M.A.S.K (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand)
A team of special agents employed by Matt Trakker to stop the evil schemes of the terrorist organization VENOM. According to the comics, MASK was formed after Miles Mayhem killed Matt's brother Andy, motivating Matt to avenge his brother and prevent Mayhem from using the vehicles and Masks for evil. The series makes no mention of this backstory.- Covert Group: Zigzagged. MASK as an organization is largely unknown to the public. Not even VENOM knows who they are. However, many important people know Matt Trakker has ties to MASK and always call him whenever something mysterious happens. Also, despite using Masks to hide their identity, they always operate within plain sight with recognizable vehicles. The Racing Series even utterly averts this trope, as VENOM knows exactly who they are.
- Heroes "R" Us: MASK is a secret organization funded by Matt Trakker to stop the VENOM. Its agents are all specialists equipped to deal with certain situations.
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Members of M.A.S.K.
Matt "Hunter" Trakker
Voiced By: Doug Stone
The leader and one of the founders of the MASK team. Matt is a millionaire philantropist who invests money in projects for the good of humanity. Matt's main mask and vehicle are Spectrum and Thunderhawk, but he uses several other Masks and vehicles during the course of the show. In the second season, known as the Racing Series, Matt replaces Thunderhawk with Goliath I, a racing car that turns into a small plane.- Blinded by the Light: Courtesy of Matt's Ultra Flash mask.
- Flight: Spectrum allows Matt to glide through the air for a short amount of time.
- The Hero: Matt is the one leading the charge against whatever evil scheme VENOM hatches.
- The Leader: Leads the MASK Team. As the theme song says: "Trakker is gonna lead the mission"
- Meaningful Name: It makes sense that a mask with so many functions is called "Spectrum", doesn't it?
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Trakker's Spectrum Mask. While most of the other masks only have one power, his can be used to grant super vision, glide, fire laser blasts, or broadcast across a range of frequencies.
- Smoke Out: In the racing series, Matt's Shroud mask creates a dense cloud of purple smoke.
- Standardized Leader: Is your typical levelheaded heroic leader of the 80s who can do no wrong.
- Super-Senses: Matt Trakker's Spectrum mask grants him super vision. The theme song even says so.Trakker's gonna lead the mission, Spectrum's got such super vision!
- Working Through the Cold: In the episode The Everglades Oddity, Matt is bitten by a highly venomous snake. While he did get the antidote in time, he was advised by Julio, a certified doctor, to take a good rest. At the end of the episode, he still joins the fight against VENOM, despite being nowhere near fully healed.
Scott Trakker and T-Bob
Voiced By: Brennan Thicke and Graema McKenna
Matt's adoptive son and his robotic sidekick. Both of them frequently get into trouble because either Scott recklessly follows his father to wherever he is fighting VENOM or because VENOM just happens to be at his location. T-Bob can transform into a unicycle for Scott to drive. According to a comic published in England, T-Bob is short for Thingamabob.- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: T-Bob is normally portrayed as a cowardly and snarky robot buddy to Scott. When push comes to shove, however, he is always ready to assist MASK in their fight against VENOM, even being instrumental in solving some of their missions.
- Deadpan Snarker: T-Bob resorts to this whenever Scott got both of them in trouble.
- Exact Words: Scott really likes to employ this technique when convincing T-Bob to get involved in the MASK mission. Whenever T-Bob repeats the instructions Matt left for them, Scott interprets them in such a way that they aren't technically breaking the rules. Here is an example from Caesar's SwordT-Bob: When your dad dropped us off, he didn't want us digging around for bronze coins.
Scott: I know, but we are looking for gold coins! - Free-Range Children: Subverted. Matt actually does not like this trope and tells Scott and T-Bob to stay put whenever he goes on a mission. However, he always leaves the pair without supervision, allowing them to go wherever they please.
- Happily Adopted: Scott has a very good relation with his adoptive father Matt.
- Karma Houdini: A milder example than most, as Scott isn't evil, but his recklessness does endanger himself, T-Bob and can sometimes jeopardize the mission. However, he is never shown to be punished for it. In fact, he is always allowed to go on a mission with his father and is sometimes even rewarded for his reckless behavior.
- Kid-Appeal Character: Their role in the show is to give the younger audience someone to relate to.
