Black Mask (comics)
| Black Mask | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Cover art to Batman #636 (January 2005).
Pencils by Matt Wagner. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Batman #386 (August 1985) |
| Created by |
Doug Moench Tom Mandrake |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Roman Sionis |
| Team affiliations | False Facers Gotham mafia The Society Black Lantern Corps |
| Notable aliases | Orpheus |
| Abilities | |
Black Mask (Roman Sionis) is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake, he first appeared in Batman #386 (August 1985). A brutally sadistic kingpin in Gotham City's criminal underworld who has a fixation with masks, Black Mask is one of the superhero Batman's deadliest and most enduring adversaries, and belongs to the collective of enemies that make up his rogues gallery.
The character has been featured in various forms of media, including the cartoon television series The Batman, the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, and the Batman: Arkham video game franchise.
Black Mask's origin story was established in his first appearance. Roman Sionis was born to wealthy and utterly self-absorbed parents, who cared more about their social status in Gotham City 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 socialites Thomas and Martha 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.
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Wikipedia