Crows

A crow, or raven, is a particular genus of bird, characterized by its dark plumage and the distinctive cawing sound that it makes. Its taxonomical name is Corvus and it is of the phylum Chordata. Many countries have different cultural depictions of crows, and they also play a part in many religions, specifically Native American lore.

The Crow
The presence, power and symbology of the crow plays a major part in The Crow multimedia franchise. As first envisioned by comic book author James O'Barr in The Crow, Volume 1 in 1989, the Crow serves as a virtual opposite of a Grim Reaper. Rather than ferrying lost souls to the afterlife, the spirit of the crow actually brings souls back to their physical bodies, investing them with new life, and superhuman strength and durability. The purpose behind this is so that the resurrected individual is afforded the chance to avenge his or her own death. In the comics, the essence of the crow appears to be only visible to the one whom it resurrects, and can even communicate with them through a form of mystical telepathy.

This depiction of a crow in this regard has also been presented in the 1994 film adaptation, The Crow, its various sequels, as well as the TV series, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. In the original film, a young girl named Sarah offers the following description of the crow's power and purpose:

"People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."

Although the crow is a mystical being in the film series, it is not invulnerable. It may be captured, injured, or even killed. In such cases, the resurrected person whom it is bonded to is weakened greatly. Such was the case in the first film when the crime lord Top Dollar used his seer, Myca, to track and capture the crow. Once this was accomplished, the crow's benefactor, Eric Draven, experienced a substantial loss in power.

The crow may also interact voluntarily with those other than the resurrected. In The Crow: City of Angels, the crow seeks out Sarah from the first film and brings her to the water, where she assists in helping the newly reborn Ashe Corven. Drug kingpin Judah Earl captured the crow and impaled its wings and then killed it. He then ingested the bird's blood and was able to steal Ashe Corven's power. Ashe was ultimately able to defeat Judah by calling upon a murder of crows, which descended down upon him and ate him alive.