Scarecrow (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
The Scarecrow is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
Universe, in which he is an enemy of Captain America
, Spider-Man
, Ghost Rider
, and Iron Man
. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense
#51.
apprehend a fleeing culprit. However, he decided to make his profit in crime and became an accomplished burglar and professional thief. He mostly worked alone — except for a flock of trained crows which served as carriers and killers. In his first appearance as the Scarecrow, he was defeated by Iron Man. He joined Count Nefaria
's short-lived team of super-mercenaries (which included the Eel
, the Porcupine
, the Plantman
and the Unicorn
), and participated in Count Nefaria's attempt to hold Washington, D.C. for ransom before being defeated by the X-Men
. He later worked for the Cowled Commander, but was defeated by Captain America
and the Falcon
. He then clashed with Captain America once more. Eventually, however, from breaking out of prison so many times his mind snapped, and Laughton became criminally insane, willing to kill people wantonly. He began murdering supporters of the Coalition for an Upstanding America, and disrupted a telethon, but was defeated by Captain America.
It was revealed in Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin that Laughton was motivated in part to become a supervillain by agents of the Mandarin who supplied him with his first costume and trained crows. He was allured by the idea of becoming the number one in the growing field of industrial espionage.
Scarecrow embarked on a series of murders, and first battled the second Ghost Rider
. He fell and was impaled on his own pitchfork during the battle with Ghost Rider, and was carried off by the Firm. He received surgical implants, carried out some more killings, and abducted Stacy Dolan
. He fought Captain America and Ghost Rider, and survived being shot and impaled, and was then enlisted by Mr. Stern for the Firm. He became an undead
character, raised by the sorcerer Stern. Before this he possessed no superhuman powers save for his "rubber man" ability, but after his resurrection he gained superhuman strength, speed and endurance as well as the supernatural ability to induce fear in his enemies. He also gained the ability to heal any injury so long as he was in the presence of the fear of others. This worked in conjunction with his ability to induce fear, as any injury he sustained would heal almost immediately from inducing fear in those around him. The Ghost Rider used this ability against the Scarecrow, briefly mangling his body, and using Scarecrow's healing and fear inducing abilities to cause the Scarecrow's body to heal in a crooked and contorted pose. He was later restored to his normal physical appearance by the government agent called Spook during the Ghost Rider in Chains story arc.
Laughton's physiology and mentality would fluctuate quite a bit over the years, given his employ/manipulation by various demonic/magical entities, resulting in continuing conflict with Ghost Rider and his allies, even becoming a body-hopping ghost during one such campaign. Eventually, Laughton would be abandoned by various "magical employers", and stabilize physically, if not mentally.
Scarecrow was jailed in the Raft
prison facility following a failed sexual assault upon hostages who were freed by the Falcon
.
Scarecrow is among the army of villains recruited by Zemo
and his Thunderbolts to serve as "hero-hunters" during the events of the Civil War
storyline.
Scarecrow showed up when Peter Parker unmasked himself, as one of a band of costumed villains (including Electro
, the Molten Man
, and Will o' the Wisp
), hired by the Chameleon
to attack Peter Parker in a lopsided revenge effort. Scarecrow was defeated and incarcerated. He later teamed again with Molten Man
in a rampage which was halted by Captain America and the Punisher
. The two criminals were sent as part of the "Thunderbolt Army" to flush heroes out of hiding. Cap was forced to prevent Punisher from killing Scarecrow once he'd been apprehended.
Ebenezer has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who registered as part of the Initiative..
Someone that looks like Scarecrow was among the members of Hood
's Crime Syndicate . He helped them assault the New Avengers' home until they were defeated. In Secret Invasion
, he is among the many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invading Skrull
force. He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting the Dark Avengers
instead.
He is among the villains considered by Blackout and the Deacon to help them assassinate the Ghost Rider. He worked alongside Blackout and other villains on a mission to kill Ghost Rider,, but was eventually defeated when Jaine Cutter
bent his impervious body around a carnival fence.
