Ebenezer Laughton was a former circus performer who was an expert contortionist and had trained crows that followed his every command. Using these abilities, he became the supercriminal known as Scarecrow, and fought Iron Man and Spider-Man several times. He later joined Count Nefaria's Maggia, and battled Captain America, whom he began to intensely hate after his defeat. After being defeated by Cap again and placed in solitary confinement for a year, Scarecrow finally snapped. He went on a killing spree, until he was captured again by Captain America. After escaping again, Ebenezer became a full-on sadistic serial killer, which lead him to being beaten and left for dead by the Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider.