Some inspiration for this face shields and face masks season
As the whole world gets lost in a masquerade to keep the coronavirus away, you might be looking for inspiration to wear that face mask or proudly—or at least comfortably—put on that face shield. Well, we got you covered (pun intended).
Oh, and to limit the selection, we had to consider only those masks that cover the entire face or the lower half of the face, as face shields and face masks should do respectively. So sorry, Batman, Catwoman, Zorro, and Robocop. Nor can we include that mask from Clockwork Orange.
So get your face mask and face shield game on and check out what we think are the 10 most popular masks in pop culture.
10. Rorschach (Watchmen)
Although Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons started with a more or less cult following, it gained popularity after its film adaptation came out in 2009. Among the most iconic characters in both the limited DC series comic books and the film is Rorschach. His ever-shifting mask has, in fact, become the face of Watchmen.
9. The mask from The Mask
The film that helped secure Jim Carrey’s comedic success in 1994, after first appearing in Ace Ventura, was loosely based from a 1987 Dark Horse Comics title dubbed as Mask. The green mask with his strangely goofy grin was as memorable as the character’s one-liners like “Ssssssssssssmokin!”
8. Ghostface from Scream
It’s easy to fill this list of iconic masks with those from horror flicks, and there are a ton of them. But arguably one of the most memorable—or should we say horrible?—is the long, ghastly mask of Ghostface from Scream. It became so iconic to the point that it has made appearances in a number of other titles, including Scary Movie (2000), as well as in TV shows Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson’s Creek, and The Sopranos.
7. Michael Myers (Halloween) and Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
Okay, we’re cheating here because there are two of them, and from two different titles, at that. But it can’t be helped. It was either we put who was first, which would be Michael Myers or The Shape from Halloween (1978), or we include the most supernatural of the two, which would be Jason from Friday the 13th (1980). So we decided to put them together, as they both were serial killers from a slasher flick that has birth many other slasher titles.
6. Hannibal’s muzzle (Silence of the Lambs)
Speaking of how a mask can evoke sheer horror and terror, Hannibal Lecter’s muzzle (or half mask, like today’s anti-Covid face masks, that first appeared on screen in the 1990 film Silence of the Lambs, is definitely most memorable.
5. Spider-Man
It was a toss between Iron Man or Spider-Man, but we give priority to the hero that came first, and that’s the friendly, neighborhood crawler. That Spider-Man has gained more popularity recently, thanks to new iterations of the character, helps push the case. Plus we can’t cheat anymore by putting two, since we did that already with Michael Myers and Jason.
4. Salvador Dali (La Casa de Papel)
Bella ciao! It’s not surprising that the Salvador Dali mask from the Spanish series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) is an instant hit. After all, Dali is an icon in his own right.
3. Guy Fawkes (V for Vendetta)
Before the Dali masks, there was one mask that ruled them all—or, rather, that subverted all rules. The Guy Fawkes mask from the film V for Vendetta became the original symbol of protest and resistance in the real world (famously used by hacktivist group Anonymous) and in pop culture for years.
2. Mask of the Phantom (Phantom of the Opera)
Here’s an enduring classic. No need to explain why the mask of the Phantom from the musical the Phantom of the Opera deserves an almost top spot on our list.
1. Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Although technically not a mask but a helmet, Darth Vader’s black metallic visage is hard to miss. Even if you are not a fan of Star Wars (why though?), you still recognize Darth Vader’s mask when you see it. You probably hear his raspy, machine breathing in your head, too.
Runners-up: Other iconic masks that didn’t quite make our list are Donnie Darko’s from the eponymous film, the Freak mask from The Purge, and Jigsaw’s mask from Saw.