Our first look at a classic Batman villain in Titans season 3 has been revealed. The HBO Max (formerly DC Universe) series has always been closely connected to the Dark Knight’s corner of the DC franchise, but things are about to get a lot more Bat-flavored in the next run of the show as Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) will be moving back to Gotham City. And this means some familiar foes will resurface, including Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA Scarecrow.
Scarecrow was famously played by Cillian Murphy in all three movies of Christopher Nolan’s TDK trilogy, though he was more recently portrayed by both Charlie Tahan and David W. Thompson in Gotham. Titans will be offering another fresh take on the psychologist-turned-maniac, with Mad Men star Vincent Kartheiser taking on the iconic part.
Entertainment Weekly shared the new pic of the character below, along with some words from showrunner Greg Walker, who teased that this version of Scarecrow will have a Hannibal Lecter vibe. We’re told that Crane “now moonlights for the Gotham City Police Department while incarcerated in Arkham Asylum.” As Walker put it:
“Think Hannibal Lecter,” the EP said. “He’s been given the opportunity to opine on ways to stop villains, and a villain breaks out in Gotham and it draws [Dick Grayson] to work with him.”
Savannah Welch is also joining the cast as Barbara Gordon, with the show taking inspiration from both the heroine’s Oracle arc in the comics and from Batman Beyond to portray the former Batgirl as Police Commissioner of Gotham following her becoming wheelchair-bound after being shot by the Joker. Iain Glen’s Bruce Wayne will return, too, with Jay Lycurgo likewise boarding the series as his latest Robin, Tim Drake. And remember, Curran Walters’ Jason Todd goes by Red Hood these days.
We’ve got just a couple of months left now until Titans season 3 premieres on HBO Max on August 12th.