| Black Mask | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cover ofBatman #636 (January 2005) Art byMatt Wagner | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Batman #386 (August 1985) |
| Created by | Doug Moench (writer) Tom Mandrake (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Roman Sionis |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | False Face Society Gotham Mafia Secret Society of Super Villains Black Lantern Corps Suicide Squad |
| Notable aliases | The Crime King,Orpheus, Black Head, Underworld Boss,Ted Kord |
| Abilities |
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Roman Sionis, or popularly known by hispsyeudonym asBlack Mask, is asupervillain appearing incomic books published byDC Comics.[1] Created byDoug Moench andTom Mandrake, the character debuted inBatman #386 (August 1985).[2] He is commonly depicted as a brutal and ruthless crime lord inGotham City who has a fixation withmasks and derives sadisticpleasure from the act of torture. Black Mask is one of the most enduring enemies of thesuperheroBatman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up hisrogues gallery.[3]
Black Mask has been substantially adapted from the comics into various forms of media, such as the 2020DC Extended Universe (DCEU) filmBirds of Prey, portrayed byEwan McGregor,[4][5] and thesecond season of theArrowverse seriesBatwoman, portrayed byPeter Outerbridge. Additionally, the TV seriesGotham introduced the character's fatherRichard Sionis, portrayed byTodd Stashwick, who was later integrated into the comics during the 2016 relaunchDC Rebirth asThe Mask.
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Black Mask'sorigin story was established in his first appearance. Roman Sionis was born to wealthy and self-absorbed parents, who cared more about their social status than their own son. Moments after Roman's birth, the doctor carelessly dropped him on his head, and his parents covered up the entire incident so that their high society friends would not find out. Years later, he was attacked by a rabid raccoon at the Sionis family country estate, and his parents forbade him to mention the incident to anyone. Despite their dislike for fellow socialitesThomas andMartha Wayne, Roman's parents continued to associate with them to maintain their social standing, and forced Roman to befriend their son,Bruce. His parents' hypocrisy had a deep impact on Roman, and he grew to resent them and the "masks" that they wore in public.[6]
After graduating from high school, Roman was given a high-ranking position in his father's company, Janus Cosmetics. There, he met and fell in love withworking-class model Circe, though his parents did not approve of the relationship and forced him to break it off. Enraged, Roman burned down his family mansion, killing both of his parents and inheriting their fortune and business. Roman lacked his father's business acumen and eventually ruined Janus Cosmetics by funding a failed line of face-paint make-up. Desperate, Roman had the staff chemists create a product that was rushed to the market without proper testing, disfiguring several hundred women. Circe, now Roman's fiancée, then broke up with him in front of his entire staff.[6]
Bruce Wayne, now the head of Wayne Enterprises, offered to bail Janus Cosmetics out on the condition that Roman gave up control and allowed Wayne to appoint his own board of directors. Humiliated and furious, Roman broke into the cemetery where his parents were buried. Before he could unlock the Sionis crypt, a lightning bolt struck him, blasting the door open and hurling Roman head-first into a nearby stone. Roman took the incident as an omen of his "rebirth" and entered the crypt, smashing his father's casket and using its fragments to carve an ebony mask, starting a new life as the crime lord Black Mask.[7]
Within a month, Black Mask had assembled a group of dozens of criminals, leading to the creation of the Sionis Crime Family, better known as theFalse Face Society, using the Sionis crypt as their base of operations. Each member of the False Face Society wore a distinctive mask, and the gang's crime spree spread rapidly throughout Gotham, eventually attracting the attentions of the police and Bruce Wayne, now operating as the vigilante Batman.[8] To settle old scores, Black Mask murdered three Wayne Foundation executives and kidnapped Circe, forcing her to don a mask laced with Janus Cosmetics' toxic makeup, sparing her life but permanently disfiguring her face. Black Mask then threatened Circe into rejoining him, giving her a "mannequin" mask intentionally designed to mock her former life.[8]
