The DC Universe — Gotham in particular — is home to some of the deadliest characters imaginable. Over the years, all sorts of villains have threatened the balance of good and evil, challenging some of the world’s greatest heroes in incredible ways. One lesser-known criminal of Gotham’s underworld is none other than Roman Sionis, The Black Mask. Recently, the character has seen a surge in popularity thanks to his role in games like Batman: Arkham Origins, and with his appearance in the upcoming live-action Birds of Prey movie. While not many people may be familiar with him, Black Mask is still one of the Dark Knight's more ruthless opponents, challenging him more on a mental front than a physical one. Considering how Black Mask’s tactics have evolved over the years, here are the 10 worst things Black Mask has ever done.
10 Ruined His Company
Shortly after inheriting his parents' company, Roman quickly discovered that he wasn’t the greatest businessman. After making some very poor and shady investments, Roman went bankrupt and was forced to take a bailout from The Wayne Foundation. Considering Roman’s hatred for Bruce Wayne, this was a massive blow to Roman’s pride and ego. Furthermore, the Wayne Foundation saw to Roman’s removal as president of the company, further damaging his reputation and causing his hatred for Bruce to grow.
9 Melted His Mask Onto His Face
Shortly after starting his tenure as a masked criminal, Roman fell victim to one of his own schemes. After starting a fire at one of Bruce Wayne’s fundraisers, Batman and Robin showed up to stop him. In an effort to escape, Roman stumbled into a fire, causing his mask to actually melt into his face, permanently bonding the two and solidifying Roman as “The Black Mask.” Despite causing the fire that did this to him, the event only drove Roman further into madness and intensified his desire for power.
8 Formed the False Face Society
Even before melting his mask to his face, Roman began his criminal life by forming the False Face Society. The Society was a group of smaller-scale criminals looking to make some quick cash, and they served as good muscle for what Roman craved. For the most part, the group launched smaller attacks against Bruce Wayne in some form or fashion, typically being thwarted by Batman. However, as the group grew, the roster changed, growing more deadly as time went on. Eventually, the False Face Society posed a serious threat, even without Roman’s leadership. It is easy to see how this is one of Roman’s worst actions.
7 Kidnapped Lucius Fox
In his efforts to get at Bruce Wayne, Black Mask managed to kidnap Lucius Fox. However, an undercover Bruce managed to infiltrate Black Mask’s gang and was able to free Lucius from the inside. Eventually, Black Mask discovers what has happened, but Bruce has already changed into Batman and begun an assault on Mask’s crew. While nothing too drastic happened, Black Mask’s penchant for torture could have easily escalated things far beyond the point that they actually got to. Likewise, Lucius Fox was totally innocent, aside from merely being affiliated with the likes of Bruce Wayne.
6 Tempted Harvey Bullock
Being the mob boss that he is, Black Mask was able to successfully buy off some of Gotham City’s finest. However, one of those officers was none other than Harvey Bullock, one of Jim Gordon’s best. Black Mask actually succeeded in persuading Bullock, earning him a lot of praise as a cop while he eliminated many of Black Mask’s rivals. Eventually, however, Bullock backed out and exposed Black Mask once again. Though it is a good thing that Bullock came to his senses, the fact that Black Mask still managed to get to him is rather terrifying.
5 Tried Business in Bludhaven
Eventually, Black Mask decided that doing business in Gotham was rather difficult. So instead of abandoning his life of crime, Roman moved his criminal empire to Bludhaven for a short while. However, his schemes were quickly thwarted by the likes of Nightwing. Black Mask’s defeat was so humiliating that he immediately crawled back to Gotham and resumed his activities as if nothing had happened. For as clever as Roman can be at times, messing with the likes of Batman and his family is definitely not a wise decision.
4 Became Batman
For a short while, Black Mask actually posed as the Dark Knight himself. Roman’s skills as an actor were so good that he managed to convince several people that he was, in fact, Batman. During this stunt, Roman managed to kill several people. Eventually, The Joker was actually able to take him down, immediately recognizing that Roman wasn’t the true Batman. Thankfully though, this didn’t harm Batman’s reputation. However, it still showcases just how clever and dangerous Black Mask can truly be.
3 Torture
Especially during the epic No Man’s Land storyline, Black Mask became obsessed with torture. After managing to capture Spoiler, Stephanie Brown, Black Mask sought great pleasure in torturing the former sidekick to Batman. While Stephanie was eventually able to escape, Black Mask’s methods still did a lot of extensive damage. However, Stephanie certainly wasn’t Roman’s only victim, as it was clear he had practice in what he considered to be an art form. Furthermore, considering how young Spoiler is, Black Mask only solidifies his reputation for being cruel and ruthless.
2 Killed His Parents
From an incredibly early age, Black Mask always hated his parents. Since his family was on the lower end of wealth in Gotham, they often associated with the Waynes or Elliots just for the purpose of maintaining status. Because of this, Roman claims that his family “wore masks” to hide who they truly were. As a young adult, Roman grew tired of his parent’s methods and attitude, killing them both in a fire and taking the family business for himself. However, despite this brutality, it isn’t even the worst thing Roman has done in his years as a character.
1 Built One of the Largest Criminal Empires in Gotham
While Roman may not have been the best businessman, he definitely improved in certain aspects, as he successfully managed to build and run his own criminal empire in Gotham for years. Black Mask had such a strong grip on crime in Gotham that even Batman would struggle to take him down. Roman didn’t even begin to buckle until Jason Todd returned from the grave as Red Hood. Jason’s more brutal methods ignited a new fear in Black Mask, putting an almost immediate end to his criminal activity. While Roman would eventually make a comeback, the fact that he practically ran all crime in Gotham is easily one of the worst things he has ever done.