AS UNSEEN ON TV - THE BLACK MASK

'THE LIBRARIANS'

"AND THE FABLES OF DOOM"

Recently for a round of my daily "Who Dat?" game on Facebook, I submitted this picture as the contest.  It was quickly guessed as being John Larroquette, seen as Jenkins in 'The Librarians'.

I had written about the expanded picture in the past, talking about the TV connections for some of the items listed - like how the notation of "Tesla's Death Ray" would be a link to an episode of 'Murdoch Mysteries'.

So while looking at this close-up shot, another notation caught my eye as to being worthy of research:

"The Black Mask"

Here's what the wiki for 'The Librarians' had as its entry:

The Black Mask was mentioned by Jenkins among the immortals that could be injured, but not killed.[1].

In "And the Fables of Doom" it is implied the Black Mask can do strange things, possibly reality-warping, as one of the options for what could be causing fairy tales to be coming to life [which] Jenkins writes on the board. However, Jenkins quickly dismisses it, saying that "the Black Mask is not worth mentioning at this point."

I was curious as to whether or not there was some basis for the Black Mask in fantasy or mythology, so I conducted a Google search and I came across two pozz'ble entries:

The Black Mask is a key item in Final Fantasy II. It is obtained on the Tropical Island, and along with the White Mask, is necessary in obtaining the Crystal Rod.

and 

Black Mask's most prominent ability is his utilization of an ebony black mask which he wears. Per the events of the New 52, the mask possesses hypnosis-like mind controlling abilities that extend through the material of the masks that his henchmen wear, rendering them under his direct control. He has also killed his victims by applying toxin-filled masks to their faces, poisoning them to death and leaving their faces hideously shriveled and blackened.

If I'm not mistaken, "Final Fantasy" has been adapted for a movie, but it has not been used for TV.  The second Black Mask is from the comics world of "Batman" and that is well-ingrained in Toobworld, in fact in several of its alternate dimensions as well.  So even though "Final Fantasy" probably suits 'The Librarians' better, I'm going with the 'Batman' option since that Black Mask was also a person.

The official 'Batman' for the main Toobworld is the 1966 TV series starring Adam West, plus the movie spin-off during its run.  Every other series relating to the Caped Crusader would be trundled off to other TV dimensions - 'Gotham', 'Birds of Prey', those TV specials with the "celebrity" roasts....  Plus all of the animated 'Batman' shows would be bundled together into the Tooniverse.

Although 'Batman' of Earth Prime-Time ended in 1968, the lives of its characters continued off-screen.  And based on mentions made by characters in other TV shows, Batman continued in his work fighting crime.  But the general public now knew that Batman was in fact millionaire Bruce Wayne and that he worked out of a subterranean facility dubbed the Batcave.

Eventually, the original Batman was forced to retire, perhaps due to injury, at some point in the mid-1970s.  (In the TV dimension for 'Birds of Prey', it appears that their Batman had died.)  Yet TV characters continued to speak of him as still being active, even today.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine:
Payback 
Charles:
I love this!  We're like Batman and Alfred!
Jake:

You'd rather be Alfred than Robin? 
He has access to the batcave, 
plus, he gets to drive all of Batman's girlfriends home and dish.

See?  Spoken of in the present tense.

It's my theory (just in terms of Toobworld; doesn't have to be applied everywhere) that after Bruce Wayne was so severely injured in battle with one of his arch-nemeses he retired and Dick Grayson took his place as the new Batman.  In the meantime, Bruce Wayne revealed his secret identity in a tell-all book, which is why there are mentions in other shows of Wayne as Batman.  

Along with that autobiography, the shadow ops group known as UNREEL produced a TV show during the 1960s (starring Adam West) to convince the general public that Batman and Robin were fictional characters.  And that's how Jake and Charles knew about Alfred Pennyworth being the butler at stately Wayne manor. 

But in that book, Bruce Wayne never let on that he was no longer the Batman.  He wrote it as though he was still in action, thus taking the focus off of Dick Grayson as he continued on with the tradition.  (Of course, Wayne manor had to become a highly fortified compound with modern technology to ward off any intruders.  I'm thinking force field.)

Eventually, Grayson was taken out of action as well and since then there have been a slew of new Batmen serving Gotham City, each one taking on the identity of Bruce Wayne in much the same way as each new generation's Phantom was known to be Kit Walker.

So.  Where were we?  Oh yeah.  The Black Mask.

The Black Mask first appeared in the "Batman" comic books in the 1980s.  And since Toobworld's Batman was off-screen since 1968, I see no reason why the incarnation of the Caped Crusader in operation at that time couldn't have fought the televersion of the Black Mask.  We just weren't able to witness it on-screen from the Trueniverse.  

And although it seems that Batman's Black Mask was not an immortal, that doesn't mean it has to be the same situation in the TV Universe.  We've seen liberties taken before in the adaptations of 'Batman' to the small screen, especially in 'Gotham'.  Or it could be that the criminal somehow got the immortal's mask and used it for his own purposes.

Since that time when the Black Mask battled the Batman of the 1980s, the immortal/criminal is still at large in Toobworld, which is why Jenkins added him to the list of reasons why fairy tales were coming to life.  Ultimately the Library would like to acquire that black mask for its archives, if they don't get beaten to it by the agents of 'Warehouse 13'.

Sadly, Bruce Wayne finally passed away just this past year, as did Adam West who portrayed him on Toobworld TV....

BCnU!