Classic Batman Villain Gets New Powers in DC’s Absolute Universe

by

The Absolute Universe storyline is reimagining familiar DC characters. A sneak peek at Absolute Batman #19 suggests a well-known DC villain will receive powers he never had before in the original comics.

Scott Snyder wrote “Absolute Batman #19,” titled “The Straw Man,” with artwork by Nick Dragotta. The story begins by presenting a version of Scarecrow adapted for the Absolute Universe. While he has a similar look to the original, this Scarecrow is quite different in character.

The main cover and first five pages of Absolute Batman #19 may be viewed below.

Absolute Batman’s Scarecrow has psychic powers

The first Scarecrow, Dr. Jonathan Crane, was a disturbed scientist. He was a psychiatrist and chemist who became fixated on fear, and he experimented on people with special toxins to observe their reactions. However, the current Scarecrow, known as the Absolute Scarecrow, seems to possess abilities that go beyond human limits – possibly even supernatural powers.

Absolute Scarecrow appears to have psychic powers, quickly learning the names of those he targets and exploiting their deepest fears – even turning people against their own family. While he emits smoke, like the original Scarecrow, it doesn’t seem to be fear gas, but rather something different that allows him to control emotions.

The bigger mystery is the flock of birds that brought down the airplane and killed the farmer. Did the Scarecrow create this as a hallucination to disorient the pilot, or did he actually control the birds to attack the plane? Either way, he’s become a far more dangerous enemy for Batman and Gotham City.

Absolute Batman #19 arrives in comic shops everywhere on April 15, 2026.

Read More

2026-04-14 19:16