WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Titans Season 3, Episode 4, "Blackfire" available now on HBO Max.
In the first three episodes of Titans, Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow has proven himself a valuable asset to Dick Grayson/Nightwing and the Gotham City Police Department. With his help, the Titans have been able to unravel some of the mystery surrounding just how Jason Todd became Red Hood. However, the latest episode of Titans Season 3, "Blackfire," reveals there's a good reason Crane knows so much about Red Hood: He's mentoring him.
At the start of "Blackfire," Red Hood seemingly makes an attempt on Scarecrow's life in reprisal for his aid to the Titans. Dick, though, sees through the ruse, realizing that Jason was just trying to get Scarecrow moved from Arkham Asylum to Blackgate Penitentiary so that he could spring him. In response, Dick takes Scarecrow to a cabin in the woods owned by Bruce Wayne/Batman.
While there, Dick confronts Scarecrow about him being Red Hood's mentor, claiming that the supervillain changed the former Boy Wonder. Scarecrow, for his part, doesn't really hide his relationship to Red Hood, but he disputes Dick's characterization of the relationship. "You think I changed him," Scarecrow says. "Oh, buddy. No. I've got news for you: That kid came to me broken. All I did was rebuild him, and it was easy, too, after what you did to him in [San Francisco]. That Titans business, what a twisted mindfuck. I kind of wish I'd actually thought of that myself."
Dick tries to dispute Scarecrow's -- and by proxy Jason's -- account. Still, Crane pushes the issue more, bringing up Dick's failures with Rachel Roth/Raven and Jericho. It's clear that Crane knows everything there is to know about what Dick's been up to over the past few years, and he's aiming to use it against the hero to destabilize him psychologically.
There's a lot unclear about just how Crane and Jason came to work together, including just how truthful the villain's account of events really is. That being said, at the end of Titans Season 2, Jason was incredibly angry over the betrayal he felt over having been deceived and lied to, so there's a good chance Scarecrow is at least telling the truth in part.
Regardless of how true his account is, Scarecrow is an incredibly dangerous individual, and his knowledge of the Bat-Family could prove deadly in the future. If Crane leaks that information, he could ruin countless lives and put many different people at risk, including Dick, Barbara Gordon and any of their friends. So while Crane may have helped created the monster that is Red Hood, Jason may have in turn powered Scarecrow up in a terrifying way.
The first four episodes of Titans Season 3 are available now on HBO Max. Episode 5 will release on Aug. 26.
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