition * Special Never Happened Edition