Arkham Shadow Should Be the End of a Tradition for One Villain

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 7, 2024 20 Views 5 Min Read
Arkham Shadow Should Be the End of a Tradition for One Villain



Besides Kevin Conroy and Roger Craig Smith’s extraordinary performances as Batman in the Arkhamverse, Arkham games are largely known for how immediately iconic and role-defining its villains’ performances are. This is obviously true of Mark Hamill’s Joker, and it’s certainly true of other recurring antagonists such as Tara Strong’s Harley Quinn, Wally Wingert’s Riddler, or Nolan North’s Penguin. In Batman: Arkham Shadow, a handful of familiar characters and actors appear and not all of them have the same voices (Police Commissioner Jim Gordon is played by Mark Rolston this time around, for instance, who is known more famously as Batman: Arkham Origins’ Deathstroke).




Troy Baker is as ubiquitous and well-known in the industry as anyone, and that’s never been more true than in the Arkhamverse with roles such as Tim Drake’s Robin, Jason Todd/Arkham Knight, Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and Joker. Likewise, Khary Payton has cemented himself as a key Arkhamverse actor with roles as Michael Lane’s Azrael, Blackgate Penitentiary warden Martin Joseph, or Batman: Arkham Shadow’s Otis Flannegan. Interestingly, Dr. Jonathan Crane’s Scarecrow has never been tied down to one actor in particular in the character’s three appearances—after Shadow, though, this will hopefully change.

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Elijah Wood’s Dr. Jonathan Crane is Batman: Arkham Shadow’s Secret Weapon


Camouflaj knew it was sitting on a fairly special reveal when it elected not to prematurely announce that Elijah Wood plays Dr. Jonathan Crane in Batman: Arkham Shadow, and how the character is written is anything but minced. Crane never explicitly becomes Scarecrow in-game; it’s debatable that he’s even on Batman’s radar at all given how he’s more concerned with the Rat King after enduring a poignant hallucinogen of Crane’s.

Still, Crane does little to mask how sinister and cruel he is regarding his experimentation on Blackgate’s mentally unwell patients, and Elijah Wood is brilliant in his psychoanalytical and wicked treatment of the newfound director of rehabilitation. It’s quite logical to see how Elijah Wood’s performance could inevitably segue into that of Dino Andrade’s Scarecrow in Batman: Arkham Asylum, whether that was intentional or not, and even simply as an ethically malevolent, Jungian-inspired psychiatrist he’s a terrifying antagonist.


Scarecrow isn’t always as maniacal as he’s depicted to be in Asylum, either, as John Noble’s Scarecrow in Batman: Arkham Knight takes a far more tender and understated approach with a soft, melodic voice. Therefore, if Elijah Wood reprised the role of Crane in a future Arkham game, it would be fantastic to see how he might approach the villain, especially if Crane was to don a Scarecrow costume. Like Batman: Arkham Shadow’s treatment of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, the origin of Scarecrow is only gingerly touched on and has endless room for development in future installments, which would be terrific with Elijah Wood carrying that mantle.

The Arkhamverse Doesn’t Need More Scarecrow, But It Does Need More Elijah Wood

It’s never mattered much how contrasting Dino Andrade and John Noble’s Scarecrow performances are because they are both outstanding, and the same can now be said of Elijah Wood’s Dr. Jonathan Crane. That said, if a future Arkham game was to recast the antagonist a fourth time, it might tug the character in too many directions. Moreover, it might be an unnecessary oversaturation of Scarecrow to have him in yet another entry following Batman: Arkham Shadow as he’s been featured significantly in the franchise thus far.


Regardless, Elijah Wood is such a surprisingly specific and distinguished choice for Crane and it would deal a colossal blow to the Arkhamverse if the actor never reprised the role. Of course, seeing as how many Arkhamverse actors have swapped roles or taken on new roles in different games, it’s possible Elijah Wood could make multiple homes for himself in the series nonetheless.

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