Scarecrow has also teamed up with Raoul Bushman
as his right-hand man, in the latest Moon Knight
series. He was later seen during the Siege
of Asgard
as part of the Hood crime syndicate.
During the Fear Itself
storyline, Scarecrow takes advantage of the chaos in town by attacking with his army of crows only to end up fighting Wolverine
.
He has a flock of two dozen pet crows, which he has taught to kill on command. The Scarecrow is assisted in his crimes by crows whom he has trained to perform a variety of actions in response to his hand gestures and tones of voice. At his command the crows will attack and kill the victims he designates. The crows have been trained to attack anyone who rushes at the Scarecrow or points a gun at him. They are trained to carry off jewels, valuables, and anything else at which the Scarecrow points.
As a result of surgical implants given to him by doctors employed by the Firm, the Scarecrow's body produces a mutated pheromone that affects the adrenal glands of people and higher animals (even crows) within twenty feet of him, causing a sensory overload which triggers a panic attack. The same pheromone affects the Scarecrow's own adrenal system, giving superhuman strength and stamina.
When the Scarecrow was raised from the dead by the sorcerer Stern he was able to induce fear in his victims, and could survive and quickly recover from any injury he sustained when in the presence in the fear of others, even injuries that would be fatal to normal human beings.
in an attempt to kidnap Lois Lane
. They were thwarted by Ben Reilly
. In the Amalgam Universe
, Scarecrow was a combination of Marvel's Scarecrow and DC's Scarecrow.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Universe, in which he is an enemy of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
, and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense
Tales of Suspense
Tales of Suspense is the name of an American comic book series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for such artists as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, then featured...
#51.
Fictional character biography
Ebenezer Laughton was born in Rhinebeck, New York. Raised by an abusive mother who was alternately viciously cruel and extremely kind to him, Laughton became a circus escape artist and contortionist, and while working as a carnival performer once helped Iron ManIron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
apprehend a fleeing culprit. However, he decided to make his profit in crime and became an accomplished burglar and professional thief. He mostly worked alone — except for a flock of trained crows which served as carriers and killers. In his first appearance as the Scarecrow, he was defeated by Iron Man. He joined Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #13 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.- Fictional character biography :...
's short-lived team of super-mercenaries (which included the Eel
Eel (comics)
The Eel is an alias used by two fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first character to take up the identity was Leopold Stryke who first appeared in Strange Tales #112, while his successor, Edward Lavell, first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #92 .-Publication...
, the Porcupine
Porcupine (comics)
Porcupine is the name of three fictional characters in Marvel Comics. Two of them are super-villains.-Fictional character biography:Alexander Gentry, was originally a scientist who worked as a weapons designer for the United States Army, conceived the idea of designing a battle-suit in imitation of...
, the Plantman
Plantman
Plantman aka Blackheath is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Strange Tales vol. 1 #113.-Fictional character biography:...
and the Unicorn
Unicorn (comics)
Unicorn is the codename of multiple supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The first Unicorn debuted in Tales of Suspense vol...
), and participated in Count Nefaria's attempt to hold Washington, D.C. for ransom before being defeated by the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. He later worked for the Cowled Commander, but was defeated by Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and the Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
. He then clashed with Captain America once more. Eventually, however, from breaking out of prison so many times his mind snapped, and Laughton became criminally insane, willing to kill people wantonly. He began murdering supporters of the Coalition for an Upstanding America, and disrupted a telethon, but was defeated by Captain America.
It was revealed in Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin that Laughton was motivated in part to become a supervillain by agents of the Mandarin who supplied him with his first costume and trained crows. He was allured by the idea of becoming the number one in the growing field of industrial espionage.
Scarecrow embarked on a series of murders, and first battled the second Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch)
Ghost Rider is a comic book character, a supernatural superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He is the third Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and Johnny Blaze, the first supernatural Ghost Rider.-Publication...
