History Main / MarqueeAlterEgo

* In the ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' manga and anime, Hinata and the other members of Hyuga clan all have white irides and pupils. The live-action stage show instead depicts Hinata with normal-looking eyes, albeit with blue contact lenses.

** ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} subverts this and remains under his glasses/visor in all scenes except for brief glimpses where he has his eyes shut. Justified in that his eyes constantly fire energy blasts so the audience can never get a good look at them.

** The ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' SpinOff plays with this. This time, Deadpool does wear his iconic costume and mask, and his face underneath is disfigured, but there are also a lot of {{Flashback}}s showing a pre-Deadpool Wade Wilson, ensuring that we get plenty of shots of Ryan Reynolds' handsome mug. However, the ''marketing'' focused almost exclusively on Deadpool in costume, except for literally ''one'' poster where his original face is visible.

** [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesMystique Mystique]] is a shapeshifter with a blue-skinned natural form played by world-famous supermodel Creator/RebeccaRomijn. She had at least one "cameo" per movie without the mutant make-up.

** Due to the run time of each movie, we get a lot of Bruce Wayne out of the Batsuit as well. Justified in that the ''Batman Begins'' is an origin story and ''The Dark Knight Rises'' deals with him coming out of retirement or recuperating from a broken back.

* ''Film/KingKong''
** In ''Film/{{King Kong|2005}}'' (2005), Creator/AndySerkis' main role was obviously Kong himself, but he also had an appearance as a human character in the ship's crew.

* Creator/SylvesterStallone only spends about ten minutes with his helmet on in ''Film/JudgeDredd'', despite the fact that in the comics we have ''never'' seen Dredd with his helmet off (At least, not when he wasn't wearing some face-altering disguise or covered in bandages).

** In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', Steve Rogers spends a lot of time not wearing the half-mask hood -- sometimes as himself, and other times with it simply pushed back. At one point, he wears a helmet instead. Probably justified, because it's not like he really ''has'' a SecretIdentity in this 'verse.
** The ComicBook/RedSkull spends about half the movie wearing Creator/HugoWeaving's face before he finally [[DramaticUnmask dramatically peels it off]].

** Peter has his mask taken off several times in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' as well, while the Shocker straight up doesn't wear one at all. In an inversion, the Vulture wears a face-obscuring helmet despite not having one in the comics (Justified as the get-up is a flight suit, with the mask being an oxygen mask that resembles one worn by a fighter pilot).

** In ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} gets this treatment, as he is shown without the trademark FishbowlHelmet in some scenes. There's even a justification for maskless Spider-Man in one scene, as Nick Fury notes everyone in his MissionControl knows who Peter is and tells him that he can take it off. [[spoiler:Fury himself is a film-long case, revealing himself in TheStinger to be the aforementionned Talos, shedding off his Creator/SamuelLJackson face to turn back into Mendelsohn with makeup when the ordeal's over.]]

** ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'': In the comics, Talos lacks the Skrull's classic VoluntaryShapeshifting abilities and instead has SuperStrength. In this movie, however, [[AdaptationalSuperpowerChange he does have the shapeshifting powers]], and in fact has some scenes where he switches to human form and infiltrates ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}. This gives Creator/BenMendelsohn an excuse to get out of his Skrull costume [=/=] prosthetics and show his actual face for the part of the movie where Talos impersonates Fury's boss (to make it hard to realize it's still Mendelsohn, he adapts an American accent for these scenes, while using his own Australian accent in Talos's default form). It also serves as an example of Administrivia/TropesAreTools, as the Skrulls are shapeshifters, allowing them to adopt whatever guise serves their purpose.

** In ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} gets this treatment, as he is shown without the trademark FishbowlHelmet in some scenes. There's even a justification for maskless Spider-Man in one scene, as Nick Fury ([[spoiler:actually Talos]]) notes everyone in his MissionControl knows who Peter is and tells him that he can take it off.

