History BecomingTheMask / ComicBooks

** In UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks, Clark Kent was the mask worn by Superman. John Byrne's reboot turned Superman into the mask Clark Kent wore. It eventually came back around to Clark Kent and Superman both being masks that he wears. Even as Clark, he has to pretend and hide things about his character and nature. In a way, the only time he doesn't wear a mask is when he's married to ComicBook/LoisLane. He can be down to earth Clark, but also share about all the troubles of being Superman with her.

** In the Silver and UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks, ComicBook/LexLuthor initially only helped an alien race rebuild its civilization in order to gain their cooperation--but when they hailed him as a hero (even renaming their planet Lexor), he realized he ''liked'' being considered a good guy. Lexor became his home away from home for years, until the planet was accidentally destroyed in a fight with Supes in "ComicBook/LuthorUnleashed". This tragedy caused a major VillainousBreakdown.

** In the Silver Age, Batman was the mask Bruce Wayne wore, in a nod to ''Franchise/{{Zorro}}''. Bruce Wayne is now merely [[SecretIdentityIdentity Batman in disguise]] and not the reverse, and his subconscious calls him Batman, as seen in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. Like everything with Franchise/{{Batman}}, how much this is true varies [[DependingOnTheWriter from writer to writer]].

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* Franchise/SpiderMan

** Some comics have played with this, having Peter be more soft spoken as a civilian and when he’s Spider-Man Peter is a motormouth ThrillSeeker meaning the Spidey persona is a kind of outlet for his repressed emotions. While other comics (especially pre-''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'') show that Spider-Man is really just a mask which Peter will readily take off like in ''Amazing Spider-Man #50'' when he tearfully begs MJ to stay with him while they share CoolDownHug.
** ComicBook/BlackCat notable loves Spider-Man way more than she does Peter Parker (whom she perceives as boring) and actually urges Peter into BecomingTheMask and to forgo his civilian identity all together.
** Creator/NickSpencer adds a twist to this, during his run when Peter has a EnemyWithout scenario and the “Spider-Man” half of his personality becomes flesh. Unlike what you’d expect the Spidey half has all Peter’s GeniusBruiser intelligence yet unlike the “Peter Parker” half, is selfish and irresponsible, in many ways acting like Peter did after he got superpowers but before Uncle Ben was shot when learned with WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility. When they fuse back together, Peter is invigorated with all Spidey fun he has while costumed, which shows his real personality is actually closer to Spidey than it seems.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

** The ''ComicBook/HeroicAge'' incarnation, on the other hand, is a specific attempt by the Avengers to induce this. They're using incarcerated supervillains to do good in the hopes that they'll start liking it, and then try to redeem themselves.
* In Creator/MattFraction's ''Invincible Comicbook/IronMan'' run, Spymaster infiltrated Stark Resilient by posing as a scientist. He eventually fell in love with Tim, another Stark employee, and was unable to kill him after being ordered to abandon the ruse. Spymaster was so wracked with guilt by this that he told the police to apologize to Tim for him right before [[SuicideByCop forcing them to shoot him]].

* V from ''Comicbook/VForVendetta''. Who he is under the mask is unimportant, as the mask is a symbol of what he truly is.

* A long running plot-point of ''ComicBook/StrangersInParadise'' was the "Parker Girl" operation, women who would assume long-term, deep-cover identities and get involved with influential men in order to manipulate politics from behind the scenes. However, when the operation collapsed after the death of Darcy Parker, many Parker Girls were trapped in their cover identities, unable to extricate themselves from the lives they had established. In ''Comicbook/{{Echo}}'', the next series written by author Terry Moore, there is a {{crossover}} with ''[=SiP=]'' as a character makes contact with some of the women still living their cover identities. Lieutenant Laura Higgs, who used be a Parker Girl named Stephanie who was infiltrating the U.S. Military, asserts that she has a life now and refuses to give up the world she has built. "[[ThatManIsDead Stephanie's dead]]. I'm Laura Higgs now."

* ComicBook/{{Loki}} is on the way to this if the powers that be let them with the mask being ''their child-self''. [[spoiler:He died to be reborn as a child (''Comicbook/JourneyIntoMysteryGillen''), but also left a copy of his old consciousness behind to [[BodySnatcher obliterate the child and take over his body]] when the time is right, to basically pull a MemoryGambit. Now the new Loki born out of this is stuck between two different roles (''Comicbook/YoungAvengers''), and tries very hard to become the mask (''Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard''), because it's preferable to the [[ChronicVillainy alternative]].]]

* Happened several times to the Skrull impostor(s) posing as Hank Pym during the ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion''. Apparently a side-effect of the enhanced shape shifting they were using to escape detection. One issue revealed that they went through no less than 4 different Skrulls who EACH KEPT TRYING TO DEFECT once they settled into the role.