Batman eventually managed to deduce Black Mask's identity and correctly predicted that Bruce Wayne would be Sionis' next target.[8] To set a trap for Black Mask, Bruce held amasquerade ball at Wayne Manor, and Sionis infiltrated the ball and lured Bruce to the mansion's conservatory to kill him. Bruce disarmed Sionis, forcing the latter to retreat to his hideout withRobin (Jason Todd) secretly following him. While Batman and Robin fought his underlings at the graveyard, Black Mask escaped through afalse bottom installed in his father's coffin and headed to his family estate. Black Mask then entered his old bedroom and set fire to the old toys inside, intending to burn the mansion to the ground to symbolically kill his old identity as Sionis. Before Black Mask could escape, Batman flung aBatarang-attached cable around the crime lord's knees, causing him to fall face-first on the burning floor just as the bedroom's rafters began to collapse. The rafters pinned Black Mask's face into the pile of burning toys, and although Batman and Robin were able to tow him out of the fire, Sionis' mask had been burned onto his face.[9] Black Mask was subsequently sent toArkham Asylum, where he remained behind bars untilRa's al Ghul freed all of its inmates. Black Mask was not amongst the criminals who followed theJoker in searching for the one behind the breakout and thus never took part in the "war" against Batman's allies and loved ones. As this tale was the last "canonical" one to take place onEarth-One, it can be assumed that Black Mask remained at large.[10]
FollowingCrisis on Infinite Earths,Jeremiah Arkham frees all of Arkham Asylum's inmates, including Black Mask, to attack Batman during the events of "The Last Arkham". Sionis then returns to crime after an unspecified breakout, evidently retaining most of his Pre-Crisis history. He soon begins the False Face Society anew, rising through the ranks of Gotham City's underworld while furthering his vendetta against Bruce Wayne. To stop the False Face Society, Batman poses as a new recruit to their ranks, christened "Skullface" by Black Mask himself. Black Mask later kidnapsLucius Fox, who had a hand in Bruce Wayne's bailout of Janus Cosmetics. Although Batman is eventually able to save Fox, Black Mask manages to evade capture.[11] Black Mask remains at large throughout the events of "Knightfall" and "Zero Hour", and resurfaces shortly thereafter to kill rival mobster "Dirty Dan" Doyle in an ambush shootout.[12]
Black Mask is later approached by theBlack Spider, who wishes to join the False Face Society. Black Mask demands the young man to "make his bones" first by crashing a masquerade ball being held at Wayne Manor. Batman later learns that the Black Spider is a double agent working for mobster "Turk" Ottoman, and tracks him down to an abandoned theater where he prevents him from shooting Black Mask, who subsequently escapes during the chaos.[13] Black Mask reappears as a crime lord in "The Cult" storyline, having given up his vendetta against Bruce Wayne. He controls a large portion of Gotham's criminal underworld until the city is destroyed by anearthquake in the "No Man's Land" story arc.
Black Mask later becomes the leader of a cult, whose trademark is ritual scarring, foregoing his mask and disfiguring his face to resemble a blackened human skull until Batman andHuntress dissolve it by defeating and imprisoning Black Mask inBlackgate Penitentiary, though the crime lord escapes before the city is made a part of the country again.
InCatwoman vol. 3 #16, Black Mask begins a drug trafficking ring and decides to move his organization into Gotham's East End.Catwoman soon begins interfering with Black Mask's plans, stealing money from him and giving it to the poor. Black Mask retaliates by forcing Sylvia Sinclair to reveal Catwoman's secret identity to him. After destroying Catwoman'syouth center, Black Mask kidnaps her sister and brother-in-law, the latter of whom he tortures to death with power tools, before forcing the former to eat pieces of her husband's corpse, including his eyeballs. Catwoman arrives to find her brother-in-law dead, her sister insane, and her friendHolly Robinson on the verge of being tortured. Enraged, Catwoman engages Black Mask at his penthouse, where the crime lord falls from the top of the building.
InWar Games,Spoiler seeks out hoping to get Batman control of all of Gotham's crime lords. However, Black Mask murders Orpheus by slitting his throat and proceeds to torture Spoiler to obtain information about the rest of her plan. Black Mask assumes Orpheus' identity using face putty and padding, fooling even Batman andOnyx. As Orpheus, he goes on a mission to kill any member or associate of the Batman Family. As Black Mask returns to continue torturing the Spoiler for entertainment, he finds that she has escaped and subsequently tracks her down. Although she escapes his clutches once again, the Spoiler supposedly dies due to the injuries inflicted on her and the willful negligence ofLeslie Thompkins.