- The Load: Due to their tendency to get into trouble, MASK has to save the duo almost Once an Episode.
- Pungeon Master: Every other sentence T-Bob utters is a pun on something relating to the situation the duo is in.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The pair has some elements of this. Scott is the headstrong Red Oni, who is eager to help MASK, but his lack of common sense gets the pair into trouble. T-Bob is the cautious Blue Oni, as he tries to keep Scott in check trying to discourage him from seeking out trouble. Sadly for T-Bob, Scott always manages to convince him to look for VENOM.
- Robot Buddy: T-Bob is this to Scott.
- Tagalong Kid: Scott is frequently taken to missions with Matt Trakker, despite this being dangerous.
- Transforming Mecha: T-Bob transforms into a unicycle.
Bruce "Magic" Sato
Voiced By: Doug Stone
Mechanical engineer and design specialist, and Matt Trakker's de facto second-in-command. Is of Japanese origin. Occupation: toy designer. He often talks in Confucian riddles that only Matt and Alex seems to understand. He's the main pilot of Rhino, an 18-wheel semitruck that can serve as a mobile command center, with a grill that can also be used as a battering ram.- Asian and Nerdy: Is frequently seen working on advanced technology when being called for a MASK mission.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Stops appearing in the Racing Series without any explanation.
- The Engineer: Mechanic subtype. Bruce sometimes is called on to fix their vehicles in the field.
- Koan: Frequently utters these whenever the team stumbles on a mystery. A running gag is that whenever he does so, one of the other MASK agents will express confusion, followed by Matt or Alex immediately figuring out what Bruce means.
- Mind over Matter: His Liftor Mask allows him to lift objects without touching them. He is even able to lift entire vehicles with his Mask.
- The Smart Guy: Can decipher mysteries very fast, even before Matt Trakker has an inkling of what is going on. As mentioned above, he frequently expresses his findings in the form of a koan.
Alex "Megabyte" Sector
Voiced By: Brendan McKane
Computer and communications expert and Zoology specialist. Hails from Britain. Occupation: veterinarian and exotic pet shop owner. He serves as Rhino's systems commander.- Flight: His Jackrabbit Mask allows him to fly.
- Omnidisciplinary Scientist: The MASK computer even states his "broad base of scientific knowledge" as an asset.
- The Smart Guy: As mentioned above, he has knowledge about many subjects, which is invaluable in several missions.
Dusty "Powderkeg" Hayes
Voiced By: Doug Stone
Auto and marine stunt driver, all-terrain specialist and tracking and demolition expert. Occupation: pizza cook. He drives Gator, a jeep that can launch a hidden speedboat.- Kinetic Weapons Are Just Better: His Backlash mask fires force beams that knock objects down instead of vaporizing them.
- Southern-Fried Private: Has the brashness and the accent, but is very friendly and outgoing.
Gloria Baker
Voiced By: Sharon Noble
A champion racecar driver and black-belt in kung fu. Occupation: racer/sensei. She drives Shark, a car which can turn into a submarine.- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Similar to Matt, Gloria's Aura mask has multiple functions depending on what is needed for the story.
- The Smurfette Principle: She is the only female member of MASK.
- Toyless Toyline Character: Unlike the other members of MASK, there was never a Shark toy, although there was a Gloria action figure, but this wasn't until very late in the toyline. In fact, it was one of the final releases in the Split Seconds line, which was released long after the series was off the air.
Brad "Chopper" Turner
Voiced By: Graeme McKenna
Expert hill climber, rock musician, motorcycle and helicopter pilot. He drives Condor, a motorcycle that can turn into a helicopter.- Cool Shades: Never goes anywhere without his pair of black sunglasses.
- Master of Illusion: His Hocus Pocus Mask allows him to project illusions to confuse his enemies.
Hondo "Striker" McLean
Voiced By: Doug Stone
Weapons specialist and tactical strategist. Occupation: history teacher. He drives Firecracker, a pickup truck that has a dirt bike attached to the back. After Firecracker was irreparably damaged, he gained control over Hurricane, a car that turns into a six wheeled tank.- Badass Teacher: Downplayed. While he is a teacher in his normal life and is certainly a badass on MASK missions, him being a teacher doesn't really amount to anything in terms of character.
- Energy Weapon: Both of his Masks, which are aptly named Blaster, allow him to fire laser beams.
