Top 20 Superhero Unmasking Moments In Movies And TV
Who's behind the mask? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times superheroes had the curtain peeled back on their identities. Some spoilers may be ahead.
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00:00First we'll see who's behind the mask, we can look into your eyes as you die.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the time superheroes had
00:14the curtain peeled back on their identities.
00:17Some spoilers may be ahead.
00:19I'm bloody!
00:21How?
00:22It's billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne!
00:27Number 20, Ant-Man It's fair to say that many kids grow up
00:35believing their parents are their very own superheroes.
00:38But things can get entirely too real when your dad arrives back from the quantum realm
00:44in a super shrinking suit.
00:46Ex-convict Scott Lang may be anything but a model citizen.
00:50However, the love and admiration he has for his daughter is evident through every one
00:55of his actions.
00:56In this scene, Scott finally becomes the hero he has always wanted to be for her.
01:05It's not only a significant moment for Scott as a father, but as a superhero.
01:17Number 19, Green Lantern No amount of revisionist history is going
01:22to make us think this movie was good.
01:25But one of its few highlights is the scene when Hal Jordan pays his sweetheart Carol
01:29Ferris a visit sometime after rescuing her.
01:32Though he's decked out in hideous CGI garb, he and eventually unmasks when Carol deduces
01:38his identity.
01:48It's a pretty funny sequence that pokes fun at how useless domino masks actually are
01:53at keeping someone's identity a secret.
01:56With a ring that can make practically anything, you'd think Hal could use it to make a costume
02:01that better hides who he is.
02:03But maybe that's just wishful thinking.
02:09Number 18, Batman Batman v Superman, Dawn of Justice
02:21Perhaps the Dark Knight's most fearsome adversary is his own mind, as this apocalyptic
02:29nightmare sequence was fueled by his deadly premonition of what a future with Superman
02:34held.
02:35Captured and detained, Batman stared face to face with an evil construct of the Kryptonian.
02:41Before Superman delivers a fatal blow to Batman's chest, he first unmasks him, bringing the
02:47once defender of justice to a mere mortal in the face of a god.
03:01Even if the film itself has a ton of problems, this unmasking scene is an undeniable highlight.
03:14Number 17, Daredevil Daredevil
03:21A true testament to a villain's wickedness is not just how they end their archnemesis,
03:26but also what they strip from them before they do it.
03:30Literally pinned against a wall, Daredevil lies defenseless as Kingpin makes his way
03:35to reveal his opponent's true identity.
03:43Upon being outed as Matthew Murdock, the notorious blind attorney from Hell's Kitchen, Daredevil
03:49is now forced to tear away from his vigilante persona and approach his final bout with Kingpin
03:55as nothing more than a man who's been driven to his brink.
03:58Daredevil proves victorious, but decides to spare his enemy.
04:07Number 16, Hawkgirl Justice League
04:18Nothing quite sets the mood like this memorable scene.
04:21Following a deadly encounter with a bomb set up by the Joker, Jon Stewart becomes gravely
04:27injured.
04:28While resting in the Watchtower's infirmary, Hawkgirl checks up on him.
04:32The near-death experience pushes him to finally talk about their will-they-won't-they relationship.
04:47And wishing to see what she really looks like underneath the winged helmet, he delicately
04:51unmasks her.
04:53It's the first time Jon and the fans see Shaira unmasked, and also the moment that
04:58finally propels them into a relationship after it being teased in multiple episodes.
05:04Many unmaskings are emotionally charged, but few are as passionate as this one is.
05:11Number 15, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man
05:19Everyone's got a little superhero in them.
05:21All it takes is a little motivation.
05:24Responding to a desperate father's distress call, Spider-Man leaps into action to save
05:29a young boy still trapped in one of the vehicles suspended by his webbing.
05:40Mask on or mask off, Spider-Man is a man of the people.
05:45So, in order to quell the child's unrest, Peter Parker hands his mask to him, exposing
05:51not only his identity, but also the fact that he's a human being, and perhaps just
05:56as terrified as everyone else.
06:02Number 14, The Flash, Justice League Unlimited
06:06Wacky hijinks ensue when the Justice League accidentally swaps the minds of Wally West
06:12and Lex Luthor.
06:18With Lex inside the Scarlet Spitzer's body, you can bet it spells trouble for everyone.
06:24When he hides himself from the League in a bathroom, he uses the most of the few moments
06:29of time he has by unmasking himself.