Black Mask later infiltratesOracle's Clocktower in an attempt to expose her to the mob, and Batman attacks him in a blind rage. Fearful that Black Mask will kill Batman, Oracle activates a self-destruct device in the tower to get Batman to save her. In the storylineBatman: Under the Hood, Black Mask then becomes the overlord of Gotham's underworld, gathering enough financial resources to purchase anAmazo android and a large supply ofkryptonite.[14] Allied with reporter Arturo Rodriguez and later Mr. Freeze, Black Mask begins a campaign to discredit Batman; while Rodriguez slams Batman in the press, Black Mask commits a series of murders disguised as the Dark Knight. The real Batman eventually exposes Rodriguez and captures Black Mask, but the crime lord kills the escorting officer transporting him to jail and escapes again.[14]
Later, a series of attacks by theRed Hood (revealed later as being a resurrected Jason Todd) causes Black Mask to lose power and money to this new rival.[15] The assassinDeathstroke later approaches Black Mask, offering him a place in theSociety. Eager to strengthen his increasingly tenuous grip on the underworld, the crime lord accepts. However, the Red Hood eludes the Society's members and dismantles Black Mask's control over organized crime. Black Mask then continues to threaten the most important people in Catwoman's life, prompting her to kill him with her gun. After the shooting, Selina Kyle passes the mantle of Catwoman to her friend Holly, who is arrested for Sionis' murder. InGotham Underground, dozens of would-be crime bosses attempt to fill the vacancy created by Black Mask's death.[16]
InBlackest Night, Black Mask is resurrected as aBlack Lantern and attacks Catwoman.Poison Ivy stops Black Mask by trapping him in a mutatedpitcher plant that dissolves his body as fast as he can regenerate.[17]
In 2011,The New 52 rebooted the DC universe. Roman Sionis is re-established as Black Mask, and his history with the False Face Society remains intact.[18] This version of the character has split personality disorder, with Roman Sionis being one personality and Black Mask being the other, and the technology in his mask grants him the ability to control "the weak minded".[19] Roman Sionis is first seen in Arkham Asylum's infirmary being treated by Dr. Jeremiah Arkham during theNight of the Owls; Sionis attempted ahunger strike to try to regain his mask. When theTalons attack the Asylum, Dr. Arkham gives Sionis his mask back to telepathically influence the inmates into attacking the Talons and keep anyone from following Arkham to his safe room. Black Mask then attempts to use his abilities on Batman, but fails and is forced to escape the asylum.[19] Black Mask later resurfaces to re-assemble the False Face Society, coming into conflict with theMad Hatter while doing so (who considers Black Mask an enemy due to their similar mind control abilities). Batman intervenes and puts an end to their battle and Sionis is sent back to Arkham Asylum.[18] During theForever Evil storyline, Black Mask appears as a member of theSecret Society of Super Villains when theCrime Syndicate arrive from their Earth.[20] Black Mask and his False Face Society crash theRogues' battle against Mr. Freeze and Clayface to claim the bounty on the Rogues.[21]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented a relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Roman Sionis remains one of Gotham's most powerful crime lords. This version of the character dons a black metallic mask and is allied with the Penguin andGreat White Shark in an alliance known as "the Blacks and Whites". Together, they hireKGBeast to kill Batman.[22] InDoomsday Clock, Black Mask is among the villains who meet with theRiddler to discuss the Superman Theory.[23] InTeen Titans Rebirth,Damian Wayne imprisons Black Mask in a secret prison after learning about his involvement in the destruction of the Arab restaurant Tarbooshes.[24][25]
Black Mask is a criminal mastermind andtactical analyst with vast wealth and resources at his disposal, making him one of the most powerful crime bosses in Gotham's criminal underbelly. He utilizes his various connections to eliminate opposition and consolidates power using fear and intimidation; he is renowned for his brutally sadistic physical and psychological torture techniques, which he uses either to extract information or simply to torment his enemies for entertainment. Black Mask is an expert marksman with firearms, particularly with his signature twin automatic pistols, although he is proficient with melee weapons such as swords as well. He is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and has displayed impressive levels of stamina and endurance; his high tolerance for pain has allowed him to hold his own against accomplished fighters such asBatman andCatwoman. Black Mask is also an accomplished businessman, impersonator, actor, and escape artist.
Per the events ofThe New 52, Roman Sionis' mask possesses hypnotic abilities that extend through the material of the masks that his henchmen wear, rendering them directly under his control.[26] Black Mask has also killed his victims by applying toxin-filled masks to their faces, poisoning them and leaving their faces hideously shriveled and blackened. His mask also allows him to assume the form of other people, fromTed Kord toSuperman, though without assuming their powers.[27]
InBattle for the Cowl, a second criminal using the Black Mask alias emerges. He is eventually revealed to beJeremiah Arkham, who took up Roman Sionis' mantle after suffering a psychotic breakdown from exposure to a variety of mind-altering chemicals from various Batman villains.[28]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented a relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52".Richard Sionis is Roman's father and the founder of the False Face Society. When Richard was in the hospital and dying of old age, Roman kills him to gain control of the Society.[29] Richard was first introduced inGotham, portrayed byTodd Stashwick and depicted as an adaptation of Black Mask.
Roman Sionis / Black Mask appears in theBatman: Arkham video game franchise, initially voiced byNolan North inArkham City and byBrian Bloom in subsequent appearances.[41][42][43]
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