** An interesting case with the Cobra Commander and Destro. In the first film, Cobra Commander (played by Creator/JosephGordonLevitt) has his face covered by a half-mask most of the time and the visible part of his face is horribly scarred. When he finally removes his mask he only does so for a few seconds before exchanging it for an entirely new one that covers his entire face (we do get to see his actual face in flashbacks, though). In the sequel, his face is never seen (possibly to cover the fact that he's played by an entirely different actor) as he wears his iconic helmet all the time. Meanwhile, in the first film, Destro's face is always shown as that of a regular human right until the end, where he gets disfigured and Cobra Commander injects him with a compound that turns his face metallic. In the sequel, his metallic face is only seen for a few seconds behind a glass pane at the beginning, and never again.

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'' often had the majority of the focus on Bill Bixby's Dr. Banner, with Creator/LouFerrigno's Hulk often only showing up for fight scenes and action sequences. This is simultaneously an inversion, considering that the Hulk is the title character and Ferrigno himself is a name actor.
* ''Series/{{The Tick|2001}}'' redesigned the title character so that the face of Creator/PatrickWarburton is completely unmasked. Arthur spends a lot of time completely out of costume, also.

** Storm Shadow rarely wears his ninja mask in both ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' and [[Film/GIJoeRetaliation its sequel]]. Even when he does wear his mask at certain scenes, he'd take his time to take it off when facing Snake Eyes.
** Averted with Snake Eyes himself. His mask never comes off even once on either film. We only get to see his face as a child in some flashbacks, but his adult visage is a mystery.

* Creator/UniversalPictures executives ''wanted'' this trope to apply to Creator/JimCarrey when he played The Grinch in ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'', pushing for less-Seussian makeup than what Rick Baker had designed, and Carrey and director Creator/RonHoward got so fed up with this that one makeup test they sent for the executives to consider was just Carrey painted green. The executives finally accepted the elaborate Grinch makeup/costume, the movie was a huge hit and Baker won an Oscar.

But what happens when such a character is brought over into live-action? In the world of Hollywood, any actor with the clout to play said character is probably recognizable to the degree of bankability. Therefore the actor and producers will want the audience to see the actor's face as much as possible, particularly during highly dramatic moments. This isn't just about vanity - an actor's face and facial expressions are vital in "selling" the acting in media such as film where body language matters. (Keep in mind that comic books or prose narratives offer other methods of conveying the same information, rendering it less important to see the character's true face.)

Another factor to consider is that masks, prosthetics, elaborate costumes, etc. can become very uncomfortable if worn for extended periods. The filmmakers may also feel that a character's classic get-up just looks too silly if the character is doing anything but fighting.

* Strangely, ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' has Fiona turning back into a human for a while (with ''Shrek'' turning into a human as well) -- maybe just to get mileage out of the model. Maybe the animators hoped to use it in promotional material that [[LateArrivalSpoiler wouldn't spoil viewers who hadn't seen the first one yet]].

* Both sequels to ''Film/TheSantaClause'' feature a plotline that turns fat, old, jolly Saint Nick back into Tim Allen. This was at least partly because Creator/TimAllen had an allergic reaction to the makeup used in the first movie and wanted to minimize the time spent in it in the sequels.

** ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} has a mask in the comics but Creator/BryanSinger could not find a suitable reason to give him a mask in the movie, not to mention, they had trouble making it look good in live-action. That said, Wolverine still has an iconic look out of his mask so the effect is not that noticeable.
** ComicBook/{{Mystique}} is played by world-famous supermodel Creator/RebeccaRomijn, and has the power to take any form. She had at least one "cameo" per movie without make-up.

** The ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' SpinOff plays with this. Deadpool does wear his iconic costume and mask this time, but there are also a lot of {{Flashback}}s showing a pre-Deadpool Wade Wilson, ensuring that we get plenty of shots of Ryan Reynolds' handsome mug. However, the ''marketing'' focused almost exclusively on Deadpool in costume, except for literally ''one'' poster where his original face is visible.

