"Gotham" villains, Scarecrow and Ivy Pepper, will be played by new faces this second half of the fourth season — "The Outcasts" actor David W. Thompson as Scarecrow and "Jessie" star Peyton List as Ivy Pepper.
Jonathan Crane, also known as Scarecrow, is one of Batman's oldest enemies. He was injected with a serum by his father, Gerald, formulated from their murder victims' adrenal glands. Gerald believed that the serum he had made erases all forms of fear — the only problem was that another reaction happened due to the large amount of the serum he administered to Jonathan. The serum made Jonathan in a state of constant fear. He was plagued with the thoughts of the scarecrow, which was the last thing he saw before the serum kicked in, haunting him.
He was later on sent to an asylum and was released three years later by a group of criminals who wanted him to make a new batch of his father's serum. While doing so, he was locked in a closet with his greatest nightmare — a scarecrow. His mind finally snapped, and he assumed the role of a living scarecrow. His power is mainly casting illusions that will make people delirious with their deepest and their darkest fears. In the past seasons of "Gotham," Jonathan is played by Charlie Tahan.
Ivy Pepper, on the other hand, is an orphan who has a vast knowledge of plants and uses them to create mind-altering substances. In Season 3, Marv's touch (Victor Pagan) accelerated her aging and she was next seen as a woman in her 20s who is using her beauty and her concocted perfumes with pheromones (behavior-altering chemicals) to rob rich men. At the start of season 4, she broke into an apothecary and stole another mysterious concoction that will alter her appearance.
Ivy Pepper was formerly played by Clare Foley (child Ivy) and Maggie Geha (20s Ivy). Fans have complained about the change of actress from Geha to List. In an interview by executive producer Bryan Wynbrandt with Comic Book, he said that a change of portrayer is needed since Ivy will be evolving from a funny Ivy to a scary Ivy who will be doing whatever it takes to make sure that plants rule the world.
"Gotham" season 4 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.
