Scarecrow (Marvel)
Scarecrow is a male comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
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Biography
Ebenezer Laughton
The Ebenezer's family was said to had lived in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights when he was a young boy. (Ghost Rider/Captain America: Fear v1 #1) It was said that had Ebenezer's father had apparently been a geek and a circus performer who did disgusting acts. (Ghost Rider Annual v3 #2) Though another account claimed that Ebenezer Laughton's father was a simple farmer. ((Captain America v1 #280) As a child though, Ebenezer idolized his alcoholic mother who was sometimes abusive to him. (Ghost Rider/Captain America: Fear v1 #1) His mother was away a lot, whilst his father spent much of his time in his office, where Ebenezer sometimes overheard him crying. Whenever his mother was home though she came to frequently abuse him where sometimes she would punch him or put out burning cigarettes on his flesh. (Ghost Rider Annual v3 #2) Afterwards, his mother would give him gifts after abusing him to ease her feelings of guilt. This dysfunctional discipline convinced Ebenezer that rewards always followed punishment, and his behavior grew worse as he sought beatings and the gifts that came with them. Ebenezer was socially awkward while growing up. (New Avengers: Most Wanted Files v1 #1) Ebenezer entertained himself by killing and cutting open animals, watching them die and learning what made them work. His mother warned him she would hurt him if he did not stop this. One time his parents argued about one of his mother's boyfriends, and his mother stabbed his father in the arm with a kitchen knife. One day, his mother came home to find him having cut open another pet. After yelling him and telling him she should have thrown him in the river after he was born, she broke one of his fingers. Contorting free from her grasp, he ran and hid in the house. (Ghost Rider Annual v3 #2) After his father divorced his mother, Ebenezer, unable to live with the truth about his beloved mother, transferred the blame of the abuse onto his father. (Ghost Rider/Captain America: Fear v1 #1)
In his role as the Uncanny Umberto, Laughton was in the middle of his stage act, slipping out of a set of chains when Iron Man chased a criminal, who had been trying to loot the box office, through his theater. Seeing the publicity he had gained if he took out the criminal before Iron Man caught him, Umberto dove into a somersault and knocked the man over. Iron Man congratulated him on his success, noting that he was glad he operated on the side of the law. Inspired by that though, Laughton decided that he could make more money as a criminal, and he stole a scarecrow costume from a costume shop to disguise his identity. He then stole the trained crows of his former associate Thornton; recognizing Laughton, the crows trusted him. He took them home and swiftly trained them to pick out shiny jewelry. Later that same day, as the Scarecrow, Laughton was in the midst of looting Tony Stark's penthouse suite when Stark and Happy Hogan discovered him. Happy rushed him, but the Scarecrow agilely tossed him aside. When Iron Man confronted him, the Scarecrow fled, locked the door, then dropped a sash on him and had his crows swiftly bind him with it. By the time Iron Man broke free, Laughton had hidden inside a vase and sent his crows out the window to lead Iron Man to attempt to follow them to their master, which they did. Exiting the vase, the Scarecrow rifled through Stark's safe and grabbed a folder of military secrets, but then the revived Hogan grabbed him. Scarecrow leapt out the window, his remaining crows slowly his descent sufficiently for his skills to grant him a safe landing. Scarecrow soon tried to ransom Stark's plan back to him, and Stark allowed the Scarecrow to steal the money he'd brought, having placed a transistorized magnet in the briefcase. Scarecrow contacted some Cubans and arranged to meet them on a ship and deliver the plans. He took a motorboat out to sea to meet them, but then Iron Man, having followed by his own boat, activated the magnet and recovered the briefcase, into which Scarecrow had placed the plans. Iron Man then grabbed Scarecrow, tossed him in the ocean, then drilled holes in the Cuban's ship. Scarecrow escaped as several of his crows helped speed his trip to a not-too-distant Cuban ship, while the energy-exhausted Iron Man could not pursue by flight, or by his ship for fear that the Cuban ship would blow it up. On the shores of Cuba, the Scarecrow pondered vengeance, vowing not to underestimate Iron Man again. (Tales of Suspense v1 #51)
He was locked in solitary for a year where he claimed to had changed after suffering a minor revelation. This saw him come to believe that he had a greater destiny than being a mere costumed thief. (Captain America v1 #280)
Scarecrow came to be recruited into a team of costumed criminals brought together by Count Nefaria of the Maggia. This saw them attacking the Mutant X-Men where Scarecrow was successful in capturing the Angel Warren Worthington III. (X-Men v1 #22)
During Fear Itself, Scarecrow came to feel emboldened by the wave of fear engulfing the world. This saw him attacking New York City with an army of crows leading to a fight with Wolverine. Ultimately, Wolverine came to defeat Scarecrow allowing him to be arrested by the authorities. (Fear Itself: Wolverine v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Whilst working at a circus, he came to operate under the stage name of the Uncanny Umberto. Upon starting his costumed criminal career, he decided to wear and adopt the name of the Scarecrow. (Tales of Suspense v1 #51)
He came to see that his talents would lead to him gaining fame as the world's best burglar and become a star of the underworld. (Tales of Suspense v1 #51)
Powers and abilities
He spent most of his adult life in perfect condition. (Tales of Suspense v1 #51) As a master contortionist, he was able to wriggle out of an opponent's grasp with ease. (Captain America v1 #280) With his training as a contortionist, he could roll himself into a ball and catapult himself at another person. (Tales of Suspense v1 #51)
Early in his criminal career, he began to decide to use trained crows to help him in his heists. They obediently followed his whispered commands and helped him in his criminal endeavours. (Tales of Suspense v1 #51) The crows could serve as a distraction for him allowing him to make his own move whilst his foe was occupied. (Captain America v1 #280) He could also use them to cast a net over a flying foe to capture them. (X-Men v1 #22)
Notes
- Scarecrow was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck where he made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #51 (March, 1964).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Video games
- In Ghost Rider, the Scarecrow appeared in the setting of the video game tie-in to the live-action film where he was voiced by actor Dave Wittenberg.
Other
Appearances
- Tales of Suspense v1: (1964)
- Captain America v1:
- Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin:
- Fear Itself: Wolverine v1:
External Links
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