** More strikingly, ComicBook/{{Bane}} spends the whole of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' in a mouth-and-nose-concealing mask, with a brief, maskless view in a flashback. In the same movie, Comicbook/{{Catwoman}} wears driving goggles that look a little like her iconic mask but these scenes are few and far between.
** Due to the run time of each movie, we get a lot of Bruce Wayne out of the batsuit as well. Justified in that the first one is an origin story and the third one deals with him coming out of retirement or recuperating from a broken back.

** Also happens at the end of each movie. Excuses are constantly made to show his face, mostly due to battle damage. Usually thanks to rips and tears that are magically fixed by the credits.
** All the movies ''and'' the reboot are pretty bad about him deliberately taking off his mask at times that nobody who felt the need to wear one so ''bad guys won't learn his identity and go kill his family'' would ever do so. Apparently, keeping the actor's eyeballs onscreen at all times, as if we'll forget what he looks like if he spends two minutes straight in the mask, is more important than the character's actions ''not'' being absolutely nonsensical.

** Since it is an origin story, we have several scenes of Peter learning how to use his powers out of costume, including his very first battle, which he stumbles into by accident.

** Peter does remove his mask in a deleted scene when searching the sewer for The Lizard. You'd think he'd want to keep it on so as to diminish the smell.

*** In the Time Heist, our Cap doesn't wear his helmet so he can be told apart from the 2012 Cap when they cross paths by chance.

* Downplayed in ''Film/{{Power Rangers|2017}}''. The Rangers' helmets cover their faces in battle, but also have open-faced modes, which they default to while piloting their Zords. A couple of teams in the actual show could do that, but not the originals.

* In the video game ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Conviction'', Sam Fisher starts the game wearing a dressed-down ensemble and a standard gun, which is a far cry from the iconic infiltration suit getup he wore in the first three games. Over the course of ''Conviction'', though, he eventually reverts back to the original getup by obtaining several key pieces of equipment (including his signature gun and trademark goggles).

** Despite the oath [[Characters/StarWarsTheMandalorianCharacterSheet Din Djarin]], played by Creator/PedroPascal, took as a Child of the Watch never to reveal his face to another living thing, it doesn't feel like he can ever go a whole season of ''Series/TheMandalorian'' without letting the viewers see it at least once. His unmaskings across the first two seasons not only allow Pascal and the director to convey emotions too powerful for Din's subdued body language, but also symbolize Din learning to let his guard down, and/or prioritizing his paternal responsibilities above a tradition that some Mandalorians have already abandoned. [[spoiler:After he removes his helmet in the Season 2 finale, while bidding farewell to Grogu, he leaves it off for the remainder of the episode.]]

** While [[Characters/StarWarsBobaFett Boba Fett]] never appeared in the Original Trilogy without his helmet, he regularly unveils himself in the Creator/DisneyPlus shows, as portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison. ''Series/TheMandalorian'' explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and he doesn't regain it until Chapter 14. Even after that, his lack of affiliation to a Mandalorian tribe means that unlike such Mandos as the zealous Children of the Watch, he follows [[Film/AttackOfTheClones his father's lead]] of disregarding any rules that would prevent him from revealing his face to other people. ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' takes this trope to another degree, when the acid scars and bleached skin he developed in the Sarlaac Pit start healing, allowing Morrison to perform with less prosthetic makeup covering his face than in ''Mandalorian'' Season 2.

** While [[Characters/StarWarsBobaFett Boba Fett]] never appeared in the Original Trilogy without his helmet, he regularly unveils himself in the Creator/DisneyPlus shows, as portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison. ''Series/TheMandalorian'' explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and he doesn't regain it until Chapter 14. Even after that, his lack of affiliation to a Mandalorian tribe means that unlike such Mandos as Child of the Watch [[Characters/StarWarsTheMandalorianCharacterSheet Din Djarin]], he follows [[Film/AttackOfTheClones his father's lead]] of disregarding any rules that would prevent him from revealing his face to other people. ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' takes this trope to another degree, when the acid scars and bleached skin he developed in the Sarlaac Pit start healing, allowing Morrison to perform with less prosthetic makeup covering his face than in ''Mandalorian'' Season 2.
** Despite the oath Din Djarin, played by Creator/PedroPascal, took as a child never to reveal his face to another living thing, it doesn't feel like he can ever go a whole season of ''Series/TheMandalorian'' without letting the viewers see it at least once. His unmaskings across the first two seasons not only allow Pascal and the director to convey emotions too powerful for Din's subdued body language, but also symbolize Din learning to let his guard down, and/or prioritizing his paternal responsibilities above a zealous tradition that some Mandalorians have already abandoned. [[spoiler:After he removes his helmet in the Season 2 finale, while bidding farewell to Grogu, he leaves it off for the remainder of the episode.]]

