Masked villain

A Masked Mystery Villain - The Hooded Claw from The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

A masked villain, also seen as masked mystery villain,^[1]^[2] is a stock character in genre fiction, "who hides in order to claim unsuspecting victims".^[3] It was frequently used in the adventure stories of pulp magazines and movie serials in the early twentieth century,^[4]^[5] as well as postmodern horror movies.^[6] They can also appear in Crime fiction to add to the atmosphere of suspense and suspicion. It is used to engage the readers or viewers by keeping them guessing just as the characters are,^[4] and suspension by drawing on the fear of the unknown.^[7]^: 135 The "Mask" need not be literal (although it often is), referring more to the subterfuge involved.

He or she is the often main antagonist of the story, often acting behind the scenes with henchmen confronting the protagonists directly.^[4] Usually, the protagonists must discover the villain's true identity before they can be defeated.^[8] Often, the villain will turn out to be either one of the protagonists themselves, or a significant member of the supporting cast. The author may give the viewer or reader clues, with many red herrings, as to the villain's identity - sometime as the characters find them and sometimes for the audience alone. However, the identity is not usually revealed to the audience before it is revealed to the characters of the story.^[8]

Examples[]

Serials[]

The Tiger Shark from The Fighting Marines.^[7]^: 133
The Ghost from Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. - "One of the most memorable of all the masked villains of serials" according to William C. Cline.^[7]^{: 133, 135}
The Dragon from Ace Drummond.^[9]^: 99^[7]^: 133
The Wasp from Mandrake the Magician.^[7]^: 133
The Scorpion from Adventures of Captain Marvel.^[2]^[7]^: 129
The Gargoyle from The Spider Returns.^[7]^: 133
Captain Mephisto from Manhunt of Mystery Island.^[7]^: 129
The Rattler from Mystery Mountain^[7]^: 129
The Wizard from Batman and Robin.^[7]^: 133
Dr. Vulcan from King of the Rocket Men.^[9]^: 129

Films[]

Michael Myers from Halloween^[6]
Darth Vader from Star Wars^[10]^[11]

References[]

^ Van Hise, James (1990). Serial Adventures. Pioneer Books. p. 46. ISBN 9781556982361.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Lupoff, Richard A.; Thompson, Don, eds. (1970). All in color for a dime. Arlington House. p. 92. ISBN 9780870000621.
^ Jess-Cooke, Carolyn (2009). Film Sequels: Theory and Practice from Hollywood to Bollywood. Edingburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-7486-2603-8.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Brasch, Ilka (October 12, 2018). "4. Detectives, Traces, and Repetition in The Exploits of Elaine". Amsterdam University Press. doi:10.1515/9789048537808-005/html – via www.degruyter.com.
^ Brasch, I., & Mayer, R. (2016). Modernity management: 1920s cinema, mass culture and the film serial. Screen, 57(3), 302-315.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Heller-Nicholas, Alexandra (2019). Masks in Horror Cinema: Eyes Without Faces. University of Wales Press. pp. 52, 68, ?. ISBN 978-1-78683-496-6.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Cline, William C. (2000). Serials-ly Speaking: Essays on Cliffhangers. McFarland. ISBN 9780786409181.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Bah, Aisha (2018). "Cultural Transgression and Subversion: The Abject Slasher Subgenre". The Mall. 2 (1): 72–83. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Benson, Michael (2000). Vintage Science Fiction Films, 1896-1949. McFarland. ISBN 9780786409365.
^ Milligan, Cindy Ann (2015). Sonic Vocality: A Theory on the Use of Voice in Character Portrayal (PhD). Georgia State University. p. 5. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
^ Rutherford, Paul (1994). "The Cannes Lions, Etc. (1984-92)". The New Icons? - The Art of Television Advertising. University of Toronto Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-8020-2928-0.

[JVH-1] Van Hise, James (1990). Serial Adventures. Pioneer Books. p. 46. ISBN 9781556982361.

[RAL-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b Lupoff, Richard A.; Thompson, Don, eds. (1970). All in color for a dime. Arlington House. p. 92. ISBN 9780870000621.

[CJC-3] Jess-Cooke, Carolyn (2009). Film Sequels: Theory and Practice from Hollywood to Bollywood. Edingburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-7486-2603-8.

[serials-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Brasch, Ilka (October 12, 2018). "4. Detectives, Traces, and Repetition in The Exploits of Elaine". Amsterdam University Press. doi:10.1515/9789048537808-005/html – via www.degruyter.com.

[5] Brasch, I., & Mayer, R. (2016). Modernity management: 1920s cinema, mass culture and the film serial. Screen, 57(3), 302-315.

[AHN-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b Heller-Nicholas, Alexandra (2019). Masks in Horror Cinema: Eyes Without Faces. University of Wales Press. pp. 52, 68, ?. ISBN 978-1-78683-496-6.

[WCC-7] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Cline, William C. (2000). Serials-ly Speaking: Essays on Cliffhangers. McFarland. ISBN 9780786409181.

[slasher-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b Bah, Aisha (2018). "Cultural Transgression and Subversion: The Abject Slasher Subgenre". The Mall. 2 (1): 72–83. Retrieved 2021-04-19.

[MB-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b Benson, Michael (2000). Vintage Science Fiction Films, 1896-1949. McFarland. ISBN 9780786409365.

[10] Milligan, Cindy Ann (2015). Sonic Vocality: A Theory on the Use of Voice in Character Portrayal (PhD). Georgia State University. p. 5. Retrieved May 10, 2021.

[11] Rutherford, Paul (1994). "The Cannes Lions, Etc. (1984-92)". The New Icons? - The Art of Television Advertising. University of Toronto Press. p. 142. ISBN 0-8020-2928-0.

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