Buddie "Clutch" Hawks
Voiced By: Mark Halloran
A master of disguise and intelligence expert. Occupation: mechanic.- Intangible Man: His Penetrator Mask allows him to turn himself and the vehicle he rides in intangible.
- Master of Disguise: Is able to convincingly disguise himself as Cliff Dagger during the episode Peril in Paris
Calhoun "Stonewall" Burns
Voiced By: Graeme McKenna
A construction and demolition specialist. He works as an architect and enjoys raising horses. He drives Raven, a black car that can turn into a seaplane.- Shrink Ray: His Gulliver Mask allows him to shrink objects. The Mask is named after Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels, who encounters a kingdom of little people.
Jacques "Trailblazer" LeFleur
Voiced By: Brendan McKane
A natural disaster specialist and martial arts master. Occupation: lumberjack. Hails from Québec, Canada. He drives Volcano, which looks something like an ATV, but with monster truck wheels.- Gratuitous French: Since Jacques is from Québec, he naturally has to include French words once in every few lines he speaks.
- Invisibility Cloak: His Mask, named Maraj, allows him to become invisible. This also extends to whatever vehicle he is driving.
Julio "Doc" Lopez
Voiced By: Graeme McKenna
Expert in languages and cryptography. He is of Latino descent. Occupation: doctor. He drives Firefly, a dune buggy that can turn into a small jet. Ace "Falcon" Riker
Voiced By: Mark Halloran
Former NASA test pilot. Works at a hardware store. He drives Slingshot, a van that can launch a hidden jet fighter. In the Racing Series, Slingshot is replaced with Meteor, a fighter jet that splits into a smaller jet and a tank.- Battle Boomerang: His Ricochet mask fires boomerang beams.
- Vehicular Sabotage: In the racing series, Ace's Cruise Control mask allows him to remotely take over other vehicles.
Boris "The Czar" Bushkin
Voiced By: Doug Stone
A big, burly, bald, bearded Russian who was a former VENOM agent who defected to MASK. He drives Bulldog, a semi-track that, according to The Other Wiki, can turn into a "half-track tank".- Bald Head of Toughness: Is a physically strong guy with a bald head.
- Husky Russkie: He fits this trope to a T. A big strong brute whose name is Boris.
- The Mole: He acts as an antisocial brute to Buddie so VENOM will recruit him. When VENOM assigns him to destroy Buddie, he pretends to so, but it then turns out he was on MASK's side all along.
"Chief" Nevada Rushmore
Voiced By: Brendan McKane
An American Indian and Matt Trakker's childhood friend. He drives Goliath II, a tow truck that can serve as a launching platform for Goliath I, a racecar that turns into a jet that Matt drives in the second season.- Spontaneous Weapon Creation: His Totem Mask has the ability to materialize small totem poles to throw at his enemies.
Ali "Lightning" Bombay
Voiced By: Brian George
An immigrant from Kandukar, India. He drives Bullet, a motorcycle that can turn into a hovercraft.- Blow You Away: His Vortex Mask allows him to generate whirlwinds.
V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem)
A terrorist organization founded by Miles Mayhem. In the comics, they were revealed to have been an offshoot of MASK, formed after Mayhem stole some of the MASK technology. The series is a lot less clear on their origins.VENOM's primary goal seems to be to get rich. Their methods of doing so range from robbing ancient treasures to extorting governments with the threats of terrorist attacks. They also rent themselves out to do the dirty work for other rich unsavory types.- Card-Carrying Villain: The only thing indicating this trope is the organization's full name, which includes "Vicious Evil". In the show itself, the full name is never uttered and the VENOM agents themselves are portrayed more as selfish criminals than people doing nasty deeds For the Evulz.
- Depending on the Writer: The danger they present and their characterization in general differs between episodes. In some episodes, they endanger the entire world and incapacitate one or more MASK vehicles and/or agents. In other episodes, they veer more into Harmless Villain territory, spending more time bickering with each other and being outsmarted by Scott and T-Bob of all people, while never landing a hit on MASK.
- Hired Guns: If you are very rich financially, but morally bankrupt, VENOM is available for hire to execute your evil plans.