* The Creator/DisneyPlus ''Franchise/StarWars'' shows have [[Characters/StarWarsBobaFett Boba Fett]] regularly appear unmasked, as portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison.
** ''Series/TheMandalorian'' explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and he doesn't regain it until Chapter 14. Even after that, his lack of affiliation to a Mandalorian tribe means that unlike such Mandos as Child of the Watch [[Characters/StarWarsTheMandalorianCharacterSheet Din Djarin]], he follows [[Film/AttackOfTheClones his father's lead]] of disregarding any rules that would prevent him from revealing his face to other people.
** ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' took this trope to another degree: ''The Mandalorian'' Season 2 depicted Boba with acid scars and pale skin, signs of the physical damage he received after falling into the Sarlacc Pit. These appear to have started healing by the events of ''The Book'', allowing Temuera Morrison to perform with less prosthetic makeup covering his face.
* While ''Series/TheMandalorian'' protagonist Din Djarin, played by Creator/PedroPascal, swore as a child never to reveal his face to another living thing, it doesn't feel like he can ever go a whole season without letting the viewers see it at least once. His unmaskings across the first two seasons not only allow Pascal and the director to convey emotions too powerful for Din's subdued body language, but also symbolize Din learning to let his guard down, and/or prioritizing his paternal responsibilities above a zealous tradition that some Mandalorians have already abandoned. [[spoiler:Eventually, Din even spends the last few minutes of the Season 2 finale leaving his head uncovered, while bidding farewell to Grogu.]]

* While ''Series/TheMandalorian'' protagonist Din Djarin, played by Creator/PedroPascal, swore as a child never to reveal his face to another living thing, it doesn't feel like he can ever go a whole season without letting the viewers see it at least once, beginning with [[spoiler:when he has to get treated for a fatal head wound]] in the Season 1 finale. Season 2 [[spoiler:has one episode in which Din must have his face electronically scanned in exchange for Moff Gideon's coordinates, apparently just to disprove himself as one of the Imperials' known enemies, then later has Din spend the last few minutes of the finale unmasked, after he removes his helmet while saying goodbye to Grogu.]]

* While ''Series/TheMandalorian'' protagonist Din Djarin, played by Creator/PedroPascal, swore as a child never to reveal his face to another living thing, it doesn't feel like he can ever go a whole season without letting the viewers see it at least once. Season 2 in particular [[spoiler:has Din spend the last few minutes of the finale unmasked, after he removes his helmet while saying goodbye to Grogu.]]

* The Creator/DisneyPlus ''Franchise/StarWars'' shows have [[Characters/StarWarsBobaFett Boba Fett]] regularly appear unmasked, as portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison. ''Series/TheMandalorian'' explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and he doesn't regain it until Chapter 14. Even after that, his lack of affiliation to a Mandalorian tribe means that unlike such Mandos as Child of the Watch [[Characters/StarWarsTheMandalorianCharacterSheet Din Djarin]], he follows [[Film/AttackOfTheClones his father's lead]] of disregarding any rules that would prevent him from revealing his face to other people.

* Justified in ''Film/GreenLantern'', where Hal Jordan's DominoMask explicitly only appears when he's trying to hide his identity. (Hilariously, in one scene where he ''does'' try and hide it from Carol Ferris, it fails spectacularly as she quickly sees through the act.)

