10 Things You Need To Know About Black Mask
2. He's A Sadist And Pyromaniac
What makes Black Mask one of Batman's most enduring foes is his sheer capacity for sadistic violence.
When Roman Sionis was head of Sionis Cosmetics, the real reason his makeup line failed was because all the products were incredibly toxic. As Black Mask he would find a way to incorporate this into his torture methods. He would fill masks with the makeup and force his victims (including his own ex-girlfriend) to wear them. The process wasn't fatal, but it did leave the wearer horribly disfigured.
Black Mask also has an fondness for fire. He burned both his parents to death for their inheritance and later tried to burn down his entire mansion in an attempt to both kill Batman and to destroy any traces of Roman Sionis.
One of his most sadistic acts though was during War Games. The way Black Mask seized control of Gotham's gangs was by murdering Batman's ally Orpheus (the contingency contingency crime lord) and then impersonating him. How did he know to do this? By kidnapping Spoiler and torturing the teenage girl until she told him all the details of Batman's plan. Then he left her for dead.
Well, that got dark. Good thing the final entry is about the fun times Black Mask has had with cats.