06:32But what should be a suspenseful moment quickly turns comedic when he reveals he's got no
06:38clue who the person underneath the mask is.
06:49The humorous moment also poses an interesting conundrum.
06:53What good is unmasking a superhero if you can't connect their face to a name?
06:58Number 13, Batman, The Dark Knight Rises
07:01The Caped Crusader really felt the wrath of
07:12Bane during this movie.
07:14When the two battle against each other, the villain is able to overcome Batman and brutally
07:20beat him.
07:21The cruel cherry on top is when he takes off part of Batman's mask and leaves him to
07:26be dragged off by his guards.
07:29It's a sickening moment, considering Bane hardly cared about Batman's secret identity.
07:35He didn't want to solve the mystery of who Batman is.
07:38He just wanted to further humiliate Bruce.
07:52Was breaking his back not enough?
07:54Way to kick him while he's already down.
07:56Number 12, The Flash, The Flash Be prepared to shed some tears for this one.
08:03When Barry Allen runs back in time to the night of his mom's death, he tries stopping
08:08it.
08:09But since doing that would damage the timeline, he makes the difficult choice to let history
08:13play out.
08:14The moment when Barry peels his mask off in front of his dying mom is the entire crux
08:19of this emotional scene.
08:33It gives Nora the reassurance that Barry will be okay and allows Barry a chance to properly
08:38say goodbye.
08:39He's not just revealing his identity, he's revealing his most vulnerable self to the
08:44viewers.
08:45This unmasking isn't just a standout in the superhero genre, but a moment that's
08:50one of the best in the entirety of the show.
09:02Number 11, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse
09:06After Miles discovers that the Prowler is actually his Uncle Aaron, the young Spider-Man
09:12finds himself unable to face the villain.
09:16When running away fails, the kid does the only thing he can think of and reveals his
09:20identity during a tense moment.
09:22The good news is that it definitely stops Aaron in his tracks.
09:34Unfortunately, this moment of hesitation gets him shot by his boss, Kingpin.
09:44Although Miles never meant for his uncle to get hurt, the unmasking tragically kicked
09:49off a series of events that led to Aaron's death.
09:53The sad event led the kid to finally realize the responsibilities and burdens associated
09:59with being Spider-Man.
10:10Number 10, Black Panther, Captain America Civil War
10:27Take a knee, Avengers, as you all now stand within the presence of royalty.
10:32The young Prince of Wakanda's pursuit of Bucky Barnes ends prematurely when the team
10:36is apprehended by German armed forces.
10:40However, in an attempt to ease tensions and preserve what is left of his nation's integrity,
10:46the Black Panther opts to relieve himself of his helmet, revealing his true identity.
10:58Unapologetic in his actions, T'Challa and Captain America share a lasting stare, signifying
11:04that this whole ordeal has become much more problematic than what was once perceived.
11:14Number 9, Daredevil, Daredevil
11:23During season 2, Matt Murdock constantly lies and disappoints Karen Page to maintain the
11:29secret of his double wife.
11:31But after he rescues her from evil members of the Hand Organization, he decides to stop
11:37lying.
11:38Matt convinces Karen to meet at their office so he can finally reveal the truth.
11:42Though we don't technically see Daredevil take the mask off his head, this scene still
11:47contains a major reveal.
11:58The striking visual of him holding the helmet in his hands still stays with us.
12:04While the reveal isn't elaborate, it's still tremendously effective.
12:09From this moment on, we knew that nothing would be the same between the two of them
12:13ever again.
12:14Number 8, Captain America, Captain America, Winter Soldier
12:24After Steve Rogers realizes that the brainwashed and deadly Winter Soldier enemy is his old
12:29friend Bucky Barnes, the two are forced to clash for the fate of the world.
12:34When the pair collides in the climax, it's clear that Steve's attempts at snapping
12:39Bucky out of his murderous trance are useless.
12:42That is, until Cap finally gives up fighting him and unmasks.
12:56It doesn't quite flip a switch for Bucky immediately, but the sight of his old friend's
13:00face and his refusal to turn away are enough to stop the assassin.
13:05Though Bucky long forgot who he was, Steve's unmasking is pivotal in jogging his memory
13:11And maybe just as importantly, it shows that Bucky still has some friends left.
13:16Number 7, Batman, Harley Quinn You might think that it's one of the main
13:21goals for a supervillain to finally unmask their arch nemesis.
13:25But that's not the case for all villains in the Harley Quinn show.
13:29When the Joker successfully seizes control of Gotham City, he captures Batman.
