Scarecrow's first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #51 (March 1964), in a story created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.

[3] Raised by an abusive mother, Laughton became a circus escape artist and contortionist, and while working as a carnival performer once helped Iron Man apprehend a fleeing culprit.

[volume & issue needed] He fought Captain America and Ghost Rider, surviving being shot and impaled, and was then enlisted by Mr. Stern for the Firm.

[10] He was later restored to his normal physical appearance by the government agent called Spook during the Ghost Rider in Chains story arc.

[volume & issue needed] Scarecrow was jailed in the Raft prison facility following a failed sexual assault upon hostages who were freed by the Falcon.

[11] Scarecrow is among the army of villains recruited by Baron Zemo and his Thunderbolts to serve as "hero-hunters" during the events of the Civil War storyline.

[18] In "Secret Invasion", he is among the many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invading Skrull force.

[21] He worked alongside Blackout and other villains on a mission to kill Ghost Rider,[22] but was eventually defeated when Jaine Cutter bent his body around a carnival fence.

[25] During the Fear Itself storyline, Scarecrow takes advantage of the chaos in town by attacking with his army of crows only to end up fighting Wolverine.

He has a flock of two dozen pet crows, which he has taught to perform a variety of actions in response to his hand gestures and tones of voice.

As a result of surgical implants given to him by doctors employed by the Firm, the Scarecrow's body produces a mutated pheromone that affects the adrenal glands of people and animals (even crows) within twenty feet of him, causing a sensory overload which triggers a panic attack.