Ranking Every DC Movie Villain From Worst To Best

When Christopher Nolan revealed his decision to ignore the more obvious villain choices and give Scarecrow his debut in Batman Begins, a few eyebrows were raised (particularly with the rumours of Batman Unchained and Nic Cage's rumoured association with the same character still fresh). But in seeking a more realistic tone (at least than Schumacher), Nolan gave the nightmare maker his perfect backdrop.

As Jonathan Crane, Cillian Murphy is unassuming, unthreatening and mostly unremarkable (which is precisely the point). His quiet surface - a pertinent parallel to Bruce Wayne (particularly as he initially auditioned for that role initially). He's a disquieting presence, unsettling because he's only ever so slightly off, and there's something in his eyes that suggests he's perpetually working out the best ways to manipulate a situation to his advantage.

His fear toxin is exactly as it should have been adapted: a doorway into a nightmarish world that belongs firmly in the horror genre and which is a horribly effective field-leveller. It's testament to just how effective that was that he got to stick around for two more films, even if he's largely relegated to redundancy by the end. It's nice to see him leading the crocodile court in Rises, though, as you get the sense that he's simply entertaining himself, looking for structure that he could corrupt.

The Dark Knight Trilogy is available to buy over at Amazon.