* The Creator/DisneyPlus ''Franchise/StarWars'' shows have [[Characters/StarWarsBobaFett Boba Fett]] regularly appear unmasked, as portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison. ''Series/TheMandalorian'' explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and he doesn't regain it until Chapter 14. Even after that, his lack of affiliation to a Mandalorian tribe means that unlike such Mandos as Child of the Watch [[Characters/StarWarsTheMandalorianCharacterSheet Din Djarin]], he doesn't have to follow a rule stating never to reveal his face to another living thing.

** Similarly, with Creator/DavidCronenberg's take on ''Film/{{The Fly|1986}}'', there was some trouble finding an actor willing to play a character who starts out attractive and slowly, inexorably becomes more and ''more'' and '''more''' diseased-looking and repulsive-acting (the final full-body makeup stage took a full five hours to apply). But Creator/JeffGoldblum loved the script and saw the prospect as an exciting challenge, and the result was his StarMakingRole.

** ComicBook/TheFalcon doesn't wear a mask ''at all'', even though he has one in the comics. He does have a pair of goggles, but only wears them while flying.

** In interviews, Creator/MarkRuffalo has joked about the fact that he doesn't get to be on posters. With the exception of a handful of character posters from the first ''Avengers'' film, "his" appearances on posters are appearances of the Hulk instead. ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' breaks the trend, with Ruffalo appearing as Bruce on the cast posters. [[spoiler:This was to hide the fact that Bruce and Hulk have undergone a SplitPersonalityMerge.]]

** ''Film/AntMan1'' plays with it. Scott actually does keep his mask on whenever he's using his powers (because in this continuity, the helmet is a life-support system, meaning he ''needs it to live'' while shrinking). However, when he has it on but isn't using his powers, he often flips up the face plate so we can see Creator/PaulRudd under the helmet. Like many of the examples above, the movie also has a huge number of scenes where Scott is not wearing the costume at all. {{Averted|Trope}} with ComicBook/TheWasp, who is ''only'' ever seen with her mask on in flashbacks.

** Director Creator/TaikaWaititi's wanting to play up Creator/JeffGoldblum's natural appeal was ''part'' of the reason the Grandmaster isn't blue-skinned as he is in the comics. The other part is that Goldblum had '''already''' played a blue-skinned extraterrestrial in ''Film/EarthGirlsAreEasy''! Instead, this Grandmaster has blue eyeliner and a chin stripe, along with blue fingernails and toenails. This look also makes his appearance of a piece with that of the Collector from previous MCU entry ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', as the characters are brothers in the comics continuity.

** In ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'', a major character is Talos the Skrull. In the comics, Talos lacks the Skrull's classic VoluntaryShapeshifting abilities and instead has SuperStrength. In this movie, however, [[AdaptationalSuperpowerChange he ''does'' have the shapeshifting powers]], and in fact has some scenes where he switches to human form and infiltrates ComicBook/{{SHIELD}}. This is done to give his actor, Creator/BenMendelsohn, an excuse to get out of his Skrull costume [=/=] prosthetics and show his actual face. It also serves as an example of Administrivia/TropesAreTools, as the Skrulls are shapeshifters, allowing them to adopt whatever guise serves their purpose.
** In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', when [[spoiler:all the snapped heroes come BackFromTheDead and [[TheCavalry join the surviving heroes against Thanos]], everyone who wears a mask (Star-Lord, Spider-Man, Black Panther, the Wasp, Pepper Potts in the Rescue armor, etc.) immediately removes it before the charge, and after it begins are all back in place.]]
** In ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', ComicBook/{{Mysterio}} gets this treatment, as he is shown without the trademark FishbowlHelmet in some scenes. There's even a justification for maskless Spider-Man in one scene, as Nick Fury notes everyone in his MissionControl knows who Peter is and tells him that he can take it off.

* In ''Film/TheFugitive'' the plot calls for Dr. Kimble to spend most of the movie in disguise; the filmmakers deliberately had him start out some distance from Creator/HarrisonFord's usual look, so that when he disguised himself by dying his hair and shaving off his beard he became the Harrison Ford audiences were paying to see.

