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DC's Birds of Prey Movie Villain is Reportedly Black Mask
Black Mask will reportedly be the villain of the Birds of Prey movie. Warner Bros. has continued to make strides when it comes to Margot Robbie’s next DC appearance. She’ll reprise her role as Harley Quinn early next year once the all-female team-up movie begins production. Harley won’t be the only DC female (anti)hero to make an appearance, though.
She’s going to be joined by Black Canary, Huntress, and others. However, who they’ll face largely remained a mystery. Previous reports indicated it would be someone who hasn't previously been seen on the big screen. If the latest report is true, that will indeed be the case.
The Wrap reports Batman villain Black Mask is going to be the main foe in Birds of Prey. This will be Roman Sionis aka Black Mask’s live-action debut. He's a main player in Gotham's underground crime world, making him a potentially great fit for the film.
Black Mask has long been the top choice for many to be the villain for Birds of Prey, so it's nice to finally see his name attached to the project - even if it isn't in an official capacity. His inclusion in this specific DC movie is rather intriguing given what we do know about the project. A recently revealed Birds of Prey plot synopsis ties the rescue of Cassandra Cain from a mysterious mob boss, who is now, undoubtedly, Black Mask. Why he has Cain under his control isn't yet clear, but it further illustrates the variety of crime that Black Mask could be involved in and why the Birds of Prey need to take him down.
This does, however, show the fluidity of DC's plans. Previous reports pointed to Penguin being the villain in either Birds of Prey or The Batman. Once the latter appeared to snag Oswald Cobblepot, then Birds of Prey had to turn to its plan B. In doing so, the movie looks to have ripped a page from another Harley-centric film. Black Mask was heavily teased to be the villain in David Ayer's Gotham City Sirens, but there has been little word on that project. His appearance here could further signal the dwindling chance of Sirens being made, or could be used as set up for him to appear again.
Now that most of the characters set to be in Birds of Prey have been revealed, it may not be too long before casting starts to be announced. A rumored shortlist for Black Canary and Huntress surfaced recently, and WB firmly knows what and who they're looking for. Whoever plays this part may not get a lot of face time, so a menacing voice and some name recognition could do the job. Hopefully, the choice of Black Mask proves to be the right one for Birds of Prey's villain.
