WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Titans Season 3, Episode 5, "Lazarus," available now on HBO Max.
In the last week's episode of Titans Season 3, Dick Grayson/Nightwing figured out Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow was actually working with Jason Todd/Red Hood. While the specific of their relationship weren't made clear, the episode established Scarecrow and Red Hood were working on something together. Now, the latest episode of Titans, "Lazarus," reveals just what Scarecrow is planning -- and it's perfectly fitting for his character.
At the start of "Lazarus," Red Hood and Scarecrow reunite after Nightwing's trap goes awry. Angry at the turn of events and that Dick now knows the truth of what's going on, Jason insists Scarecrow tell him exactly what his plan is. Initially, Scarecrow puts up some resistance, but Red Hood soon threatens to shoot him. It's then Scarecrow explains the plan: "We immerse the good citizens of Gotham in a world of fear and terror where there is no one to protect them. And when they feel all hope has been exhausted, we swoop in and be the answer to their fear. You feed a starving dog, it's always by your side."
Introduced in 1941's World's Finest Comics #3, Scarecrow's shtick has pretty much always revolved around weaponizing fear to advance his nefarious purposes. That's no different in Titans. Later in "Lazarus," Scarecrow's fear gas plays a huge role in Jason's transformation into Red Hood. Jason, for his part, pursued an anti-fear gas recipe in order to push through the trauma resulting from his experiences in Titans Season 2. However, that anti-fear gas effectively makes Jason a slave to Scarecrow, as the rest of "Lazarus" reveals. In fact, Scarecrow seems to have manipulated Jason's fear so as to bend him to his will.
On a thematic level, though, fear has been one of the major focuses of Titans Season 3. Various conversations have emphasized Batman as raising both Jason and Dick to be fearless through extreme means. The Dark Knight, though, has also attempted to keep Gotham in line through fear. As such, the big theme of Titans Season 3 has become what the role of fear is in super heroics and just how much of it one should have. While potentially damaging, fear is also a natural and healthy part of life. In excess, though, fear is debilitating.
Scarecrow's plan to essentially take over Gotham through fear is both reflective of his relationship with Red Hood and a foil to Batman's own actions. So as Titans Season 3 continues, expect to see Scarecrow's plans really explore the idea of fear.
The first five episodes of Titans Season 3 are available now on HBO Max. Episode 6 releases Sept. 2.
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