* In the film adaptation of ''Film/TheATeam'', the title team goes through passport control in various disguises. Hannibal Smith, with his usual gray hair dyed black, is essentially disguised as Creator/LiamNeeson.

* ''Series/WandaVision'' has several scenes of ComicBook/TheVision's trademark red, metallic face being transformed into Creator/PaulBettany's natural one, especially when he is in public (e.g., at work), or having guests over at his and Wanda's place. Assuming a WatsonianVersusDoylist perspective, the Watsonian reason was for Vision assist in Wanda's desire for them to fit in into their suburban setting by posing as an ordinary human being. The Doylist reason was likely for Bettany to spend less time in his Vision makeup. In the sixth episode, Vision [[DefiedTrope intentionally refuses totransform into human form]] on the grounds that since they were celebrating Halloween, [[ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself Vision could get away with keeping his red face]].

* The Creator/DisneyPlus ''Franchise/StarWars'' shows have Boba Fett regularly appear unmasked, as portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison. ''Series/TheMandalorian'' explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and he doesn't regain it until Chapter 14. Even after that, his lack of affiliation to a Mandalorian tribe means that unlike such Mandos as Child of the Watch Din Djarin, he doesn't have to follow a rule stating never to reveal his face to another living thing.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'':
** Averted for the title character, Din Djarin. Boba Fett in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' was such a BreakoutCharacter that he inspired an entire ProudWarriorRace of Mandalorians in the expanded universe that were closely identified with his IconicOutfit armor. When it came time to make a TV series focused on one of them, Creator/PedroPascal stayed fully suited-up for the majority of his scenes as Din, an adopted Child of the Watch; the first two seasons each only showed his face either near or during the end.
** Played straight when Boba Fett became a recurring character, portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison. The show explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and he doesn't regain it until his third appearance. Even after that, Boba's lack of affiliation to the Children of the Watch means that he doesn't have to follow their extremist rule against publicly unveiling the members' faces.

-->-- '''Strong Bad''', ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'' "Comic Book Movie"

** Averted for the title character, Din Djarin. Boba Fett in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' was such a BreakoutCharacter that he inspired an entire ProudWarriorRace of Mandalorians in the expanded universe that were closely identified with his IconicOutfit armor. When it came time to make a TV series focused on one of them, Creator/PedroPascal stayed fully suited-up for the majority of his scenes as Din, an adopted Child of the Watch; the first two seasons each only showed his face near their respective endings.

-->-- '''[[WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail Strong Bad]]''', ''Comic Book Movie''

* Both sequels to ''Film/TheSantaClause'' feature a plotline that turns fat, old, jolly Saint Nick back into Tim Allen. This was at least partly because Tim Allen had an allergic reaction to the makeup used in the first movie and wanted to minimize the time spent in it in the sequels.

* While the back-and-forth transformations between Ben Grimm and The Thing are a staple of early ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' comics, [[Film/FantasticFour2005 the Tim Story movies]] spend a lot of time with a non-deformed ComicBook/DoctorDoom. The second one goes to especially great lengths to get Julian [=McMahon=] out of his metal mask.

** ComicBook/{{Mystique}} is played by world-famous supermodel Rebecca Romijn, and has the power to take any form. She had at least one "cameo" per movie without make-up.

** And in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' and ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', Mystique (now played by Creator/JenniferLawrence) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult) spend more time in human guise than in their blue-skinned/furred forms. Lawrence does have more time in her blue form in the middle film, but still has quite a few scenes in her human disguise. ''Film/DarkPhoenix'' also has Mystique becoming Lawrence a few times, though Beast remains blue the whole movie.
** A very controversial case happened in ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' where we see a maskless ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} (played by Creator/RyanReynolds) for the first part of the film, only to disappear and come back for the climax, still with no mask but with [[MouthStitchedShut his mouth sewn shut]] instead. Though this differs from some cases since the sewn up Deadpool (AKA Weapon XI) was mostly another actor altogether (Scott Adkins), rather than Ryan Reynolds. It had less to do with showing the actor's face and more to do with a bizarre desire to not adapt the iconic costume.

