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That Mask of yours has caused too much trouble with the mortals! This is your mess!
~ Odin to Loki about the Mask of Loki.

The Mask of Loki is an ancient wooden facemask with wild magical powers created by the Norse god of mischief Loki which when worn enables people to become The Mask. In the animated and film continuities, it is held by Stanley Ipkiss and Dorian Tyrell in the hit 1994 film The Mask and later by Tim Avery in the critically-panned 2005 film Son of the Mask. In the comics it is used by many others through the series and far more evil.

History

Comics

The extraordinary mask was apparently created in the unknown past, at an unknown time, by an unknown tribe that originated in unknown Africa. The shamans of the tribe used ancient African techniques of secret and mystical knowledge, using a kind of magic that was infused and used in the creation of the not ordinary mask, which was made of jade and originally used in ancient rituals performed by that tribe. When it was used, its bearer is impregnated with fictional magical reality and gains physical impermeability and skills similar to those of a cartoon character, such as being able to pull random objects out of nothing and extending one's body and limbs far beyond human limits.

Film

The extraordinary mask was created between the end of the 4th century AD and the beginning of the 5th century AD by Loki, the Norse god of fire and mischief in the northern lands of Europe in Asgard, supposedly of Scandinavian origin. Some very old texts describe Loki as a night god and a nocturnal creature, which fits perfectly with the not ordinary mask and its method of functioning, since it only works at night and stops functioning at sunrise.

Appearance

The Mask had many different forms. In the movies and comics, the Mask is wood and painted completely green. In the cartoon, it is wood but not painted. The only painted part is the bar between the eyes and above the nose.

Personality

The mask by itself has no will or personality of its own. However once worn, it put the user's figurative heart on their sleeve.

The mask brings out the user's identity, their innermost desires, magnifies it and puts them in charge with absolutely no self-control. While it varies from wearer to wearer this is always dangerous as the user rarely retains their morals or even basic decency which has led to several deaths as the result of the wearer's desires.

The Mask has at times though acted with restraint. While wearing the mask, Tim Avery for example tried to seduce an attractive woman at his boss' party but immediately chided himself because he was a married man.

in the comics, The Mask is more malevolent and more controlling of it's hosts able to speak to them telepathically to take control of their bodies.

Powers and Abilities

The Mask of Loki turns its wearer into The Mask (Big Head in the comics) only at night (seeing as Loki was a night god). At sunrise when the wearer goes to sleep, the mask somehow comes off. The mask also gives the wearer the powers of Loki himself, enabling him to change reality at its will. The mask has been broken in half in the animated series episode "Split Personality". If this happens it only fits the half that it resembles. The wearer's other half can communicate with The Mask and even work together.

When wearing it, the wearer has cartoon like powers, like being able to pull a giant mallet or bazooka from their pocket. Also they are able to change what they are wearing and the shape of their body but no matter what shape the body the user always has a large green head. The wear also has the power to do anything they wish to do. Like fly, eat a car etc. The wearer can not feel pain or even die, the wearer bleeds like a normal person. He gets shot with hundreds of bullets and does not bleed in that particular instance, suggesting that its more to do with the will of the wearer whether he wants to bleed or not. He does not feel it and depending on the wearer's personality the Mask would bring their inner self out while usually getting revenge on all the people who had made the wearer mad or just destroying what they did not like.

The mask gives the wearer reality bending powers on a minor scale. The wearer is usually seen bringing his imagination into reality. The will of the wearer at the time of wearing the mask gets fulfilled after wearing it.

However, for whatever reason, the mask has no effect whatsoever on the mute giant, Walter. When Walter himself tried to put it on, nothing happened at all. Whether because it was due to him having no personality at all or due to the mask being too small to fit his head, he did not transform. More noticeably, Walter is the only person who can fight anyone wearing the mask and live, perhaps due to him being seemingly indestructible.

Gallery

Trivia

  • It was sometimes called the "Loki Mask".
    • In the comics, the Mask of Loki is just referred to as "The Mask" and is not affiliated with Loki at all. Instead, it was an African shamanic mask.
  • Since Loki himself was a night god, the Mask only works at night.
    • Hence the name, the Mask was created by Loki.
    • In both the comics and animated series, the Mask can work anytime.
  • If a person conceives a child while wearing the mask, the child will gain Loki's powers.
  • The Mask is worn by many people in the comics (but never animals), in the movie there is normally one protagonist and antagonist, but it also works on animals as shown with Stanley Ipkiss' faithful canine pet Milo in The Mask.
  • In the original Dark Horse Comics, anyone who puts on the Mask is referred to as "Big Head".
  • A different perspective of the mask is revealed in the animated series when Stanley says to Skillit in the episode "Shadow of a Skillit" that the mask itself was never evil, but who ever owned and wore it.
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