Eyes Without a Face
People ask me all the time, why do you wear the mask? They ask me who I really am. They want to know if I'm different people wearing the same mask. All it takes is a barrier between yourself and other people and suddenly everyone wants to know who you are. Nobody cared who I was before I wore the mask. No one had the time to listen to my story before I put something between my identity and the public. Wearing a mask is like writing "do not read" on the cover of a book; you're hiding something, but in such a way that it makes everyone want to know what it is. The easiest way to get people's attention is to demand they not pay attention to you. I can then understand your curiosity at my true identity. The problem is, I'm not wearing a mask. Beneath this face are only bone, blood, organs, and tissue. The mask is my identity. I am Black Mask. No doubt you've heard the authorities have identified me as one Roman Sionis, but I'm afraid they don't realize that poor man died quite some time ago. His was a tragic tale. I will tell you the story of his life and maybe this will show you he and I are not one and the same.
Roman was born Romanus Octavius Sionis, the eighth son of the Sionis family, headed by none other than the roman billionaire Bartholomeus Sionis. You've no doubt heard of the family's recent troubles and connections with certain Gotham crime families. Bartholomeus maintained his innocence as long as he could but the evidence says otherwise. While seeming to run a legitimate steel empire, Bartholomeus had been working closely with crime families and practicing corruption at its highest levels in secret. You could say the man you knew as the father of modern steel in Gotham had been a mask all along. For young Roman, being the eighth child of such a powerful family had its advantages and drawbacks. His seven older brothers were each groomed to enter into the family business in some aspect, even the criminal ones, but not Roman. Roman was what you might call a surprise birth and one which came about at the height of tensions in the Gotham underworld, tensions which would peak with the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, another wealthy family native to Gotham. In the midst of such uncertainties, Bartholomeus seemed to have a change of heart. He explained to all who knew of his criminal dealings that such underhanded tactics were a necessary element of any successful business empire. One did not do business in Gotham without the approval of Gotham's underworld and such relationships were inevitable. This, he explained, was the reason the Waynes had met with their unfortunate fate. Altruists through and through, they believed they could succeed without the powerful influence of the Gotham underworld. And they did for quite some time, before they were made an example of. Roman's father saw this as a tragedy of the highest order, having known Martha and Thomas personally and having engaged in many debates with them over this very issue in the past. Their murder had opened his eyes and he realized how he had been manipulated into shady business practices by fear and a desire to succeed. He'd decided his youngest son would have no part in such things. This he believed would save his son from such a path, but in the end would only end up pushing him further onto it than any Sionis had before.
It was in his grade school years that he became infatuated with the culture of masks. After a trip to the Gotham Museum, he would return daily to look at the exhibit on masks throughout history. The oldest masks were found to be over 9,000 years old. The word mask itself comes from many sources, as there are masks in almost every culture in human history. In Middle French, masque meant "a covering to hide or guard." Masks could be worn for the benefit of its wearer, for protection or to channel energy; or to the benefit of those around the wearer, to entertain or intimidate. They could hide an identity or change it into another. The Spanish referred to it as más que la cara, or "more than the face" or "added face". Roman's favorite interpretation was the Old French word mascurer, meaning "to black the face".
As he grew, Roman's father kept from him the dark side of business, something it was too late to attempt with his older sons, who had all been drawn by the allure of criminal greed. The Gotham underworld had been quick to seduce the offspring of Sionis, knowing they would be the future of the Sionis name. This, what may have been the deciding factor for the old man on the matter, became the most damning evidence for young Roman that his father was not protecting him from this world, but excluding him from it. He had believed himself somehow unworthy of this business which his brothers seemed so enthusiastic about. His brothers also noticed the young Roman's exclusion from the criminal element and proceeded to tease him endlessly for it. Perhaps they felt a pang of jealously for their father's attempts to spare his youngest son from the corruption they had been so readily taken into. It wasn't long after the young Roman came of age that he began delving into the criminal underworld despite his father's protests. He would beg his brothers to bring him along on their trysts through the nightclubs and penthouses of Gotham's seedy underbelly, and they would refuse, on the grounds that their father would not approve. Roman knew they believed, as his father did, that he was simply unworthy of joining them in their world. Determined, and now being in his sixteenth year, he set out one night on his own.
