Masks have been popular in all forms of entertainment since... there's been entertainment. They were one of the first, if not the very first, tools used by humans for storytelling and spectacle. All across the world, nearly every culture uses some kind of masks to dramatize a situation, be it around a campfire, on a stage, or used in protest. In film, to add that extra element of mystery and evil, some of the baddest, meanest villains of all time have worn masks.
Villains wearing masks became commonplace (especially in horror movies), as it could make a character appear more intimidating, more powerful, or, at the very least, it kept them mysterious and anonymous. But who are the greatest masked villains ever?
Not all villains need a mask, but it certainly helps them keep up their air of mystery and evil. Cast your votes below for the greatest villains to have ever donned a mask.
http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-masked-villains/ranker-film,
Boba Fett
Appears in: Star Wars franchise
The guy just exudes awesome. Without that helmet (as we learned when Jango Fett took off his mask)... meh, not so much. If it's just some dude wearing tactical gear, he's far less intimidating than with the full get up. There's a reason Boba Fett's helmet is so iconic.
Darth Vader
Appears in: Star Wars franchise
The big bad villain of the Star Wars films had a mask that kept him intimidating enough to rule an empire, and anonymous for the big father reveal. Plus, Vader's mask looks like a jet black skull, which is awesomely terrifying.
Ghostface
Appears in: Scream movies
Terrorizing teenagers over the course of multiple films (and an upcoming TV show), the only reason this character worked was the mask. With each new Scream movie, you have to ask, which one of these kids is capable of slaying all of their friends? Those blank dark eyes only make it all the more creepy.
Jason Voorhees
Appears in: Friday the 13th Franchise
Hiding his deformed face behind a hockey mask was what started this iconic character's reign of terror. He was tortured as a kid (and presumably was a kid who liked hockey) and then swore to kill all those who came back to camp Crystal Lake. He's essentially immortal, impossibly strong, and definitely scary.
Sauron
Appears in: The Lord of the Rings franchise
The ultimate antagonist of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was unspeakably terrifying and made every moment of his somewhat limited screen time count. With a mask like that we didn't need long to know this was a bad, bad guy.
Scarecrow
Appears in: The Dark Knight
Scarecrow is another character built entirely around his mask. Using it for experiments with his patients, he gasses his enemies and then his already unnerving mask morphs into his victims deepest, darkest fears.
Bane
Appears in: The Dark Knight Rises
"Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask." He says it best himself. Without that bit of mystery (and, in this case, a lifesaving gas delivery system) he's just another mercenary. But with the mask, he's Bane.
The Predator
Appears in: the Predator films and Alien vs. Predator
In the first movie, one predator almost single handedly took out a whole platoon of the best soldiers. Of course, he was wearing a mask, so viewers didn't even know what these buggers looked like underneath until well into the movie.
Spoiler alert: they just got uglier.
Lord Humongous
Appears in: Mad Max 2
Wearing a knight-esque battle helmet/hockey mask, Lord Humongous leads a group of marauders, terrorizing others and stealing gasoline across the wasteland of the near future. The mask is used for intimidation and is somewhat tactical... and about all he wears, other than leather briefs.
Phantasm
Appears in: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Another mask used for anonymity (the basis of the story) and theatricality, this mask is also functional, as Phantasm is largely a gas and smoke based villain. Looking like the grim reaper doesn't hurt the whole villain angle, either.