Batman: 15 greatest Batman movie villains of all time

9. Scarecrow (The Dark Knight Trilogy)

Actor: Cillian Murphy

Scarecrow is one of Batman’s most underrated villains. He isn’t as flamboyant as the Joker, his costume isn’t as bright as The Riddler’s, and he doesn’t have a bunch of memorable quotes. What Scarecrow does do is get the job done in Batman Begins.

Dr. Jonathan Crane defeated Batman and put fear in him. Fear that Batman thought he was using on criminals. Crane left Batman scared, shaking, and barely able to stand. Other than Bane, no one has been able to bring Batman to his knees like this. What’s even better than he did it without touching him.

Cillian Murphy doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his role in Batman Begins. Their first encounter was brilliant. Scarecrow talked a bunch of smack to Batman. He told him to have a drink as he threw alcohol on him. To add insult to injury, Crane then set him on fire and tells Batman he needs to, “Lighten up.” This one moment put Batman out of commission for two days.

One other thing that Scarecrow should get credit for is being one of the few characters to make it through all three movies. The next two movies he was seen in small doses, but it’s better than nothing at all. It would be nice to get more Scarecrow in the future. His fear toxins could make for intriguing and different stories.

Memorable moment: Putting the fear into Batman.