He followed his oldest brother, Hector Sionis, to a night club downtown. Coming and going were Gotham's criminal elite, along with the more respectable members of Gotham's high society. Everything was lavish, expensive, and most importantly, utterly exclusive. When Roman attempted to enter, he was barred by a rather large man who demanded an invitation. Though Roman tried to convince him he was of the Sionis family and that his oldest brother was in attendance, he must have seen the fear and anxiety on Roman's face because he had him discreetly removed from the line, claiming he'd never heard of him. Roman even caught sight of Hector, calling out to him. Hector saw him being held back by the guards, looked surprised but simply turned away as though he didn't know him. This seemed to decide things for the guards and they pushed him into the street. Abandoned by his brother and refused entry, Roman was alone and lost on the bad side of the city. Having taken a taxi to get there, he had no means of getting home, so he walked. A sheltered young man now walking the mean streets of Gotham alone, you can imagine what happened next. They seemed to materialize out of the shadows, three of them. They wore black ski masks over their faces and shouted demands in a cacophony of swears and broken English. Roman, completely terrified, broke down and cowered as they kicked and pulled at his expensive clothes. After they had taken anything of value, including his patent leather shoes, they seemed to dematerialize back into the shadows from whence they came. Broken, cold, and utterly alone, Roman wandered in a daze, jumping at every sound and watching his steps for broken glass or nails. At last he stood under the bright light of a sign which read "Sionis Steel". He'd found one of his father's many steel factories. Rushing inside like a man seeking asylum, he found the night manager, and after much debate, convinced him to let him use the phone to call his father. The manager no doubt believed him to be a crazed run away, but allowed him to use the phone none the less, possibly so he would have the chance to call the police if he needed to. His father arrived shortly, thanked the manager for helping his son, and took Roman home. All the way home, his father was as silent and still as a statue. Roman had never seen his father angry before and it scared him worse than the hostile streets had. At home, his father railed at him, saying he could have been killed or kidnapped and held ransom. When he asked Roman why he'd been down there in the first place, Roman told him about the club. At this Bartholomeus lost his temper completely. He told him again why he was to have no part in that world, why he had sheltered him from it. Roman began to argue but his father's rage silenced him. When the smoke had cleared, Roman returned to his room and his father went out to find and chastise his oldest son.
This had been what could be called a turning point for young Roman. Ashamed of his fear, his inability to enter that world, and his crawling back to the safety of his father; he had become more determined than ever before. He began studying the history and tactics of the organized criminal, he learned how to handle firearms and simple self-defense. On Halloween of his twenty-first year, he would seize his chance to enter that forbidden world. His father and his seven older brothers would be attending a masquerade ball at the home of one of Gotham's most powerful crime families. Everyone in attendance would be hidden behind masks, and this would allow him to go undetected by his family, and more importantly, to shed his meek personality in favor of a stronger, more dangerous one. If he was to gain entrance and avoid detection, he would have to become someone new. In ancient Rome, his ancestors would don masks for the Saturnalia festival. Masks gave them freedom, freedom from status or reputation. Behind a mask, slave or king, they were equal. They were free to be as drunk and reckless as they wanted. Free to be the person they'd always wanted to be. He went to a famous sculptor and had a mask custom made from obsidian and black leather in the shape of a solemn and powerful face; the face of a dark roman god. At the masquerade, he felt power and confidence for the first time. People looked at him admiringly, they asked him over and over who he was and he evaded their questions deftly. He walked taller, spoke louder and commanded attention. So changed was his personality that his own father greeted him as a stranger. Roman had invented an identity for himself that night. He was the head of an organization, known only as Black Mask, and looking for prospects and expansion opportunities in Gotham. When pressed for details, he'd say his business was in sales and marketing, a slang term in the Gotham elite for illegal commerce. He was the center of attention, even overshadowing his own brothers. Everyone wanted to know who this young masked socialite was. After the ball, Roman walked the streets, feeling none of the fear and confusion of that night. When a figure materialized from the shadows, knife in hand, Roman faced the man down, his obsidian face giving him a terrifying countenance. Full of power and free of his own insecurities, he simply stared down the man with the knife, ignoring his increasingly desperate demands for money and jewelry. The fight or flight response pushed to the breaking point within him, the man threw the knife away before turning to run. Roman knelt and picked up the knife, looking at his reflection in the blade, a solemn ebony face stared back at him.
