History Main / NoFaceUnderTheMask

* ''Discworld/ReaperMan'' uses this trope when Death, As Bill Door, confronts the “new” Death who has arisen in his absence from duty. The old Death manifests as a skeleton, but at least it’s a ''human'' skeleton; this shows that he has some sympathy with humanity. The new Death is an immaterial spectre, and utterly inhuman.

* ''Literature/ReaperMan'' uses this trope when Death, As Bill Door, confronts the “new” Death who has arisen in his absence from duty

* Celty from ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' wears a motorcycle helmet to conceal that she a [[HeadlessHorseman dullahan]] and thus has no head.

* One of the most famous examples is ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', who's described in the book as being hideous-looking and skull-faced underneath his mask. This has not held true of all the film adaptations, however, especially the most recent one where Gerald Butler appears to have just a mild skin rash underneath his half-mask.

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* In the infamous [[spoiler: MindRape scene]] of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', the hooded demons that Asuka meets are like this.

** ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheSacredStarOfMilos'': [[spoiler:Literally invoked, as the FinalBoss of the film had his face torn off by a chimera years before the events of the movie.]]

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* In the infamous [[spoiler: MindRape scene]] of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', the hooded demons that [[spoiler:Asuka]] meets are like this.

* Celty from ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' does this with a motorcycle helmet.

* One possible answer to the question of what's under Darth Nihilus' mask in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''.

* Happens briefly in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' when [[spoiler:the archangel Tyrael defies Heaven. His hood falls back, revealing empty space where a face begins to form as HumanityEnsues.]]

* In ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', [[spoiler:Void Termina]] wears a [[WhiteMaskOfDoom heart-shaped mask]] in its first and third phases. When it is knocked off, there’s nothing but a portal to its [[WombLevel internal organs]].

* When the prince unmasks the stranger at his costume party in Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''The Masque of the Red Death'', the costume is completely empty.

* ''Literature/Maskerade''

* When the prince unmasks the stranger at his costume party in Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's "The Masque of Red Death", the costume is completely empty.
* Robert Chambers' ''Literature/TheKingInYellow'' owed an obvious debt of inspiration to Poe, though when it comes to the Stranger at its masked ball (who is probably some kind of HumanoidAbomination) the 'mask' in question may be not so much an example as an [[NotAMask inversion]]:
-->'''Camilla:''' You, sir, should unmask.
-->'''Stranger:''' Indeed?
-->'''Cassilda:''' Indeed, it's time. We all have laid aside disguise but you.
-->'''Stranger:''' I wear no mask.
-->'''Camilla:''' ''(Terrified, aside to Cassilda)'' No mask? No mask!

* Invoked in the very first Strong Bad Email from ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' where Strong Bad actually mentions that taking off his mask and boxing gloves is the same thing as taking off someone's face and hands. Another Email was actually about him actually taking off his mask, but when he does so, [[TheUnreveal he is completely covered up by the back of the new chair]] he bought from Bubs in the same Email. Maybe his mask really is his face after all.

* On one episode of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', a villain created magic clones of the heroes, including [[MaskedLuchador El Toro Fuerte]]. Later, when the heroes accidentally removed his clone's mask, he was like this (however, this was more of a spell glitch than an intended/expected side effect). The others turned out [[spoiler:''all'' like this, each wearing a LatexPerfection mask]].

* In ''{{Exiern}}'', we have a woman who has a human body but no face or physical brain. Instead, her mask hides a swirl of bluish energy that she can use in combat. [[http://www.exiern.com/?p=1064 At first, the kids who run into her and knock her mask off don't realize this.]]
* Parodied in ''DarkLegacyComics''. In [[http://darklegacycomics.com/311.html one strip,]] two characters are busy unmasking "liars", thus ruining everyone's Halloween costumes. In the end, they "unmask" a pandaren by tearing of his real face. Since he doesn't have any face left under that "mask", well, ewwww....

* Creator/MichaelMoorcock's ''The Queen of the Swords''. {{Corum}} uses the Hand of Kwyll to open the visor of Prince Gaynor the Damned.

* Slade of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' loves it. In "Masks", Robin defeats him and removes the mask, revealing the communicator screen and [[OhCrap the self-destruct timer]], since it was [[ActuallyADoombot actually a Sladebot]]. In the season four finale, Slade's mask is knocked off, [[spoiler:displaying a bare skull with a single blazing eye, as by that time he was TheUndead. He gets his human body restored later, but we don't get to see his normal face]].

When a character [[TheFaceless always wears a mask]], one will wonder what his face really looks like. Sometimes it turns out that he doesn't have a face. Instead of some kind of mundane [[LukeIAmYourFather climax]] or [[NerdInEvilsHelmet anticlimax]], we get thrown straight into NightmareFuel territory: Instead of a face, the character has some kind of blank slate, rotten mess, arcane forcefield or other completely inhuman thing that does not qualify as being a face.

* One possible answer to the question of what's under Darth Nihilus' mask in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2''.

* The famous scene in ''Literature/TheInvisibleMan'' has the title character remove the bandages from his face to reveal that his face (and the rest of him) is indeed [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin completely invisible]].

* One {{JLA}} story had some AppliedPhlebotinum separate all the heroes and their secret identities into separate people, and the separated Batman had nothing under his cowl.
* ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica villain Johnny Sorrow is an intangible specter while wearing his mask. When he removes it, he becomes solid and reveals an other-dimensional visage so incomprehensibly hideous that all but the most powerful (or blind) of living things will instantly die at the sight of it. The one time that it was shown, it appeared to be a disgusting, incongruous mass of tentacles.

* This is implied to be true for Leyland in ''Webcomic/UseSwordOnMonster'', and the possibility disturbs him greatly. [[spoiler:Later confirmed when we learn that Leyland, or at least a different version of him, was created through the LawOfNarrativeCasuality and the narrator never bothered to give ''that'' Leyland a physical appearance beneath his getup.]]

** Not only does Omega lack a face under his mask, but he doesn't even have a body. His willpower was the only thing that kept his existence.