Why Does Doctor Doom Wear a Mask?

Doctor Doom is perhaps the most recognizable of Marvel’s villains, due to his iconic armor and mask. All of his animated and live-action incarnations have drawn upon that look. But just why does Doctor Doom wear a mask?

What’s the Point of Doctor Doom’s Mask?

Doctor Doom’s mask offers him some physical and magical protection, as does the rest of his armor, but he wears it primarily to hide his scarred face. The current Marvel Comics incarnation of Doctor Doom was seriously burnt fighting a demonic foe. Before that, the nature and cause of his facial damage have varied, though it’s originally supposed to be the result of one of his own experiments malfunctioning. Doctor Doom is known for being arrogant to a fault, and his scarred face is the ultimate testament—and consequence—of that.

Jack Kirby, who co-designed the character, was inspired by the Man in the Iron Mask, explaining that:

“I saw Dr. Doom as The Man In The Iron Mask, who symbolized approaching Death. It was the reason for the armor and the hood. Death is connected with armor and inhuman-like steel. Death is something without mercy and human flesh contains that element of mercy. Therefore, I had to erase it, and I did it with a mask.”

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So it’s not so much that Doctor Doom is scarred; it’s that his face under that mask makes him more unsettling. It also makes it harder for the heroes to distinguish between the real Doctor Doom and one of his many replica Doombots.

Kirby also suggested that Doom has the smallest of scars and it’s his arrogance and belief in his perfection that drove him to put the mask. However, when drawn up close, many artists depict Doctor Doom as having visible damage around his eyes.

However, with Robert Downey playing Doom in the MCU, there’s another reason for him to don the mask. If Doom is indeed some version of Tony Stark, the mask would be a perfect way to hide that. Some people have suggested Marvel should have kept the reveal for Avengers: Doomsday and I’m inclined to agree.