That was the night Black Mask was created. Coming home, he resumed his life as Romanus Sionis, continuing his financial portfolio and investing in interests, all under his father's watchful eye. But at night, Black Mask began making appearances at the night clubs and social gatherings of Gotham's underworld. The mask made him the center of everyone's attention. He sat at tables with high ranking officials and mafia families. He bought drinks for the social elite, made contacts, forged connections. Everyone wanted to know his name and what kind of operations he was interested in bringing to Gotham, even his own brothers were constantly hounding him and praising his influence, unaware that the face beneath was that of their worthless baby brother.. At first he merely posed as the head of a criminal syndicate, but soon he received offers from enforcers and drug runners, offering him their services and loyalty. Soon he had an impressive workforce of thugs and con-men spreading the name of Black Mask through the Gotham underworld. It was only a matter of time before some of the other crime families began to see him as competition and their attitude toward him turned hostile. Upon hearing this, Roman began to panic, naturally, but then he looked at the mask. Would Black Mask fear these men? What would Black Mask do? Inspired by the bold actions of the masked vigilante Batman and the various costumed super-criminals that had risen to prominence, Roman knew the time for decisive action was now.
The age of the crime families was ending. The aggressive actions of the Batman and the rise of similarly masked criminal masterminds had shown the people of Gotham the true colors of the long feared criminal organizations. A new era of crime was just beginning, an era of masked crime. Masks were no longer worn to hide identity, but to enhance it. Surely this Batman had discovered the power a mask can offer. As a man, he is no doubt unremarkable, nobody special, but with his mask he inspires fear and becomes more than just a man. That power has allowed him to bring the criminal underworld to its knees. These masked criminals, they do away with the anonymity crime had originally depended on. They boldly claim responsibility for their deeds regardless of their severity, daring the hapless defenders of the law to stop them. This was the new face of crime; a masked face. It was time for Gotham to know the real Black Mask.
It should be noted that shortly before this time; Roman's father had begun a friendly relationship with the young orphan to the Wayne family, Bruce. He had in fact wanted the two of them to become friends as it seemed young Bruce had inherited his father's altruistic outlook on business and he felt his neglected son could benefit from the influence. Roman, however, never cared to form a relationship with the Wayne orphan, being too consumed with his new persona. Black Mask began making moves against the Sabatino family, the very family his own father had gone into business with so many years ago. He commanded his troops to seize territory and he began to undercut the rackets and criminal enterprises that had once been dominated by the Sabatinos. Utilizing his business savvy and years of insider experience watching his father's dealings with them, Black Mask became a clear and present danger to the Sabatino's hold on Gotham. During this rising conflict, Roman had neglected his alternate identity as Bartholomeus' youngest son and questions began to be asked. When Bartholomeus went to the Sabatinos to tell them his youngest son has been away without contact since earlier that year and to ask if he had been in contact with them, they made the connection. Up to this point, Black Mask's operation had been bloodless for the most part. He still lacked the ruthless heart of the crime lord. In a sense, he was still only pretending to be Black Mask. When the Sabatinos extended a ceasefire in the hopes of peaceful negotiations, Roman had no idea the depths a criminal organization would go to in order to maintain power.
