History Main / StrangerBehindTheMask

* Despite being [[LongRunners a decades-long love letter]] to Golden Age mysteries, ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' did dip into this a few times; most memorably, the "With A Bang" storyline took huge pains to hide the MadBomber behind the classic "shadowman" feature while teasing out his backstory a little bit at a time, but when it's time for the big face-to-face showdown he's... some shmuck who's completely new to the story.

* For the first several issues of DC's famous ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', the villain was kept shrouded in darkness, his identity a mystery, leaving readers to guess at who it might be. At least one letter-writer guessed that it was Darkseid, probably because a similar technique had been used to hide his identity as the villain of "The Great Darkness Saga" in ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}''. Then, when the villain's identity was finally revealed, it was the Anti-Monitor, a character who had never been seen or mentioned before, and who had been created solely to serve as the antagonist of ''Crisis''.

* In-universe example in the ComicBook/{{Elseworlds}} Franchise/JusticeLeague mini-series ''The Secret Society of Super-Heroes'' as Batman confronts the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern after he murdered the Wally West Flash and is shot for it. In the scuffle, one strike knocks off Kyle's mask and, when the former hero is down, Batman ruefully muses "How come in real life, when you unmask the bad guy, you've never seen him before in your life?"

* A sort of meta-example, with ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure''. While the show was airing, [[LateArrivalSpoiler it was leaked that the show would have]] a SixthRanger character, Cure Ace. The fans began to [[EpilepticTrees wonder which character would become Cure Ace]], as almost every SixthRanger character in the ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' franchise had been a preexisting character. The show even had a DarkMagicalGirl character [[RedHerring who looked like]] [[HighHeelFaceTurn she could become Cure Ace]]. As you might guess from being an example on this page, the episode after Cure Ace's introduction revealed she was a character that hadn't appeared before- a nine year old girl named Aguri Madoka.

May be considered TheUnTwist.

Though often seen as unsatisfying, this is often a case of TruthInTelevision. Detectives who investigate a crime almost never, ever know who the perpetrator is unless they are a repeat offender known to the authorities; the phenomenon of the culprit being someone they know personally or had run into earlier is actually quite unusual. It makes sense though, since there's no logical reason that happening to personally know a detective should make one more likely to commit crimes. And in fact, if one thinks about it for a moment, the trend of the detective happening to personally know the perp ''itself'' probably started out as a twist ending, and detective stories having a rule where the person behind the mask is always someone the detective knows makes about as much sense as if romance novels had a rule where [[SurpriseIncest the charming stranger who strolls into town and catches the eye of the protagonist always turns out to be a long lost sibling]]! (btw, this would technically make Stranger Behind The Mask a subtrope of TheUntwist).

You have just met the Stranger Behind the Mask, where TheReveal proves to be something or someone we've never heard of before, and had no reasonable way of expecting. This can often result in an AntiClimax, and is almost always a ShockingSwerve. Both Ronald Knox and S.S. Van Dine attempted to create rules for DetectiveFiction, one of which was created in order to either prevent or avert this trope from occurring. Knox, indeed, made it his first commandment: "The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story..."

* ''The January Man'': After the killer's unmasked, he's just a random guy. It's {{lampshaded}} by Nick, who after being asked who the guy is, says "He's no one". We never even learn the man's name.

* The driving motivation of ''Anime/KillLaKill'''s main character, Ryuko Matoi, is to find the person who killed her father. The person in question ([[spoiler:Nui Harime]]) appears about midway through the series, and it's no one that has been seen before. [[spoiler:It also would take later to confirm Ragyo Kiryuin as the person who ordered it, as at the time, she was someone who hadn't made a full appearance yet.]]

* The driving motivation of ''Anime/KillLaKill'''s main character, Ryuko Matoi, is to find the person who killed her father. The person in question ([[spoiler:Nui Harime]]) appears about midway through the series, and it's no one that has been seen before. [[spoiler:It also took some time to confirm the person who ordered it, Ragyo Kiryuin, as at the time, she someone who hadn't made a full appearance yet.]]

* In-Universe example in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', where Lex Luthor, having swapped bodies with the Flash, tries to salvage the situation by removing his mask and... realizing he has no idea who the red-head is.

** Happened again during ComicBook/TheCloneSaga, thanks to an editorial screwup. In an attempt to clean up the [[KudzuPlot out of control storyline]], Marvel retconned everything into being the work of a mystery man named Gaunt. He was intended to be Norman Osborn, the only Spidey-villain with the credibility to pull off such a wide-ranging plot, but one writer didn't get the memo and dropped hints that Gaunt was serving [[TheManBehindTheMan a more powerful villain]]. They did an AuthorsSavingThrow by making Osborn this more powerful villain, and Gaunt was eventually unmasked as... Mendel Stromm, a D-list villain called "The Robot Master" who'd had all of two previous appearances: the first in 1966 and the second in 1986, a full ten years before The Clone Saga.

* A sort of meta-example, with ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure''. While the show was airing, [[LateArrivalSpoiler it was leaked that the show would have]] a SixthRanger character, Cure Ace. The fans began to [[EpilepticTrees wonder which character would become Cure Ace]], as almost every SixthRanger character in the ''Franchise/PrettyCure'' franchise had been a preexisting character. The show even had a DarkMagicalGirl character [[RedHerring who looked like]] [[HighHeelFaceTurn she could become Cure Ace]]. As you might guess from being an example on this page, the episode after Cure Ace's introduction revealed she was a character that hadn't appeared before.

