Game Informer recently had a chat with Warner Bros. Games Montreal, the developer behind Batman: Arkham Origins, and a few new details were revealed.
For example, Warner Bros. Games revealed that the game’s villain will be Black Mask. Who the heck is Black Mask, you ask? Well, pull up a chair.
The villain first appeared in Batman #386 and was known as Roman Sionis. Like Bruce Wayne’s parents, Sionis’ parents were wealthy, but they didn’t care about anything but money. The turning point for the character happens as Sionis is attempting to burn down his old house. Batman finds him and attempts to save him, but the black mask worn by Sionis becomes attached to his face after a struggle in the fire.
Black Mask should prove to be an interesting counterpart for Batman. Both came from wealthy families and are the public figures for very large corporations, but the similarities end there. Where Batman is heroic, Black Mask is diabolic.
In Origins, Black Mask will be the head of Janus Cosmetics, his father’s former company. Simultaneously, he’ll be in charge of the Gotham mob. He’s rich, he’s powerful, and he holds all of the city’s power. But nobody has made the official connection that Black Mask and Roman Sionis are the same person.
Batman: Arkham Origins has an extraordinary amount of potential. Let’s hope it all comes together.