What’s the story behind Dick Grayson and the GCPD working alongside renowned supervillain Scarecrow in Titans season 3? Over the past two seasons, the Not-So-Teen Titans have spent more time fighting each other than fighting crime, but when season 2 came to an end, the death of Donna Troy somehow managed to galvanize the group into a united front, with Dick’s new Nightwing persona leading the charge. While everyone clinked glasses and buried the hatchet at Titan Tower, one member was notable by his absence. Shaken by a near-death experience and Dick Grayson’s lies about Jericho, Jason Todd separates himself from the group and embarks on a path of self-destruction, laying foundations for his confirmed transformation into Red Hood.
And Red Hood isn’t the only new addition for Titans season 3. Savannah Welch plays Barbara Gordon, now Commissioner of the GCPD, while Jay Lycurgo is Tim Drake – Todd’s successor in the green tights. In terms of villains, Vincent Kartheiser will play Dr. Jonathan Crane, better known on the streets of Gotham as Scarecrow. In the latest Titans season 3 trailer, Barbara reveals the GCPD has been using Scarecrow (currently enjoying the facilities at Arkham Asylum) as a consultant. Now Dick’s getting in on the act too, visiting Crane personally. What’s the reason for this offbeat alliance?
Although the GCPD (and, indeed, the Caped Crusader) are no strangers to exploiting the expertise of ex-supervillains when faced with a new threat, Scarecrow offers a very unique insight. Before becoming a baddie in his own right, Dr. Crane was a professor of psychology who analyzed criminals at Arkham, allowing him a dual perspective as an expert of the criminal mind, and a criminal mind himself. This is why the GCPD has been relying on Crane, but why does Dick Grayson need Scarecrow in Titans season 3? In the newest Titans season 3 footage, cops and heroes alike are evidently stumped by the Red Hood, and that should come as no surprise, since Jason has the training of a vigilante, the smarts and aggression of a street criminal, and now the villainous instability that comes from being “killed” by Joker. A dangerously different threat to anything they’ve faced previously, it’s clear why Scarecrow is the Titans’ best hope of outwitting Red Hood.
Another reason to enlist the services of Jonathan Crane is to uncover Red Hood’s identity. While plenty of supervillains have alter egos, their civilian names are usually either public knowledge (E. Nigma isn’t especially subtle) or entirely irrelevant (The Joker, for example). As Red Hood, Jason Todd will be exploiting his intimate knowledge of the Titans’ strengths, weaknesses and tactics to get the better of them. This would tip Dick off that the villain is likely one of their own, making his identity vital to solving the case. Crane might hold the key to unmasking Red Hood.
Perhaps the more pertinent question is what Scarecrow gains out of this arrangement. While the likes of Riddler are psychologically compelled to solve puzzles and prove their genius, Scarecrow’s driving motivation is fear – usually instilling it in others. The GCPD might simply be offering a lighter sentence or better chance of parole, but could Scarecrow possess more sinister motivations in helping the Titans? Red Hood seems to be assembling an assortment of Gotham criminals under his leadership; perhaps Crane can earn Jason’s favor by manipulating and misdirecting the authorities, thereby earning himself a ticket out of Arkham and a place at the Red Hood’s table. The Titans season 3 trailer might even foreshadow this through Scarecrow’s chess analogy – the pawns divert attention, while the King moves stealthily in the shadows.