Though often seen as unsatisfying, this is often a case of TruthInTelevision. Detectives who investigate a crime almost never, ever know who the perpetrator is unless they are a repeat offender known to the authorities; the phenomenon of the culprit being someone they know personally or had run into earlier is actually quite unusual. It makes sense though, since there's no logical reason that happening to personally know a detective should make one more likely to commit crimes. And in fact, if one thinks about it for a moment, the trend of the detective happening to personally know the perp ''itself'' probably started out as a twist ending, and detective stories having a rule where the person behind the mask is always someone the detective knows makes about as much sense as if romance novels had a rule where [[SurpriseIncest the charming stranger who strolls into town and catches the eye of the protagonist always turns out to be a long lost sibling]]!

Though often seen as unsatisfying, this is often a case of TruthInTelevision. Detectives who investigate a crime almost never, ever know who the perpetrator is unless they are a repeat offender known to the authorities; the phenomenon of the culprit being someone they know personally or had run into earlier is actually quite unusual. It makes sense though, since there's no logical reason that happening to personally know a detective should make one more likely to commit crimes. And in fact, if one thinks about it for a moment, the trend of the detective happening to personally know the perp ''itself'' probably started out as a twist ending, and detective stories having a rule where the person behind the mask is always someone the detective knows makes about as much sense as is romance novels had a rule where [[SurpriseIncest the charming stranger who strolls into town and catches the eye of the protagonist always turns out to be a long lost sibling]]!

Though often seen as unsatisfying, this is often a case of TruthInTelevision. Detectives who investigate a crime almost never, ever know who the perpetrator is unless they are a repeat offender known to the authorities; the phenomenon of the culprit being someone they know personally or had run into earlier is actually quite unusual. It makes sense though, since there's no logical reason that happening to personally know a detective should make one more likely to commit crimes. But that usually doesn't make for the most interesting story, so this trope is rarely used in fiction.

* ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'': When the Screenslaver is captured by Elastigirl after trying to bring down the Ambassador's helicopter, he's unmasked to reveal a random blonde guy. [[spoiler:That's because he's not actually the Screenslaver. The real Screenslaver is Evelyn Deavor.]]

** Shine Wrestling had an unintentional example in Maria Maria, a masked luchadora gimmick shared by at least two wrestlers. Both were ''supposed'' to be big stars but while fans knew Wrestling/AllysinKay well they were still apathetic to the wider World Wrestling's attempts to push Bradi Lauren as a hot new star and responded with "Who's that ginger" when Kay found Lauren under the mask. This embittered Lauren, who insisted on being announced as an "EVOLVE Superstar" and being catered to for being on the shows of larger promotions.[[/folder]]

* On the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[DayInTheLimelight Harm's Way]]," Harmony wakes up after a one-night stand to find the guy dead, and though she doesn't quite remember what happened, she eventually realizes that she was set up for the murder. It turns out the real killer was... [[UnknownRival some random other vampire chick named Tamika]] working at [[AmoralAttorney Wolfram and Hart]], who was upset that Harmony beat her out for her job through nepotism. (Arguably more TheDogWasTheMastermind, since Tamika had appeared very briefly earlier.)

** Happened again during ComicBook/TheCloneSaga, thanks to an editorial screwup. In an attempt to clean up the [[KudzuPlot out of control storyline]], Marvel retconned everything into being the work of a mystery man named Gaunt. He was intended to be Norman Osborn, the only Spidey-villain with the credibility to pull off such a wide-ranging plot, but one writer didn't get the memo and dropped hints that Gaunt was serving [[TheManBehindTheMan a more powerful villain]]. They did an AuthorsSavingThrow by making Osborn this more powerful villain, and Gaunt was eventually unmasked as... Mendel Stromm, a D-list villain called "The Robot Master" whom had had all of two previous appearances: the first in 1966 and the second in 1986, a full ten years before The Clone Saga.

* The driving motivation of ''Anime/KillLaKill'''s main character, Ryuko Matoi, is to find the person who killed her father. The person in question ([[spoiler:Nui Harime]]) appears about midway through the series, and it's no one that has been seen before. [[spoiler:It also took some time to confirm that the person who ordered it, Ragyo Kiryuin, was, at that time, someone who hadn't made a full appearance yet.]]

* In the new ''Franchise/StarWars'' trilogy. [[spoiler:The first movie spends a long time building up the identity of [[TheHero Rey]]'s parents, who abandoned her as a child, only for the second to reveal that they were no one we know; Rey just happens to be skilled in the Force, until the next movie subvert it by revealing she is Palpatine's granddaughter.]]

* Hilariously done in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague''. When ComicBook/LexLuthor and Franchise/TheFlash [[FreakyFridayFlip switch their bodies]], Luthor uses the opportunity [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPefOfu2TIU and unmasks The Flash]].
--> ''"I have no idea who this is."''

So you've got this mystery, such as the identity of the villain. [[WildMassGuessing There are many theories on this, and audience is kept busy speculating to the very last moment]]. And well, would you look at that!? The heroes have captured the villain and are about to [[DramaticUnmask remove his mask]]. It is finally time for the TheReveal!