. He fell and was impaled on his own pitchfork during the battle with Ghost Rider, and was carried off by the Firm. He received surgical implants, carried out some more killings, and abducted Stacy Dolan
Stacy Dolan
Stacy Dolan is a fictional character in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Ghost Rider vol. 3 #1 .The character was an off-and-on girlfriend of Danny Ketch. She is the daughter of Kenneth Dolan, a career police officer. She spend her childhood dreaming of following in his...
. He fought Captain America and Ghost Rider, and survived being shot and impaled, and was then enlisted by Mr. Stern for the Firm. He became an undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
character, raised by the sorcerer Stern. Before this he possessed no superhuman powers save for his "rubber man" ability, but after his resurrection he gained superhuman strength, speed and endurance as well as the supernatural ability to induce fear in his enemies. He also gained the ability to heal any injury so long as he was in the presence of the fear of others. This worked in conjunction with his ability to induce fear, as any injury he sustained would heal almost immediately from inducing fear in those around him. The Ghost Rider used this ability against the Scarecrow, briefly mangling his body, and using Scarecrow's healing and fear inducing abilities to cause the Scarecrow's body to heal in a crooked and contorted pose. He was later restored to his normal physical appearance by the government agent called Spook during the Ghost Rider in Chains story arc.
Laughton's physiology and mentality would fluctuate quite a bit over the years, given his employ/manipulation by various demonic/magical entities, resulting in continuing conflict with Ghost Rider and his allies, even becoming a body-hopping ghost during one such campaign. Eventually, Laughton would be abandoned by various "magical employers", and stabilize physically, if not mentally.
Scarecrow was jailed in the Raft
The Raft (comics)
The Raft is a fictional island prison facility in New York City for psychopathic superhuman criminals appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
prison facility following a failed sexual assault upon hostages who were freed by the Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
.
Scarecrow is among the army of villains recruited by Zemo
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is the name of two fictional characters, both supervillains, in various Marvel Comics comic books, notably Captain America and the Avengers...
and his Thunderbolts to serve as "hero-hunters" during the events of the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
storyline.
Scarecrow showed up when Peter Parker unmasked himself, as one of a band of costumed villains (including Electro
Electro (comics)
Electro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supervillain and an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first...
, the Molten Man
Molten Man
Molten Man is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #28 .-Fictional character biography:...
, and Will o' the Wisp
Will o' the Wisp (comics)
Will o' the Wisp is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He is a physicist who gained control over the electromagnetic attraction between his body's molecules, allowing him to adjust his density...
), hired by the Chameleon
Chameleon (comics)
The Chameleon is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko; the Chameleon is the first member of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery, based on issue...
to attack Peter Parker in a lopsided revenge effort. Scarecrow was defeated and incarcerated. He later teamed again with Molten Man
Molten Man
Molten Man is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #28 .-Fictional character biography:...
in a rampage which was halted by Captain America and the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
. The two criminals were sent as part of the "Thunderbolt Army" to flush heroes out of hiding. Cap was forced to prevent Punisher from killing Scarecrow once he'd been apprehended.
Ebenezer has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who registered as part of the Initiative..
Someone that looks like Scarecrow was among the members of Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
's Crime Syndicate . He helped them assault the New Avengers' home until they were defeated. In Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, he is among the many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invading Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
force. He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting the Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
instead.
He is among the villains considered by Blackout and the Deacon to help them assassinate the Ghost Rider. He worked alongside Blackout and other villains on a mission to kill Ghost Rider,, but was eventually defeated when Jaine Cutter
Jaine Cutter
Jaine Cutter is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Fictional character biography:Jaine Cutter was a witch who sold the souls of seven policemen to the demon Zahgurim, in return for magical armor made from River Styx, and powerful weapons. Zahgurim also branded his mark across her...
bent his impervious body around a carnival fence.
