I Cannot Stop Thinking About Black Mask’s Outfits in Birds of Prey
(image: Warner Bros.)
A villain can be a great many things. They can be complex, beautiful, ignorant, or murderous. They can be all that rolled into one. Or they can be fashionable messes who just love their belongings, which is, at his core, who Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask is. While vastly different from the comics’ version of this character, McGregor’s take on Roman Sionis is weirdly refreshing and had me squealing more often than not.
But what I cannot stop thinking about are his outfit choices. A man who clearly does not like the dirty aspects of life (a woman is literally crying, and he orders her death because of a snot bubble), Roman Sionis has a flare for the dramatic, and it extents into his wardrobe.
So, buckle up and come on this journey with me through Roman (a.k.a. Black Mask) and his beautiful, beautiful suits. (Yes, I do feel like Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. Please let me live.)
(image: Warner Bros.)
As we can see in exhibit A, Roman has, in his own way, matched his suit to a chair he’s sitting in. Prior to this scene, Roman Sionis was in a pair of silk pajama pants and a robe because he was getting some kind of calming botox done, but quickly changed into a pinstripe suit with a coral handkerchief, with his monogrammed gloves, because of course he has a white version of them.
Here’s the thing about Roman: Everything is down to the details, even his own wardrobe. Everything in his home is about these rare artifacts he has or these statues made specifically for him. He is obsessed with his things. My favorite scene of Roman Sionis is when he finds out that the Bertinelli family’s diamond was stolen before he could get his hands on it, and he just starts screaming about how people keep taking his things.
But, his attention to detail and his things lead to these incredible looks.
(image: Warner Bros.)
Happy that he found a new replacement driver (after Harley broke his last one’s legs), Roman watches as Black Canary fights off men trying to take advantage of a drunk Harley Quinn. So, in true Roman fashion, he’s either waking up in all silk with a matching kimono or just getting ready for bed wearing it.
Whichever it is, it truly is a baffling sleep choice, but then again, Roman Sionis is all about the luxury even if it doesn’t make any sense, right?
(image: Warner Bros.)
Now, this is one of my favorite looks. Why? Because Roman Sionis decided that he needed to wear a very deep-neck tank top underneath a velvet blazer while wearing sunglasses in a dark club at night. Does this show his wealth? I guess, but it more depicts a man who cares about his perception more than anything else.
If anything, this movie is probably set in either the spring or late summer, so his velvet is not in season, so he’s just wearing it to be fancy for himself and those people who already know who he is.
(image: Warner Bros.)
But then, of course, posing. There’s not much to say about this outfit other than Roman Sionis is just posing in his own home with literally no one else there. Who is this for? Just himself? I guess, but whatever!!! It’s nice!
(image: Warner Bros.)
And now, to my personal favorite look. Let me set the scene for this beautiful dancing gif. Roman Sionis is taking out Mr. Keo and his family, sending a message since Mr. Keo didn’t want to work with Black Mask. The message? To literally cut off Mr. Keo’s face, along with his wife’s.
He’s planning on sparing Miss Keo, their daughter, but she ends up crying thank you and develops a snot bubble in the process. Roman, in his truly outrageous (and murderous) fashion, orders Mr. Zsasz to murder her because he’s grossed out—all while wearing a cuffed linen suit and embroidered gloves.
But is that surprising when he chooses to roll up into a battle against Harley Quinn dressed like this?
image: Warner Bros.
Roman Sionis is a terrible man, but boy oh boy do I love those suits.
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