- Karma Houdini: They are never seen arrested or do otherwise receive retribution for all the crimes they committed during the series. Every episode, especially in the first season, ends up with them escaping.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: An organization identifying itself as VENOM is probably one you should avoid at all costs.
- Nebulous Evil Organization: VENOM is a terrorist organization dedicated to gaining more money, power and influence throughout the world. How dangerous they are differs between each episode. Sometimes they endanger entire countries or even the world to get what they want. Other times the just want to get their hands on valuable treasure without really endangering anyone.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Every episode in the first season ends with the members of VENOM escaping MASK after being defeated.
Members of V.E.N.O.M.
Miles "Wolf" Mayhem
Voiced By: Brendan McKane
The leader of V.E.N.O.M. In the comics, he betrayed the original M.A.S.K. team by killing Andy Trakker, and stealing half of the masks for evil purposes. In the cartoon, the origin of V.E.N.O.M. is a lot less clear, though Mayhem's connections to M.A.S.K. remain the same as the comics, and that he co-created the organization. Mayhem's catchphrase is "I oughta buy you a new face". He pilots Switchblade, a helicopter that can turn into a jet. In the second season, known as the "Racing Series", he replaces Switchblade with Buzzard, a race car that splits into two motorcycles and an unmanned flying drone. He also co-pilots Outlaw in some episodes, a truck that deploys into a mobile base.- Acid Attack: His Mask, Viper, allows him to spit highly corrosive acid.
- Animal Theme Naming: Both of his masks in the first season are named after snake species, namely Viper and Python.
- Barrier Warrior: The Flexor Mask Mayhem uses in the Racing Series allows him to create barriers made of energy.
- Big Bad: He leads VENOM and initiates every evil scheme done by them.
- Evil Old Folks: Mayhem appears to be in his sixties, judging from his gray hair and wrinkled face.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Speaks in a deep gravelly voice.
- Face–Heel Turn: Is said to been working with MASK before turning evil. This is further elaborated on in the comics.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: Judging from his military garb, Mayhem might have been a high ranking officer before defecting to a life of crime.
- Improbable Piloting Skills: Expertly pilots Switchblade in both helicopter and jet modes and even has the precision to fly into caves with it.
- Large and in Charge: Mayhem is the most heavyset member of his organization and also the leader.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Mayhem, his last name, doesn't really indicate he is a benevolent person.
Sly "Wrecker" Rax
Voiced By: Mark Halloran
A Con Artist. In the comics, he has ambitions of replacing Miles as V.E.N.O.M. leader. He drives Piranha, a motorcycle with a sidecar in which the sidecar can launch as a mini-submarine. In the Racing Series, Rax mans the Pit stop Catapult, which is, like its name indicates, a pit stop that turns into a catapult.- Cool Shades: Sports a pair of extravagant looking shades.
- Deadpan Snarker: Frequently reacts with a snark whenever one of his colleagues say something stupid.
- Demoted to Extra: Makes a few appearances in the Racing Series, but is no longer one of the main villainous characters.
- Flechette Storm: The effect of his Stiletto Mask. It allows Rax to create and fire small darts. He upgrades to the Sawblade mask in the racing series, which fires small circular sawblades at his target.
- Knife Outline: Despite being perfectly able to injure, Rax only uses his Stiletto Mask to pin people to the wall or ground this way.
- Lazy Bum: Is frequently seen sleeping on the job or slouching against a wall whenever he's not fighting MASK. When he was hit with a sleeping dart, Vanessa laments not much is different.
- Porn Stache: Has an untidy looking large mustache.
- Spontaneous Weapon Creation: His Stiletto Mask is able to generate and fire physical projectiles.
Cliff "Blaster" Dagger
Voiced By: Mark Halloran
Demolitions expert and strongman. He drives Jackhammer, a truck whose bed has a hidden cannon.- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Like Bruce Sato, Dagger suddenly stops appearing during the Racing Series.
- Dumb Muscle: Looks to be very physically intimidating, but sounds and acts dimwitted.
- Eyepatch of Power: Wears an eyepatch over his left eye.
- Playing with Fire: His Mask, Torch, acts like an easily portable flamethrower.
