New Birds of Prey Merchandise Shows Off Black Mask's Comic-Accurate Costume

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is just weeks away from [...]

By Jenna Anderson

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is just weeks away from debuting, and there are still quite a few unanswered questions surrounding the film. For some fans, the official unveiling of the film's antagonist, Roman Sionis/Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), is something that they're definitely eager to see. While Sionis' amazing style has definitely been on display across the Birds marketing thus far, a new piece of merchandise provides a look at one key element -- his iconic black mask. A photo of the film's blind bag keychains recently surfaced online, which feature the different variants that fans can possibly get. Among these is a figure of Sionis wearing a maroon suit -- complete with his black mask.

In the comics, Black Mask is a drug kingpin in Gotham City, who was a reluctant childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. After killing his parents and inheriting their fortune, Sionis ends up ruining his family's cosmetics company, with Bruce offering to help bail him out. Sionis then visits his parents' grave, where he is struck by lightning, an event that he sees as his own personal "rebirth." Sionis then destroys his father's casket, using the pieces to make his Black Mask. And yes, it's just as dramatic of an origin story as it sounds.

It was confirmed late last year that Sionis would be sporting his comic-accurate costume in the film, after footage of him in the mask debuted exclusively during Brazil's CCXP convention. While this merchandise might provide a stylistic, chibi-like look at what that costume will be, it does show that we can definitely expect his iconic look.

Sionis' role in the film is sure to be an interesting one, as McGregor has previously spoken about adapting the decades-old villain for the "Time of Trump".

"[He is] an absolute narcissist," McGregor said of Sionis in a previous interview. "[He's] spoiled in his upbringing to the point of having no contact with what life or people are about, who has a skin this thin and wants nothing more than to be the center of attention."

"He's an incredible villain because he's so likable and he's so seducing," Chris Messina, who plays Sionis' right-hand man Victor Zsasz, added. "You're like, I like him, he's cute, it's fun being in his world. And then he'll bite your leg off. He has these incredible turns of violence, this ferocious quality. There are a couple of moments in the movie where he rages that he really went there, and you could hear a pin drop. Then he would turn on a dime and then go back to the charm of the character."

What do you think of this first-ish look at Birds of Prey's Black Mask? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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