13:34But his enjoyment is halted when Scarecrow unmasks the Dark Knight.
13:39Joker gets so pissed off knowing who Batman is, that he proceeds to hilariously rant about
13:44Wayne Tech's empty promises.
13:47Yeah Bruce, where are those special vehicles that paint customers like the Joker were promised?
14:00He might have acted a tad bit overdramatic, but the subversive reaction to the unmasking
14:06provided some comedic gold.
14:08Wayne Tech promised an electric car by this year!
14:12I put a deposit down, where's my goddamn electric car Bruce?
14:16Number 6, Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Far From Home
14:20Spider-Man attacked me for some reason, he has an army of weaponized drones, Stark technology,
14:24he's saying he's the only one who's gonna be the new Iron Man, no one else.
14:28This moment had us all in shock.
14:31During the movie's mid-credits scene, a video broadcast goes out showing Mysterio
14:35framing Spider-Man for his murder.
14:38But that's not all, Mysterio soon publicly reveals to the world Spider-Man's secret
14:43identity.
14:56Not only was it a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, but it completely upped the ante for Peter
15:01in this universe.
15:02The forced reveal is so huge, that the next movie takes time to show us the immediate
15:08consequences of this decision.
15:10In short, Peter having his secret revealed and exposed to the world really messes things
15:15up.
15:16Although some people appreciate him, the unmasking still unravels his life and leaves him with
15:21a target on his back.
15:28If there's anything this fourth-wall-breaking superhuman has taught us, it's that beauty
15:41is only skin deep.
15:43Underneath Deadpool's cool and charismatic exterior is a face only a mother could love.
15:49And after hiding what his cancer-curing experimentation has brought him from the world, he is finally
15:54confronted with his long-lost lover who requests to see the face of her savior.
15:59A couple of quips and a bad Hugh Jackman joke later, Wade takes off his mask to reveal his
16:04disfigured face, only to realize that his girlfriend has never been more in love.
16:20Being a superhero is exhausting enough, however, being a superhero and a celebrity has got
16:26to be damn near impossible.
16:29Initially opting to not become a national public symbol, and to just be a really smart
16:33guy with a mechanized suit, Tony Stark uses a live press conference to address the speculation
16:39of the man behind the Iron Mask.
16:44Although he starts by trying to stick to the script, Tony has a sudden change of heart,
16:49adding to embrace his alter ego publicly.
16:52Meh, having a secret identity is overrated anyway.
16:56Truth is, I am Iron Man.
17:05Number 3, Rorschach, Watchmen.
17:16Is it possible for one to wear the mask so long that you forget who you truly are?
17:22This hard-boiled vigilante tests this idea after he discards his identity of Walter Kovacs
17:27for Rorschach.
17:32Just moments after Rorschach breaks into an apartment to interrogate a lead in his investigation,
17:38he's ambushed by police, leaving him nearly no chance of escape.
17:43A few minutes and a couple broken spines later, Rorschach gets pinned down by the remaining
17:49officers who forcibly remove his mask.
18:01Pleading for them to give him back his face, Walter must come face to face with the insanity
18:06he sought so long to escape.
18:13Number 2, Batman, Batman Returns.
18:21We're not so different, you and I.
18:27While there are some that regard Batman as a pillar of justice, there are just as many
18:31that see him as a common criminal, and that line never gets so blurred as when he's paired
18:36with Catwoman.
18:47In attempting to bring down crime boss Max Shrek, Batman must also prevent Catwoman from
18:52enacting her own form of justice.
18:54By discarding his crime-fighting facade, Bruce doesn't only reveal his identity to one of
18:59his most complex adversaries, but also professes his true feelings to the one woman he may
19:05forever be uncertain about.
19:08Of course, it takes Max Shrek a moment to put two and two together.
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19:35Number 1, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2.
19:39Underneath all the web-slinging, spidey senses, and superhuman strength, people tend to forget
19:45he's still just a kid from Queens.
19:48Even though he's been forced to ditch his mask during a fight with Doc Ock, Peter doesn't
19:53think twice.
19:54When he has to save a train full of people from crashing to their doom, using nothing
19:58but his own strength and webs to stop the runaway train, the superhero saves the day
20:03in the nick of time, but exposes his true identity to a whole host of witnesses.
20:09When he comes to, those grateful citizens make it clear to the young hero that his secret
20:15is safe with them.
20:18Is there a memorable hero unmasking we missed?
20:21Let us know in the comments.