* Used with Batman in ''Film/BatmanReturns''. He takes his mask off when trying to talk Catwoman down from killing Schreck. There seems to be little reason for Batman to show his identity in front of two villains, other than to give Michael Keaton some more face time for the dramatic final scene.

** Creator/JimCarrey spends about half his screentime wearing the famous Riddler DominoMask, which makes sense, considering it doesn't hide much of his face.

** In ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow spends almost ''all'' his time out of the mask, only putting it on for a few seconds at a time when he's using the fear gas.

** More strikingly, Bane spends the whole of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' in a mouth-and-nose-concealing mask, with a brief, maskless view in a flashback. In the same movie, Comicbook/{{Catwoman}} wears driving goggles that look a little like her iconic mask but these scenes are few and far between.

** In ''Film/{{King Kong|2005}}'' (2005), Andy Serkis' main role was obviously Kong himself, but he also had an appearance as a human character in the ship's crew.

* Pointedly averted with Karl Urban in ''Film/{{Dredd}}'': the only time he is seen without his helmet is at the beginning of the film as he gets dressed for work and it's too dark to see his face at all. (Reportedly, the producers asked Urban if this would be a problem and, as a PromotedFanboy, Urban said it would be a problem if they ''did'' show his face).
* Billy Zane gets a lot of face time in ''Film/{{The Phantom|1996}}'', considering he's playing a character whose face is never shown clearly in the comics.

** In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', Cap makes a point of removing his mask/helmet when he is taunted by Batroc on the ''Lemurian Star,'' presumably so Chris Evans can have a good unmasked fight sequence. [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes The Winter Soldier]] also spends a significant of time unmasked after his mask gets knocked off halfway through the movie. Like Tony in ''Iron Man 3'', Cap also spends a significant portion of the film in street clothes without any sort of costume at all.

** In interviews, Mark Ruffalo has joked about the fact that he doesn't get to be on posters. With the exception of a handful of character posters from the first ''Avengers'' film, "his" appearances on posters are appearances of the Hulk instead. ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' breaks the trend, with Ruffalo appearing as Bruce on the cast posters. [[spoiler:This was to hide the fact that Bruce and Hulk have undergone a SplitPersonalityMerge.]]

** In the comics, Hela wears a mask as part of her trademark CoolHelmet in order to hide her decaying face. In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Hela only has the mask in a select few scenes (even while wearing the helmet) and is still [[AdaptationalAttractiveness gorgeous without it]].

** Much like the Batman example, Black Panther usually has white lenses on his mask in the comics. In the live-action ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'' film, he has the white lenses, but they can be retracted to show off his eyes. His costume also has an InstantArmor aspect, meaning he can unmask at a moment's notice for scenes requiring dramatic acting. That last part ''is'' straight from the comics, at least.

** In ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', Mysterio gets this treatment, as he is shown without the trademark FishbowlHelmet in some scenes. There's even a justification for maskless Spider-Man in one scene, as Nick Fury notes everyone in his MissionControl knows who Peter is and tells him that he can take it off.

* ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'' has his mask ripped off right before his final fight with ComicBook/TheKingpin, while Bullseye doesn't wear a mask at all.

* During one scene of ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', we see Bill Nighy instead of Davy Jones.

* Universal Pictures executives ''wanted'' this trope to apply to Creator/JimCarrey when he played The Grinch in ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'', pushing for less-Seussian makeup than what Rick Baker had designed, and Carrey and director Ron Howard got so fed up with this that one makeup test they sent for the executives to consider was just Carrey painted green. The executives finally accepted the elaborate Grinch makeup/costume, the movie was a huge hit and Baker won an Oscar.

** An interesting case with the Cobra Commander and Destro. In the first film, Cobra Commander (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has his face covered by a half-mask most of the time and the visible part of his face is horribly scarred. When he finally removes his mask he only does so for a few seconds before exchanging it for an entirely new one that covers his entire face (we do get to see his actual face in flashbacks, though). In the sequel, his face is never seen (possibly to cover the fact that he's played by an entirely different actor) as he wears his iconic helmet all the time. Meanwhile, in the first film, Destro's face is always shown as that of a regular human right until the end, where he gets disfigured and Cobra Commander injects him with a compound that turns his face metallic. In the sequel, his metallic face is only seen for a few seconds behind a glass pane at the beginning, and never again.

