Cillian Murphy favors challenging roles, from war dramas to sci-fi thrillers, from the ruthless leader of the Birmingham gang to the "father of the atomic bomb” in the upcoming Oppenheimer. His intense charisma was prominent since his first movies, Disco Pigs and 28 Days Later, to name a few.
Murphy’s presence In Hollywood is arguably one-of-a-kind: while he possesses elegant good looks, there is also a mystery and darkness to it, seen in the sharp edges of his face and, of course, the icy sharpness in his eyes. The New York Times described Murphy as "a picture-perfect villain" and that his "baby blues look cold enough to freeze water and his wolfish leer suggests its own terrors." This persona, polished to perfection, can be seen most prominently in The Dark Knight trilogy, where he plays none of Batman's most dastardly villains and the only one to appear in all three movies as a character that brings them all together.
Murphy's Dr. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. Scarecrow, is a turning point for every live-action supervillain to follow. From here on, we can see a clear transition from the flamboyant and campy villains of the 60s show and Schumacher’s Batman to the grim and gritty villains of the likes of Nolan’s Joker and Reeves’ Riddler. Scarecrow, for his part, is a dexterous amalgam of the two interpretations.
Murphy is menacing yet grounded as Dr. Crane, a corrupt psychotherapist who smuggles drugs into Gotham City. He shows that he can also be deliciously cartoonish, as his transformation into Scarecrow completes. One of the most exciting parts of the third act is Scarecrow’s entrance with a sack on his head, riding a horse with fire blasting through its nostrils. So, let us look at and appreciate Cillian Murphy’s best moments as Scarecrow.
Updated December 31, 2022: If you love Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow, you'll be happy to know we've updated this article.
6 "Would you like to see my mask?"
Nolan's version of Gotham City is a hyper-realistic world of charm and crime. Behind lavish dinner parties, there is social inequality and shameless corruption, and the war between good and evil in Gotham devours everyone, rich and poor. In Batman Begins, Nolan has yet to settle into his function-over-form, Chicago-Esque Gotham. The perpetual rain and the industrial smoke and dimly lit alleys and classic docks riddled with smugglers at night — straight out of the comic book.
Dispersed into this dark city is a toxin sent out by Scarecrow. Dr. Crane’s mask is, therefore, a respirator to protect him from the fear toxin he dispenses on his victims. It also provides a strong optical illusion to torment unfortunate souls under the influence of the gas. It is the first time we see a glimpse of the Scarecrow. Warped surroundings, a distorted voice, and powerful hallucinations of maggots and other creepy creatures crawling from underneath the mask all adhere to Nolan’s realism, but also wink at its source material. The end result is a genuinely unsettling visual.
5 “You need to lighten up!”
It is worth mentioning that Murphy auditioned for the part of Batman himself. Although he failed to get the role, certain aspects made him a worthy contender, and they create the most curious parallel between the character of Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow and Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight universe.
Both men hide behind the mask of their civil name and attractiveness. Batman exists to strike fear into the cowardly hearts of criminals to turn them away from crime. On the other hand, the Scarecrow identity is used as a symbol of fear to further his own nefarious goals. Wayne overcame his fear to become Batman. But on the opposite spectrum, Crane succumbs to his own toxin and becomes Scarecrow.
Their first meeting emphasizes this juxtaposition. Yes, Crane is only a secondary antagonist, but he is not a foolish lackey. He stands on his own against the caped crusader and even manages to get the upper hand. Not to mention, lighting Batman on fire with a witty quip is also just an incredibly cool scene.
4 “He’s here.” “Who?” “THE BAT-MAN!”
Up to this moment in Batman Begins, the caped crusader was growing into his persona. He found the symbol, built the suit, and even had a successful operation under his (utility) belt — but it is this scene that introduces The Dark Knight in his full glory. Dr. Crane lures Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) to the underground lair, where he has been dumping fear toxins into Gotham’s water system. He drugs the damsel and looms over her threateningly… suddenly the light flickers. The vengeance has come.
As Collider puts it, “It's such a quintessentially Gotham City scene, almost ripped straight from an episode of Batman: The Animated Series and given a lifelike sheen.” The anticipation and insanity that seeps into Cillian Murphy’s lines show us the transition from Dr. Crane to Scarecrow perfectly. His exaggerated portrayal is exactly the right level of kooky and threatening, a winning recipe for combining camp with gravity.
3 “There’s nothing to fear but fear itself!”
If the previously discussed “The Bat-Man” moment has been essential to Bruce’s path to hero in Batman Begins, then this one is definitely the culmination of Scarecrow’s arc.
From awareness of the evil but refusal to participate (“I don’t want to know”), Dr. Crane switches to attacking Dawes, who has been sniffing around his business, with his own hands. A pinch of his fear gas — and the supervillain is forged and ready to ravage the streets of Gotham. Amazing, comic book-style scene staging, fitting for the harbinger of Ra’s al Ghul's destruction: a scarecrow in a straight jacket, preaching “There’s nothing to fear but fear itself!” from a fiery horse. He promises to help Gothamites, but perhaps that only means freeing them from the shackles of sanity.
2 "Buyer beware."
"Buyer beware. I told you my compound would take you places. I never said they'd be places you wanted to go." Cillian Murphy’s brief appearance as Scarecrow at the beginning of The Dark Knight is fun and delightful because it creates an inhabited Batman universe. The Chechen and his gang (and his Rottweilers) meet up with Scarecrow and his thugs in an empty parking garage. The Chechen complains about the drugs he was sold before the meeting gets interrupted by Batmen (impostors and then the real deal).
Scarecrow shows that despite losing his sanity, he has not lost his sharp tongue and pension pretentious phrasing. In addition to setting the scene and catching us up on events set before the film, there is the underlying importance of this scene. Viewers can feel that the world exists beyond the main plot, and the members of Batman's familiar foes and rogue gallery are prowling the dingy streets of Gotham City, living their lives, carrying out their shady deeds, and making deals among themselves. Who knows, the Iceberg Casino might have been just around the corner, a mysterious redhead could have been preparing an eco-terrorist hassle, or a man-crocodile might have been chilling at the docks.
1 "Now, the choice is yours: exile… or death?"
This underappreciated gem from The Dark Knight Rises cannot go unnoticed. The film interrupts its transmission of Batman’s agony and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) rediscovering her conscience for an unexpected dark satire. When Bane seizes control of Gotham, he frees all incarcerated prisoners from Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum. Scarecrow, who once gave out favors to the mafia, turns against the rich and powerful. This goes along with his character from the first film. He was definitely on board with Ra’s al Ghul’s (Liam Neeson) plan of cleansing Gotham of evil and corruption. His accepting Bane’s rule feels like a natural progression.
This time Scarecrow presides over a kangaroo court, showing his disdain for privileged and preceding authorities. Here again, he is a somewhat dark reflection of Batman, someone who hates social inequality and stands for justice, albeit in his own twisted way. The Scarecrow courtroom scene is mockingly over-the-top but also terrifying.