Jonathan Crane

History
Dr. Crane's history can be found here.

Boomtown History
Dr. Crane arrived at New Dodge in June, 2013, immediately after the Lockdown plot. He set up shop as the town's psychiatrist.

Personality
Crane has a very cold, clinical demeanor. He's extremely confident in himself and his knowledge, and he has a tendency to come across as a smug know-it-all. Crane carries a very authoritative air around him, so most folks-- except for Rachel Dawes-- are quite happy to listen to his expert opinions. Of course, Crane is completely corrupt. He's in the mob's pocket, testifying on behalf of their men in order to have them sent to Arkham Asylum, rather than prison. He's also working for the League of Shadows, although he doesn't appear to share their ideals.

Something of a mad scientist, Crane sees the world at large as one, giant experiment for him to toy with. He has no concern for the lives and safety of others, and he regards everybody he meets as a pawn, a potential 'test subject.' Crane is absolutely fascinated by the control base emotions (such as fear) have over the person, how they can make great and powerful men fall to their knees. While he certainly acts out of greed and general corruption, he seems to draw personal satisfaction from watching others fall under the effects of his fear toxin.

Despite Dr. Crane's brilliance, he can be pretty clueless and short-sighted when it comes to seeing "the bigger picture". He's more of a short-term planner, and the goals of his plans are astoundingly simplistic for a man of his intelligence. Sure, he likes to wreak havoc on unsuspecting populaces, watch them scurry around like so many rats in a maze. But aside from that bit of joy, what he really wants to gain from his plans is: money and power. He would rather hold Gotham for ransom and run off with lots and lots of money than strive to "make the world a better place" by wiping the blight of Gotham off the map, like his allies wanted to do when he worked with the League of Shadows. Their true plans don't even occur to Crane.

Even before he was hit with his own fear toxin, Crane wasn't the sanest person. Sadistic and cruel, he is incapable of developing genuine attachments with other people, and he does derive pleasure from hurting others (openly mocking and taunting them as he does so). The effects of his fear toxin have exacerbated these qualities of him, making it more difficult for him to hide underneath a veneer of sanity. Oh, he can still pull it off, but not quite as smoothly or convincingly as before. Where he was once always impeccably dressed and well-groomed, Crane now possesses less interest in his personal appearance, and he'll generally wear the same, increasingly disheveled suits, let his hair get messy, all that good stuff. Living on the fringe may also have had an impact on this-- after all, Crane's a wanted man, and he's turned to dealing his toxin as a drug. Despite the fact that he's probably somewhat desperate to get by, he still carries himself with a smug, cool arrogance.

Crane is exceptionally smug, arrogant and self-serving. He half-believes himself to be untouchable (because he's so much smarter than everybody else), but when he does realize that he's in danger of getting caught, he'll typically try to run away to save his own skin. Like many in Gotham's budding Rogue's Gallery, Crane possesses a "special" relationship with the Batman-- he's watched him closely. He knows how the Batman operates and what his "style" is and, unlike your average thug, can quite easily pick the real Batman out from amongst the well-meaning copycats. Unlike the Joker, Crane tries to steer clear of the Batman whenever possible. He's mainly interested in ensuring that his drug distributing operations continue without interference.

Links

 * Permissions
 * Mental Health Survey