Birds Of Prey - Every Character Explained

While (possibly) Maria Bertinelli and Victor Zsasz will act as antagonists within the film, the central villain will no doubt be Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask, real name Roman Sionis. That real name could be of increased importance here, as we’re yet to see Ewan McGregor actually don the titular mask, in the trailer or any other marketing material.

There’s already a bit of a worry that with McGregor being such a famous face, Warner Brothers may be reluctant to have it covered up too much on screen. Will Smith’s Deadshot was without his iconic mask in Suicide Squad for the same reason.

If that’s the case, it would be a real shame as it would shear a lot of the dark drama of his character away. Even for Gotham, Sionis’ choice of facial attire is deeply gothic.

The mask was carved from his father’s ebony casket, after Roman had murdered both his parents. In some versions, the mask has hypnotic abilities to control his henchmen. It represents Sionis’ distaste for the upper class society he and his parents once belonged too, and fits his aesthetic of sadism and torture.

He’s a fantastic villain who will hopefully be done justice in his long awaited film debut.