After 85 Years, DC Reveals Real Meaning Of Iconic Batman Villain’s Name

Warning! This article contains major SPOILERS for Absolute Batman #22.By design, Batman’s probably only had a handful of days where he was genuinely happy since his father died in Absolute Batman. And now, according to the ending of Absolute Batman #22, even his father’s death might not have been real in this DC Elseworlds universe.

It’s impossible to tell what is fake or not when a Batman villain like Scarecrow is involved, as there could always be trickery at play with illusions or some other form of deception in order to weaken his victims and opponents. In fact, thanks to Absolute Batman #22 and its devastating origin story for Harley Quinn, we finally have a more succinct explanation for who Scarecrow is and what his role is in Absolute Batman’s narrative.

Scarecrow’s ‘Straw Man’ Is A Double Entendre

While ‘Straw Man’ quite literally refers to the fact that he’s meant to represent a man made out of straw as a Scarecrow, it is also referring to the straw man logical fallacy—essentially, to fabricate chaos. It’s all about weaponized delusion, as Harley Quinn says:

“Do you know why the crows are scared of the scarecrow, Bruce? Not because they think he’s a man. They’re afraid because they don’t know what he is. He’s something in between. Looks human but smells like straw. Grimm and his kind pump billions into making people feel scared and angry. And they use people like Scarecrow to point all that anger and fear at some enemy that isn’t real. A ghost, a dummy, anything other than the truth.”

Harley insists to Batman that Scarecrow “publicized Gordon’s death so people would doubt” him, fashioning a public narrative about who the Batman is. All Batman sees, of course, is red, especially when Scarecrow later calls him and reveals a man who is supposedly Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne, alive and shackled in some dungeon.

Absolute Harley Quinn And Batman Are Haunted By Their Pasts

There are plenty of reasons to doubt that Thomas is actually alive. But chief among them is the fact that Harley has pointed this out now, conveniently.

If Harley is right, then Scarecrow is manipulating Batman yet again in some way. That said, Scarecrow’s murders seem painfully real.

Going forward, readers will now know to be doubly critical and skeptical of anything Scarecrow does because of what Harley reveals about him. That’s why the ‘reveal’ of Thomas being alive is so difficult to believe; if it was real, then why have Harley sow seeds of doubt?

Either way, Scarecrow is obviously a vital tool in Joker’s arsenal. It’ll be fascinating to learn whether Bruce’s father truly is alive or not, and the fate of his mother, who was indeed a member of the Court of Owls, is still undetermined.

Meanwhile, Absolute Batman #22 is the final chapter of the “Straw Man” arc, oddly enough, and Clayface is being introduced as the continuity’s newest villain in Absolute Batman #23. Perhaps Scarecrow will be around for much longer than it originally seemed that he might, and Harley is the only Bat-Family companion who knows Scarecrow well enough to talk some sense into Batman before it’s too late.

Absolute Batman #22 is out now.