* For the first season or so of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', Stephen Amell's version of Ollie never wore a mask. It wasn't until late in the second season that he finally started sporting a variation of his DominoMask from the comics. Ditto for Colton Haynes' Roy Harper, who doesn't even start wearing a costume until Season 3.
* In the ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'' television series from the sixties, Creator/AdamWest and Burt Ward spent most of the episodes in masks, albeit without white lenses like the masks from the comics. Considering the series was aimed mostly at children, this makes sense. It is, however, played straight with Frank Gorshin who played the Riddler. Apparently, the Riddler mask was uncomfortable so Frank whipped it off every chance he had. The Joker canonically doesn't wear a mask ''per se'' (whether he uses makeup or his face is just permanently white varies), but unlike most interpretations, Cesar Romero's Joker was ''never'' seen without his full iconic Clown White face, averting the trope. This may partially have been because Romero refused to shave his mustache and they were trying to avoid drawing attention to the fact that it was just covered over with makeup.

* ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'' often had the majority of the focus on Bill Bixby's Dr. Banner, with Lou Ferrigno's Hulk often only showing up for fight scenes and action sequences. This is simultaneously an inversion, considering that the Hulk is the title character and Ferrigno himself is a name actor.

* ''Series/WandaVision'' has several scenes of ComicBook/TheVision's trademark red, metallic face being transformed into Creator/PaulBettany's natural one, especially when he is in public (e.g., at work), or having guests over at his and Wanda's place. Assuming a WatsonianVersusDoylist perspective, the Watsonian reason was for Vision assist in Wanda's desire for them to fit in into their suburban setting by posing as an ordinary human being. The Doylist reason was likely for Bettany to spend less time in his Vision makeup. In [[Recap/WandaVisionEpisode6AllNewHalloweenSpooktacularVision the sixth episode]], Vision [[DefiedTropes intentionally transforms into human form]] on the grounds that since they were celebrating Halloween, [[ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself Vision could get away with keeping his red face]].

* ComicBook/{{Deadshot}} is rarely without his mask in the comics or on TV[[note]] [[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E4TaskForceX Task Force X is notable exception]][[/note]], but in ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' he almost never wears his mask, lest Creator/WillSmith's face be hidden.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' has an interesting aversion. Boba Fett in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' was such a BreakoutCharacter that he inspired an entire ProudWarriorRace of Mandalorians in the expanded universe that were closely identified with his IconicOutfit armor. When it came time to make a TV series focused on one of them, Creator/PedroPascal stayed fully suited-up for the majority of his scenes as Din Djarin, an adopted Child of the Watch; the first two seasons each only showed his face near their respective endings. Played straight when Boba Fett became a recurring character, portrayed by Creator/TemueraMorrison; the show explains that Boba lost his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', and doesn't return it to him until his third appearance. Even after that, Boba's lack of affiliation to the Children of the Watch means that he doesn't have to follow their extremist rule against publicly unveiling the members' faces.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' has an interesting aversion. Boba Fett in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' was such a BreakoutCharacter that he inspired an entire ProudWarriorRace of Mandalorians in the expanded universe that were closely identified with his IconicOutfit armor. When it came time to make a TV series focused on one of them, Creator/PedroPascal stayed fully suited-up for the majority of his scenes as Din Djarin, an adopted Child of the Watch; the first two seasons each only showed his face near their respective endings. Played straight for actors who portray Mandalorians unaffiliated with the Children of the Watch, such as Creator/TemueraMorrison (Boba Fett) and Creator/KateeSackhoff (Bo-Katan Kryze); the rule that the extremist cult adheres against showing its members' faces doesn't apply to them. In Boba's first two appearances, Morrison also has the excuse of Boba losing his armor some time after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.