Amasked villain, also seen asmasked mystery villain,[1][2] is astock character ingenre fiction. It was developed and popularized in movie serials, beginning with The Hooded Terror inThe House of Hate, (1918) the first fully-costumed mystery villain of the movies, and frequently used in theadventurestories ofpulp magazines and sound-eramovie serials in the early twentieth century,[3][4] as well as postmodernhorror films[5] where the character "hides in order to claim unsuspecting victims".[6] They can also appear incrime fiction to add to the atmosphere ofsuspense andsuspicion. It is used to engage the readers or viewers by keeping them guessing just as the characters are,[3] and suspension by drawing on thefear of the unknown.[7]: 135 The "Mask" need not be literal (although it often is), referring more to thesubterfuge involved.
The masked villain originated in early 20th-century French literature and cinema. Key early examples include Zigomar, created by Léon Sazie in 1909, a masked criminal who led the "Gang of Z" and inspired three films directed byVictorin Jasset:Zigomar, roi des voleurs,Zigomar contre Nick Carter andZigomar, peau d'anguille.[8] Another major figure isFantômas, created byMarcel Allain andPierre Souvestre in 1911, a master of disguise who became a cultural icon through five silent serials directed byLouis Feuillade:Fantômas (1913),Juve contre Fantômas (1913),Le Mort Qui Tue (1913),Fantômas contre Fantômas (1914), andLe Faux Magistrat (1914).[9][10]
They are the often mainantagonist of thestory, often acting behind the scenes withhenchmen confronting theprotagonists directly.[3] Usually, the protagonists must discover thevillain's true identity before they can be defeated.[11] Often, the villain will turn out to be either one of the protagonists themselves, or a significantsupporting character. Theauthor may give theviewer orreader clues, with manyred herrings, as to the villain's identity - sometime as the characters find them and sometimes for theaudience alone. However, the identity is not usually revealed to theaudience before it is revealed to thecharacters of the story.[11]
The following villains were not actually "masked" but remained hidden from view: