Roman Sionis; Black Mask
Name: Roman Sionis
Alias: Black Mask
Role: Villain; Potential Mentor
Brief Bio: His father an industrialist and the head of Sionis Industries, his mother a retail expert and head of Janus Cosmetics, Roman grew up rich but neglected. His parents dragged him to the high-class parties they attended for face only, forcing him to befriend the children of the people they loathed, most notably Bruce Wayne of the Wayne Family. His parents hated their peers, however, and Roman grew to resent his parents for their superficial nature, and hate the masks they wore in public. Late in Roman's adolescence, he inherited Sionis Industries, Janus Cosmetics, and the accompanying fortunes when his parents died in a mysterious fire that broke out at their manor and razed the property to the ground. Sionis quickly sunk his funds into booze, drugs, hookers and gambling, plummeting the companies into the ground and allowing Wayne Industries to make an easy and company-saving buyout, backed by Bruce Wayne. Driven mad by the loss of his legacy, Roman turned his hatred and rage onto the man who had saved his family's companies from the brink of oblivion, and carved a mask from the ebony wood of his father's coffin, wearing it to disguise himself as he targeted Wayne Industries, sabotaging factories and murdering employees. Batman intervened, and in the ensuing battle a raging inferno broke out, and eventually seared Sionis' mask permanently to his face. He took on his moniker of Black Mask completely, and would soon become one of Gotham's most ruthless, vicious, and sadistic crime lords, commanding a gang known as the False Face Society.
Black Mask's first rise to power came about after one of Batman's broader attempts to fight organized crime in Gotham City. After the fall of the Falcone and Maroni Empires, gang wars erupted to seize the territory and assets suddenly available. Batman enlisted Orpheus, a costumed gang leader, who worked with a teen fledgling hero named Spoiler, to help him end unrest in Gotham. Black Mask found and murdered Orpheus, assuming his identity, and then using his persuasive talents to glean vital information about Batman's plans from Spoiler, before betraying and torturing her. Sionis, acting as Orpheus, followed the plans, rallying all the factions into a single united force behind him, before revealing his true identity as Black Mask, murdering Spoiler, and initiating a spree of carnage that ravaged Gotham, and allowed Black Mask to seize undisputed and complete control of its criminal underworld.
Months after, however, Black Mask found his empire being explicitly targeted by both Batman and the newly returned Red Hood. He was approached by Deathstroke offering an invitation into The Society, and he accepted. Several hitmen were sent to dispatch Batman and Red Hood, but were ultimately vanquished, preventing The Society from forming a foothold in Gotham, and plunging Black Mask's criminal operations into disrepair. Desperate to claw back his now tenuous grip on the power he used to hold, Black Mask threatened Catwoman and her loved ones, calling her out. Catwoman defeated him, and he was shipped to Arkham.
Shortly after, he escaped in a massive orchestrated hit, blowing up Arkham and drugging some of its more eminent inmates with an activated poison. He was acknowledged as the leader and escaped, preparing for his re-entrance back into Gotham by destroying the reigns of Two-Face and Penguin that had risen in his absence, and soon we was Gotham's singular Crime Lord once again. His empire came under fire from the National Guard, and with Sionis' forces weak, Batman chose to strike, defeating Black Mask again and dismantling his control, sending him to Blackgate while Arkham was rebuilt.
He remains there now, but his False Face Society has not disbanded completely. There are still loyal followers, and Black Mask always has cogs in motion to return to his rightful place as ruler of Gotham.
Abilities: While Black Mask has no metahuman abilities, he is highly skilled in several areas which he uses to his advantage as a crime boss of Gotham:
Criminal Mastermind: He is arguably the greatest criminal strategist and organizer in all of Gotham, having taken complete control of the entire Gotham underworld on at least two occasions.
Torture Master: Perhaps his most defining skill is his mastery in both physical and psychological torture, which he often uses to extract information or to punish his enemies - or even just for sadistic fun.
Hand to Hand Combatant: His fighting skills are considerable and his technique is varied and does not stray away from 'dirty' fighting. While not on par with masters like Batman, he's still a competent opponent.
Marksman: He is an excellent marksman who is often successful in hitting his targets. He is experienced with several forms of weaponry, most notably handguns, RPG's, and assault rifles.
Personality: Mildy psychopathic, Roman Sionis has an obssessive personality and narcissistic tendencies. He is fixated on the concept of masks, both physically and metaphorically, and he is feared in the criminal world for his infamous viciousness, ruthlessness, and brutality. Sionis is intensely sadistic, inflicting the most degraded of both physical and psychological tortures on his enemies, but he hides a cunning and strategic mind, often showing a criminal genius which is surely the source of his previous rises to great power in Gotham. He is short-tempered and often lashes out angrily on his thugs, throwing punches to relieve anger.
Appearance: Sionis' mask is no longer so; after the fire, the ebony was seared to his skin and the face beneath scarred. Roman Sionis is Black Mask, and the skull mask is his face. He stands at 6 feet and 1 inch, weighing in at 195 pounds. His hair is burnt off beneath the mask, but his eyes still see, irises black, like true windows to who Sionis has become. He wears expensive, tailored suits, occasionally donning long designer coats, and forgoes any combat armour or helpful gear, avoiding the outlandish costumes that many of his rival villains and heroic foes take up.
Affliation: While not currently mentoring anyone, Black Mask is a respected crime boss, and more than willing to take on a right-hand man to aid him is building his third empire. He is the leader of the gang known as the False Face Society, and has dealt with Deathstroke, Carmine Falcone, Sal Maroni, Joker, Batman, and the Red Hood in the bygone times of his previous crime empires.
The Third Empire will Rise.