Scarecrow has also teamed up with Raoul Bushman
Bushman (comics)
Raoul Bushman is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Universe. He is the oldest nemesis of Marc Spector, whose secret identity is Moon Knight...
as his right-hand man, in the latest Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...
series. He was later seen during the Siege
Siege (comics)
Siege is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics, who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Creative origins:John Kelly was initially created by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright as a pseudo-preview of their then-upcoming relaunch of Deathlok as well as to provide existing in-continuity backstory...
of Asgard
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...
as part of the Hood crime syndicate.
During the Fear Itself
Fear Itself (comics)
"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, Scarecrow takes advantage of the chaos in town by attacking with his army of crows only to end up fighting Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
.
Powers and abilities
Laughton wears a scarecrow costume and is extremely flexible and agile due to heavy training. The Scarecrow is double-jointed and can fit his body through any aperture at least one foot wide. He has trained himself to have the agility of a professional contortionist, to be able to escape from conventional locks and chains, and to perform various acrobatic stunts. Scarecrow is also a trained acrobat, escapologist and tumbler. He is also a master at training birds. He often carries a pitchfork as a weapon.He has a flock of two dozen pet crows, which he has taught to kill on command. The Scarecrow is assisted in his crimes by crows whom he has trained to perform a variety of actions in response to his hand gestures and tones of voice. At his command the crows will attack and kill the victims he designates. The crows have been trained to attack anyone who rushes at the Scarecrow or points a gun at him. They are trained to carry off jewels, valuables, and anything else at which the Scarecrow points.
As a result of surgical implants given to him by doctors employed by the Firm, the Scarecrow's body produces a mutated pheromone that affects the adrenal glands of people and higher animals (even crows) within twenty feet of him, causing a sensory overload which triggers a panic attack. The same pheromone affects the Scarecrow's own adrenal system, giving superhuman strength and stamina.
When the Scarecrow was raised from the dead by the sorcerer Stern he was able to induce fear in his victims, and could survive and quickly recover from any injury he sustained when in the presence in the fear of others, even injuries that would be fatal to normal human beings.
Marvel vs. DC
In Marvel vs. DC, Scarecrow briefly teamed up with DC's ScarecrowScarecrow (comics)
The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
in an attempt to kidnap Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
. They were thwarted by Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...
. In the Amalgam Universe
Amalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics was a publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones . These characters first appeared in a series of twelve comic books which were published in 1996, between issues 3 and 4 of the Marvel vs...
, Scarecrow was a combination of Marvel's Scarecrow and DC's Scarecrow.
Video games
- Scarecrow appears in the Ghost RiderGhost Rider (video game)Ghost Rider is a third-person game based around the movie of the same name. The game's storyline is a sequel to the movie, and was penned by Marvel writers Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti. Players can play as Ghost Rider both on foot, or on the Hellcycle. The villains are both from the movie and...
video game based on the feature film voiced by Dave WittenbergDave WittenbergDavid Richard Paul "Dave" Wittenberg is a prolific South African-born American video game and anime voice actor with nearly one hundred titles to his credit. While Wittenberg was born in a hospital in South Africa, he was primarily raised in Boston...
. In the game, Ghost Rider enters a church and fights Scarecrow's crows and then fights Scarecrow himself. Scarecrow attacks Ghost Rider but retreats to a pillar. After Ghost Rider knocks the pillar over, Scarecrow falls from a great height, and then battle continues. This cycle repeats until the Scarecrow is defeated.
Toys
- Scarecrow appears as an action figure for the Ghost Rider movieGhost Rider (film)Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
line by Hasbro. A "comic-styled", five-inch (127 mm) figure including crows and a pitchfork, was included as part of a Toys R' Us exclusive figure-set, "The Spider & The Scarecrow".
External links
- http://www.marvel.com/universe/Scarecrow_%28Ebenezer_Laughton%29