| Scarecrow | |
|---|---|
 Scarecrow as depicted inAmazing Spider-Man #547 (January 2008). Art bySteve McNiven. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Tales of Suspense #51 (Mar 1964)[1] |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Don Heck (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Ebenezer Laughton |
| Team affiliations | Maggia The Firm Exterminators[2] |
| Partnerships | Unicorn |
| Notable aliases | Umberto the Uncanny |
| Abilities |
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TheScarecrow (Ebenezer Laughton) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
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Scarecrow's first appearance was inTales of Suspense #51 (March 1964), in a story created byStan Lee andDon Heck.
Ebenezer Laughton was born inRhinebeck, New York, as the son of a farmer, along with his brother Ralph.[3] Raised by an abusive mother, Laughton became a circus escape artist and contortionist, and while working as a carnival performer once helpedIron Man apprehend a fleeing culprit. However, he decided to make his profit in crime and became an accomplished burglar and professional thief while dressed as ascarecrow. He mostly worked alone—except for a flock of trainedcrows which served as carriers and killers. In his first appearance as the Scarecrow, he was defeated by Iron Man.[4]
He joinedCount Nefaria's short-lived team of super-mercenaries (which includedPlantman, the originalEel, the originalPorcupine, the originalUnicorn and himself), and participated in Count Nefaria's attempt to holdWashington, D.C., for ransom before being defeated by theX-Men.[5] He later worked for the Cowled Commander, but was defeated byCaptain America and theFalcon.[6] He then clashed with Captain America once more.[7] Eventually, Laughton went insane, and he began murdering supporters of the Coalition for an Upstanding America, but was defeated by Captain America.[3]
It was revealed inIron Man: Enter the Mandarin that Laughton was motivated in part to become a supervillain by agents of theMandarin who supplied him with his first costume and trained crows. He was allured by the idea of standing out in the growing field of industrial espionage.
Scarecrow embarked on a series of murders, and first battled the secondGhost Rider. He fell and was impaled on his own pitchfork during the battle with Ghost Rider, and was carried off by the Firm.[8] He received surgical implants, carried out more killings, and abducted Stacy Dolan.[volume & issue needed] He fought Captain America and Ghost Rider, surviving being shot and impaled, and was then enlisted by Mr. Stern for the Firm.[9] He becameundead, 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. He also gained the ability to recover from any injury so long as he was in the presence of the fear of others. The Ghost Rider used this ability against the Scarecrow, briefly mangling his body, causing Scarecrow to heal in a crooked and contorted pose.[10] He was later restored to his normal physical appearance by the government agent called Spook during theGhost Rider in Chains story arc.[volume & issue needed]
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 ghost during one such campaign. Eventually, Laughton would be abandoned by these "magical employers" and stabilize physically, if not mentally.[volume & issue needed]
Scarecrow was jailed in the Raft prison facility following a failed sexual assault upon hostages who were freed by theFalcon.[11]
Scarecrow is among the army of villains recruited byBaron Zemo and hisThunderbolts to serve as "hero-hunters" during the events of theCivil War storyline.[12]
Scarecrow showed up whenPeter Parker unmasked himself, as one of a band of costumed villains (includingElectro, theMolten Man, andWill o' the Wisp), hired by theChameleon to attack Peter Parker in a lopsided revenge effort. Scarecrow was defeated and incarcerated.[13] He later teamed again withMolten Man in a rampage which was halted by Captain America and thePunisher. 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.[14]
Ebenezer has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who registered as part of the Initiative.[15][16]
Someone that looks like Scarecrow was among the members ofHood's Crime Syndicate.[17] He helped them assault theNew Avengers' home until they were defeated.[18] In "Secret Invasion", he is among the many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invadingSkrull force.[19] He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting theDark Avengers instead.[20]
He is among the villains considered byBlackout and theDeacon to help them assassinate the Ghost Rider.[21] He worked alongside Blackout and other villains on a mission to kill Ghost Rider,[22] but was eventually defeated whenJaine Cutter bent his body around a carnival fence.[23]
Scarecrow has also teamed up withRaoul Bushman as his right-hand man, in the 2009-2010Moon Knight series.[24] He was later seen during theSiege ofAsgard as part of the Hood's crime syndicate.[25]
During theFear Itself storyline, Scarecrow takes advantage of the chaos in town by attacking with his army of crows only to end up fightingWolverine.[26]
The Scarecrow is a highly adept contortionist—extremely flexible and agile due to heavy training. He is double-jointed and can fit his body through any aperture at least one foot wide. He is therefore able to escape from conventional locks and chains, and to perform various acrobatic stunts. 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 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 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 him superhuman strength and stamina.
When the Scarecrow was raised from the dead by the sorcerer Stern, he became able to directly induce fear in his victims, and could survive and quickly recover from any injury, even typically fatal ones, as long as he was in the presence of the fear of others.[27]
InDC vs. Marvel, Scarecrow briefly teamed up with DC'sScarecrow in an attempt to kidnapLois Lane. They were thwarted byBen Reilly. In theAmalgam Universe,Scarecrow was a combination of Marvel's Scarecrow and DC's Scarecrow.[volume & issue needed]
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