Vanessa Warfield
Voiced By: Sharon Noble
V.E.N.O.M.'s espionage and intelligence agent. Becomes the unofficial leader of the team by the beginning of the second season, and is one of few agents besides Mayhem to pilot Switchblade regularly when he is incapable of doing so as well as occasionally manning the turrent on Dagger's Jackhammer. Falls for Brad Turner in series finale "Cliff Hanger". Came THIS close to stealing a space shuttle in "The Everglades Oddity". She drives Manta, a car that can turn into a plane.- The Baroness: A mild case of the Sexpot variety. Vanessa is an attractive but cold VENOM operative who, as an added bonus, is able to generate whips of energy with her Mask.
- Dragon Ascendant: The Racing Series has several episodes in which Mayhem is absent and Vanessa takes over his leading position.
- Toyless Toyline Character: Narrowly averted. Vanessa and her Manta only received a toy near the end of the animated series, despite being present from the very beginning.
- Smurfette Principle: Like Gloria in the MASK team, Vanessa is the only female member of VENOM.
- Whip of Dominance: She can generate energy whips with her Mask, fitting her as a The Baroness type villainess with a cold, domineering, and malicious personality who's often demeaning her colleagues.
- Women Are Wiser: Is smarter than most of the VENOM agents. Vanessa knows this and frequently insults her male colleagues for their lack of intelligence.
Bruno "Mad Dog" Sheppard
Voiced By: Doug Stone
A kidnapping specialist and another strongman. He drives Stinger, a car that can turn into a tank.- Dumb Muscle: While he isn't as dimwitted as Dagger, Sheppard still fits the archetype of a musclebound but slow witted henchman.
- Magnetism Manipulation: His Magna-Beam mask allows him to have telekinetic control over metallic objects.
- Voice Changeling: Is heard perfectly imitating Brad's voice during the Racing Series.
Nash "Goon" Gorey
Voiced By: Doug Stone
Overeager and boot-licking henchman. In the comics, Gorey was initially a new recruit for M.A.S.K., but was revealed to be a mole working for V.E.N.O.M. He serves as co-pilot for Outlaw, a tanker truck that can turn into a mobile command center that was later given to Miles Mayhem; essentially an Evil Counterpart to Rhino.- Extreme Doormat: When it concerns to Miles Mayhem, Nash Gorey has no spine whatsoever and agrees with every insult Mayhem throws at him.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: While VENOM agents aren't exactly friendly to each other, Nash gets to endure the most abuse for his boot-licking tendencies. As good as all interactions between him and other agents is him being insulted for being a boot-licker to Mayhem.
- Nerd Glasses: Wears a pair of oversized glasses befitting his archetype.
- Super-Strength: His Mask, Powerhouse (sometimes named Samson) grants him enormous physical strength.
- Yes-Man: This is his only notable character trait. Almost all of his lines are him worshiping Miles Mayhem and agreeing to his plans.
Floyd "Birdman" Malloy
Voiced By: Brendan McKane
Biker gangman and expert forger. He drives Vampire, a motorcycle that can turn into a jet.- Anime Hair: Sports a blond gravity defying hairdo that kind of makes him resemble a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z
Lester "The Lizard" Sludge
Voiced By: Brian George
A smarmy henchman with an annoying signature laugh, who is introduced in the Racing Series. Almost succeeds in murdering Matt Trakker in "When Eagles Dare". He drives Iguana, an off-road vehicle that, according to The Other Wiki turns into a "mobile buzz-saw platform".- Dishing Out Dirt: Both his Mask and his vehicle can spit out large amounts of mud.
- Evil Laugh: A very annoying high pitched one at that.
Maximus Mayhem
Voiced By: Doug Stone
Weak-willed twin brother of Miles Mayhem who serves as co-pilot for Buzzard, and F1 car that can split into three separate vehicles: a drone controlled jet, and two smaller motorcyles, which the two brothers drive.- An Ice Person: His mask, Deep Freeze, allows him to generate walls of ice.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Tells his brother to go on the straight path, as doing so will amass them more money and power compared to constantly acting out evil schemes.
- Heel–Face Turn: Subverted. Maximus is the one coming up with the idea to turn a new leaf. When Miles Mayhem merely pretends to do so in order to lure MASK in a false sense of security, Max really thought they were going to abandon their evil ways. After Miles reveals his true intentions, Max' anger stems more from the fact Miles fooled him, rather than him remaining evil. He also quickly offers to assist Miles in his evil plan, showing his intention to turn good wasn't genuine.
