The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy had a different villain in each movie , and a theory linksThe Dark Knight ’s Joker ( Heath Ledger ) to one ofBatman Begins ’ risky guys : Jonathan Crane a.k.a . Scarecrow ( Cillian Murphy).Batman Beginsexplored the line story of Batman ( Christian Bale ) , from the murder of his parent to his preparation and determination to become Gotham City ’s vigilante , and it discover him face his first villains : Ra ’s al Ghul ( Liam Neeson ) , Carmine Falcone ( Tom Wilkinson ) , and Scarecrow , the latter becoming the only villain to come out in all movies in theDark Knighttrilogy , though only in cameo roles inThe Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight get up .

The Dark Knightintroduced the Joker , who arrive at Gotham City to create chaos and was responsible for Harvey Dent ’s ( Aaron Eckhart ) transformation into the villain Two - Face , andThe Dark Knight Risessaw Batman conjoin forces with Selina Kyle ( Anne Hathaway ) to bring Bane ( Tom Hardy ) and Talia al Ghul ( Marion Cotillard ) down . Eachvillain in theDark Knighttrilogyhad their own motivation and did n’t depend on the actions of those that came before them , but a theory suggests an interesting nexus between the Joker and Scarecrow , making the latter responsible for the former ’s villainy .

Related : The Dark Knight : Why Heath Ledger ’s Joker Licks His brim So Much

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Batman Begins’ Scarecrow Fear Toxin Explained

Dr. Jonathan Crane was a shrink at Arkham Asylum who used the yard bird to conduct experiments on them . After Carmine Falcone , with who Crane had been run as Falcone help him smuggle drug into Gotham , imperil Crane with his noesis of Ra ’s al Ghul ’s plan , Crane put on his Scarecrow mask and spray him with his Fear Toxin , drive the syndicate boss mad and having him transfer to Arkham Asylum . The Fear Toxinwas part of al Ghul ’s program to put down Gotham , and Crane being a corrupt healer with vast cognition in science and medicine made him the stark partner for this program . The Fear Toxin was made from Blue Poppies with other drug that Crane suffer with Falcone ’s assistance , and he tested it on his patients at Arkham .

What the toxin did to those display to it was tap into their deep anxieties and fright , sending them into a state of matter of panic . Ra ’s al Ghul ’s plan , then , was to pour the Fear Toxin into Gotham ’s water supply so it would arrive at all citizens without them even knowing it , and with that destroy the urban center . Luckily , Batman had an antidote develop by Lucius Fox ( Morgan Freeman ) that he used to saveRachel Dawes ( Katie Holmes)and was later massed produced , thus stop Gotham ’s fall into insanity and death .

Theory: Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin Created The Dark Knight’s Joker

A possibility posted onRedditsuggests thatThe Dark Knight ’s Joker might have been unintentionally created by Scarecrow thanks to the Fear Toxin . The author explains that the Joker could have been “ an average guy ” living in The Narrows who was affected by the toxin but did n’t get the antidote on time , falling into insanity . This could explain why there are no criminal record of the Joker at the time ofThe Dark Knightas he was n’t a criminal beforeBatman Begins , the scars on his boldness that could be a effect of hurting himself due to toxin - induce hallucinations , why he alter the report of his scarsall the time ( as these are just mixed up memory of traumatic issue that became hallucinations ) , and his total lack of empathy .

OtherRedditusers charge out that the Joker might have been a warfare veteran , which explains his expertness in the handling of dissimilar type of firearms throughoutThe Dark Knight , as well as his armed combat skill and his docket against society and institutions . Both theory could merge , with the Joker being a war warhorse who was later exposed to the Fear Toxin and never gravel the antidote , with the toxin tapping on his trauma from the war and more . However , the ending ofBatman Beginsplays against the possibility as in it , James Gordon ( Gary Oldman ) givesone of the Joker ’s cards to Batmanas he had already started creating chaos in the city , so the timing is off . The Fear Toxin works really fast , as pick up with Rachel , so it could still be jolly potential that the Joker was hit with the toxin and became a criminal by the timeBatman Beginsended .

relate : Batman Begins ' Joker Tease in secret Set Up The Dark Knight Rises ' Ending

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How This Theory Changes The Dark Knight

The Joker being a result of Scarecrow ’s Fear Toxin would show that the antidote did n’t reach everyone in Gotham , add to the societal inequality of the metropolis , and while it also pass on an explanation to some of the self-aggrandising mystery story aboutThe Dark Knight ’s Joker , it also takes by what made him so shivery . This reading of the Joker was terrifying due to his complexity and capriciousness , as he was a psychopathological syndicalist who wanted to create chaos without any real reason for it . There are many details in bothBatman BeginsandThe Dark Knightthat work against the theory , and while itgives the Joker a proper backstory , it accept aside what makes him the full villain in the trilogy .

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Scarecrow wearing his mask superimposed over Gotham City.

The Joker standing in middle of street in The Dark Knight.

The Joker hanging from a police car in The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Batman Begins