Scarecrow is best known as a member of Batman's rogues gallery, and he's menaced the Dark Knight and the other residents of Gotham City in hundreds of comics, dozens of cartoons and in director Christopher Nolan's cinematic Dark Knight trilogy. However, Marvel has its own version of supervillain Scarecrow too, and he's fought everyone from Iron Man to Ghost Rider.
While both Scarecrows share a name and have strikingly similar costumes, they're still separate enough characters to stand on their own. DC's Scarecrow was created in 1941's World's Finest #3 by Batman co-creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane. As one of Batman's earliest substantial villains, the Scarecrow was originally Dr. Jonathan Crane, a psychology expert with an unhealthy obsession with fear.
Dr. Crane's obsessions led him to become a professor of psychology at Gotham University specializing in phobias and to a fateful position as a psychologist at Arkham Asylum. While at Arkham, Crane famously conducted fear-inducing experiments on patients. After Gotham University fired him for having a firearm in a classroom, Crane's criminal career began when he took revenge by killing the professors responsible for firing him.
While operating as a career criminal, Scarecrow developed his trademark Fear Toxin, a gas capable of causing anyone who breathes it to suffer from terrifying hallucinations that are further accentuated by the mask and costume Crane wears as the Scarecrow.
Although Crane has been known to carry a scythe when garbed as his deranged alter ego, Scarecrow is not particularly well known for his combat abilities, and he prefers instead to rely on the inducing of fear to accomplish his goals. Oddly enough, the New 52 iteration of the character had an addiction to fear but only fears Batman, which led him to seek out encounters with the Caped Crusader.
Over two decades after DC's Scarecrow was introduced, Marvel's Scarecrow debuted in 1964's Tales of Suspense #51 by Stan Lee and Don Heck.
The differences between Marvel's Scarecrow and the Batman villain are immediately apparent. Ebenezar Laughton was originally raised on a farm and graduated to working at a carnival as a contortionist and escape artist. While he doesn't necessarily have a superpower, Laughton is able to contort his body in nearly impossible ways, making him extremely flexible and able to fit his body into small spaces. Laughton's contortion abilities also make him incredibly nimble and a superb acrobat.
Laughton's career as Scarecrow began when he saw the potential in using his skills for ill-gotten gain. After using his abilities to help the Avenger Iron Man apprehend a criminal, Laughton evoked the attention agents of the villainous Mandarin, who gave him his first costume and supplied him with a number of trained crows. The crows assisted the Scarecrow in his criminal activities which at the time consisted of robbery and theft.
Laughton's Scarecrow carried a pitchfork as a weapon and did not use fear-inducing chemicals to aid him in his schemes. Throughout his criminal career, he clashed with Iron Man, the X-Men and even Captain America. Eventually, Laughton went insane and graduated to murder, using his crows to help carry out those missions as well.
After a string of murders, Scarecrow was confronted by Ghost Rider. When the resulting battle left him impaled on his own pitchfork, Scarecrow was given surgical enhancements that allowed him to generate a chemical from his body capable of inducing panic attacks in his victims. He was later killed, resurrected, and granted superhuman abilities for a time as he became a recurring nemesis for Ghost Rider. Scarecrow eventually lost his mystical abilities but never regained his sanity. His most recent battles have seen him return to his roots against street-level heroes such as Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and Wolverine.
Even though this Scarecrow debuted long after the Batman villain, he was the first character to have the brown and green costume that currently defines both of their ensembles. While these two characters share a name, similar costumes and even a similar gimmick, the similarities between them don't go on under their respective masks. Where DC's Scarecrow is still primarily a cerebral threat, Marvel's Scarecrow has proven to be an endearing and frightening opponent in his own right, choosing to rely on his physical abilities to cause fear in his opponents rather than artificial chemicals.