Despite what everyone else in Gotham City seems to think, they are living a lie; The Scarecrow's lie. Though Batman has been fortunate enough to see through the facade, his allies have fallen victim to one of the Scarecrows serums, and now work for him. After escaping Arkham Asylum with Poison Ivy's help, though, Batman was faced with the dilemma of cooperating, or watching his brainwashed companions die. With no real choice, Batman allowed himself to succumb to Crane's Fear Toxin, which seemingly gave the Scarecrow control over him as well. Of course, Crane's allies are not keen on working with one of their greatest enemies, and so Scarecrow gives them permission to kill him if they even suspect that he is hesitating to do as they command.