The Fear

Title Card's Issue Homage

**The Fear** is the sixteenth episode in the first season of "The Justice League Show", featuring Scarecrow as this story's main antagonist, as well as introducing Lucius Fox, Joe Chill, and Bruce Wayne's late parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, respectively.

## Synopsis

Hero City is literally held in the grip of terror by the Scarecrow's arsenal of Fear Transmitters. Scouring the city in search of Scarecrow, Batman is himself paralyzed with fright when he finds himself in the middle of Crime Alley, where years earlier the parents of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, had been murdered in cold blood. Taking advantage of the situation, Scarecrow intends to keep Batman trapped in Crime Alley forever by using a captured Wonder Woman and Teen Titan Robin as bait—forcing the Caped Crusader to purge himself of his lifelong fears once and for all!

## Plot

One night in Hero City, the Scarecrow and his LexBots climb out of a truck and head inside a building. The Scarecrow releases a number of chameleons near the two security guards on duty and deploys a fear transmitter that makes the guards terrified of the chameleons and cringe in the corner.

Batman, in his Batwing and on patrol in the night sky, spots the Scarecrow's truck and descends to check the situation out. Batman, with a little assistance from Robin, arrive and destroy the transmitter and set out to find Scarecrow, who is examining electronic components in the back. Batman and Robin arrive and the Scarecrow activates a transmitter that amplifies Robin's fear of heights. However, Batman knocks the transmitter out of Scarecrow's hand, and with Robin by his side, they defeat the LexBots though Scarecrow runs off.

Batman pursues Scarecrow into an alleyway where the supervillain trips on a black cat, and now Batman has the criminal cornered when Batman suddenly shows fear at seeing where he is. Scarecrow escapes just as Robin arrives and his questions to Batman are met with silence.

Later on, at the Hall of Doom, Scarecrow tells his boss, Lex Luthor, he saw the Batman afraid of something in the alleyway and vows to use it against the hero.

The next day, Justice League notes that Batman is absent, and Wonder Woman decides to visit the Wayne mansion as Diana Prince and see what went wrong.

At the Wayne mansion, a brooding Bruce Wayne is hosting the Hero City Policeman's Ball at his mansion and meets Mayor Glory and Professor Jonathan Crane. Talk turns to Scarecrow's recent activities with the Mayor expressing confidence in Batman, though Crane has his doubts and says Scarecrow may find out Batman's true fear and end his crimefighting career for good. Diana enters and says she wants to hear the story as well.

Later, in the Batcave, Bruce tells Diana that Crime Alley was once an upscale part of Gotham and as a child, Bruce went with his parents to see a movie in a theater nearby. Suddenly, after the movie, a pickpocket named Joe Chill steals a purse belonging Bruce's mother, Martha, forcing his father, Thomas, to pursue after him, chasing him down into the Crime Alley. Thomas finally catches up to Chill and knocks him down, hitting him with the purse before warning him not to ruin his family's joyous night out. However, without warning, the pickpocket pulls out his gun and shoots both Thomas and Martha dead before making off with the Wayne Family's allowances; they are later buried in Gotham Cemetery. Orphaned, Bruce vowed to avenge his parent's deaths and worked on developing his physical abilities to their peak as he grew into manhood. Bruce relates that he also studied about criminals and with the knowledge that criminals are, by nature, a cowardly lot, Bruce was inspired by a passing bat to wear a disguise and became known as Batman, a man with no fear save for Crime Alley. Batman concludes that he will avoid what lies in Crime Alley, and that he vows to conquer his fear once and for all.

Batman goes with Wonder Woman in the heroine's plane, the Invisible Jet, and stops at Crime Alley with Robin. The Scarecrow and his LexBots, who were about to rob a jewelry store spot the two of them after Batman tosses his Bat-Rope around one of them, then Scarecrow, and then, the other LexBots run into Crime Alley, followed by Batman and Robin. Scarecrow activates a fear transmitter to make Batman helpless before the images flooding his mind. Robin is soon captured by the LexBots and tries to contact Wonder Woman for help, but Scarecrow knocks the transmitter out of his hands. The LexBots then drag Robin away while Scarecrow proceeds capture Batman as well, but Wonder Woman arrives and drives off the Scarecrow, who escapes down a sewer manhole, enabling her to destroy the device incapacitating Batman.

Sometime afterward, at police headquarters, Batman interrogates a captured LexBot, looking for information on Robin's whereabouts, but Professor Crane says the LexBot probably have been given post-hypnotic commands to prevent them betraying him. Wonder Woman offers to use her magic lasso to get the criminal to reveal what they want, but Crane says he can't allow that as an officer of the court as it might cause the man brain damage. Batman says they should contact the Hall of Justice for help and leaves with a vow to search every inch of Hero City for any trace of Robin. After that, Crane asks Wonder Woman to accompany him to a file room as he says he may have information there that may be useful.

In the cramped file room, Crane rifles through a file cabinet and pulls out a fear transmitter that renders Wonder Woman claustrophobic and the heroine passes out from the fear moments later.

Later, at the Hall of Doom, Scarecrow brags to Luthor that the two captives will make the perfect bait and his new transmitter will magnify Batman's fear wherever they meet again.

Back at the Hero City Police Station, Batman says there's no sign of Scarecrow and Crane notes there is no sign of Batman's team mates. Moments later, a large crow flies in the open window and lands Commissioner Gordon's desk with a message in its beak. Batman reads the message and says Scarecrow wants him to follow the crow if he wants to see Wonder Woman and Robin again. The crow flies out the window and Batman follows him in the Batmobile.

A short time later, Batman arrives at a cornfield and sees Robin and Wonder Woman put up on scarecrow crosses. A crow reveals a fear transmitter on a nearby scarecrow and it activates. Batman's mind sees Robin and Wonder Woman as his dead parents in Crime Alley and is powerless. Seeing this, Scarecrow orders one of his LexBots to drive a combine in the direction of the heroes.

Before the heroes meet their demise, Batman fights off the imagery and destroys the transmitter. Batman uses a batarang to stop the reaper in its tracks and another batarang to subdue the driver. Moments later, Superman, Green Lantern and the Flash arrive and quickly capture the rest of Scarecrow's LexBots. Scarecrow runs into a nearby barn and Batman pursues him and captures the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow tries a fear transmitter, but Batman shows he has conquered his fear of Crime Alley for good. Batman also reveals that he knows Scarecrow is really Professor Crane and says he was tipped off when the crow that arrived earlier never took its eyes off Crane and this indicated it took its orders from Crane. With that, the criminals are taken to jail as Batman declares that Crime Alley won't be the same again.

### Script

A script must be written on this free page here.

## Gallery

### Screenshots

Commissioner Gordon choking on an apple (in front of his daughter Barbara)Thomas Wayne confronting Joe Chill about stealing.
## Trivia/References

* Wonder Woman and Robin being put on crosses by Scarecrow should be similar to one of the main heroes of Stephen King's horror film, "Children of the Corn", Vicky Baxter, who is being held prisoner by the possessed children led by Isaac Chroner (a.k.a. "He Who Walks Behind the Rows").
* The death of Bruce Wayne's parents should be a slight recreation of the ending of the finale of *Choujin Sentai Jetman*, where Gai Yuki (aka "Black Condor") gets stabbed, with Thomas Wayne taking Gai's place and Joe Chill killing him on the spot with a gun (along with Martha) instead of a knife. This scenic sequence should also be repeated in a later episode from the show's second season, "Yesteryear".