They called the meeting at the ancestral home of Bartholomeus Sionis and Black Mask appeared at the home of Roman Sionis for the first and last time. It was at that meeting, in the same dining hall he had eaten in as a child and surrounded by his father and all seven of his brothers, that the head of the Sabatino crime family, Giovanni Sabatino, revealed that he knew the Sionis family had connections with the Black Mask organization. Bartholomeus denied this of course, Black Mask merely sat silent, but Giovanni went on to say that Black Mask had information about Sabatino's operations that he could only have gotten from this family. Each of Roman's brothers in turn denied any dealings with him. Giovanni then called attention to the fact that one member of the Sionis family was not present. Bartholomeus stood abruptly, anger replacing fear. His youngest son, Romanus, had never been included in his business affairs, he claimed, and had no reason to be present. Bartholomeus then turned to Black Mask and pleaded with him to tell Sabatino that he had no connection with his family. Black Mask had not spoken a word since the meeting was called and only shook his head. Giovanni then told Bartholomeus that if he did not produce his youngest son and prove his innocence, he would have the Sionis fortune dissolved and his family incarcerated. Roman's father pleaded with him but Giovanni never looked away from Black Mask. He asked if Black Mask had anything to say in Mr. Sionis' defense. I don't have to tell you Roman was frozen with panic and had been since the meeting turned on his family. Bartholomeus then cried out, demanding Black Mask speak and clear his son's name, that he clear all their names. Roman said nothing. Giovanni calmly told Black Mask that he knew his true identity and that if he did not want the Sionis family destroyed and his identity made public, he would give up without a fight. Black Mask simply bowed his head. Giovanni made a gesture and two hands grabbed Black Mask from behind, restraining him. The thugs brought him over to Giovanni and held him down before him. He then asked Black Mask how long he could keep pretending to be a real criminal. He went on about the way criminals in this town used to be respectable, honorable. How they were now nothing but children playing dress up, not simple business men like him. "What would your father say, if he saw you like this?" Giovanni asked with a smug grin, drawing a hand gun and putting it to the silent obsidian figure before him.
The last mistake Giovanni Sabatino ever made was taking off that mask before shooting Roman Sionis. At seeing that it was his own youngest son who had been the feared crime lord Black Mask, Bartholomeus flew into a rage, grabbing the gun and shooting Giovanni before firing at the thugs who'd held his son. An all-out fire fight broke out between the two gangs, which ended up destroying the Sionis family home and takings the lives of two of Roman's brothers as well as his father. After the smoke cleared, it was revealed that the Sabatinos had already made public the long history of crimes the Sionis family was tied to. Roman's older brothers were all arrested and he was left as the sole heir of his father's estate, what little was left of it. One man however came forward to defend the Sionis family and had contributed a financial bailout of the Sionis steel industry. It had been the orphan billionaire Bruce Wayne. Roman, however, took this gesture of kindness as one final insult. Roman believed Mr. Wayne was simply taking advantage of his father's misfortune to expand his own wealth under the guise of charity for the poor orphaned son of the late Bartholomeus Sionis. He knew the mask of virtue worn by the elite of Gotham all too well. Roman Sionis disappeared. Half-crazy with grief and anger, Roman broke into the mausoleum containing his father's casket. He stole the black mahogany lid of the coffin and his late father's head before disappearing into the night. He had the wood fashioned into pieces of a new mask, the face he had crafted from the skull of his own father, coated with obsidian stone. As a final touch, he had the mask permanently affixed to his face, a painful and risky operation, but one which Roman Sionis never awoke from. The eyes which opened were the eyes of Black Mask, now staring out from an ebony grinning skull. Roman Sionis was dead, his face forgotten.
From that night on, the criminal organization of Black Mask became known as the False-face society, a terrifying new breed of villains. In addition to being thugs and con-men, every member was required to wear a mask of their choosing when representing the gang. These masks, he preached, would allow a death of the ego and give the wearer new freedom and deeper drives never imagined possible. A mask would allow them to look the way they wanted, to kill the way they wanted, they would be smarter, more capable, and most importantly, they would be free in all the ways they weren't before. The mask was their talisman, their signature, and the source of their power, a power they would use to bring Gotham city to its knees; the true power of Black Mask.
You want to know who I really am behind the mask? To you I would ask, "What mask?" When a mask no longer hides an identity of the wearer but instead represents the true identity of the wearer, it ceases to be a mask. It is no longer a "covering to hide or guard", it is an "added face", it is "more than the face". I would say to you that I am not wearing a mask at all. That I am and ever shall be, Black Mask.