Why does the Winter Soldier wear a mask?
He has no secret identity.
He hangs with Natasha Romanova and she doesn’t wear a mask.
Come to think of it there are a whole lotta mask wearing characters
who really have no need for one
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I always wonder why so many Marvel heroes whose identities are publicly known or don't maintain a civilian identity wore masks. Off the top of my head: Hawkeye, Yellowjacket, Wolverine, Iron Fist, Captain Mar-Vell, the Falcon and the Inhumans! Why would Black Bolt, their king, hide his face?
I know it's a super-hero convention but still....
Mike Grell’s run on Green Arrow is one my all time favorites.
As Grell’s Wikipedia entry relates, “He did away with Green
Arrow's arsenal of "trick arrows" and instead rearmed him
with penetrating broadheads with which he actually killed his
opponents.” There was also a scene in which Ollie starts to
put on his mask, frowns, then discards it.
Grell also did away with Ollie’s Robin Hood costume and
put him in modified street clothes including, in place of that
jaunty hat, a hoodie.
A mask might hide the eyes or an expression, giving the person an advantage in a fight. Some of them could use that justification, but not all. I imagine it's a design decision that in real life would never be made.
-- MSA
There is one reason why a select few of those heroes who have no identity to conceal might choose to wear a mask.
Not to anonymous, but to be inconspicuous.
Take Hawkeye during his first few years with the Avengers. He had no secret identity in the accepted sense. Yeah, he was Clint Barton (a name that would be thrust upon him later) and he had been a sideshow act before turning into a costumed character. But to all intents, he was Hawkeye, a super-hero and an Avenger. He didn't have a life outside the mask and outfit.
He had no-one to protect. No loved ones or co-workers from a civilian life whom would be endangered by revenge-seeking villains. He didn't have to keep his face hidden to prevent a civilian life from being turned upside down.
But there were times when it would be handy not to have his face readily known. Suppose on a rare day of Avenger downtime, he wants to take in a ball game, or grab a nice meal at the local steakhouse. Then he can put on a coat and tie and enjoy some quiet, pleasant time just being a regular guy. No-one's going to bother him for autographs or ply him with questions or comments. It's a chance to relax outside of the spotlight of being an Avenger.
I imagine quite a few Marvel heroes fell into this category. Not so much the DC guys, though.
As far as Green Arrow goes, as long as he had that distinctive forked beard, I always wondered why he bothered with the mask - anyone who saw Green Arrow and then saw Oliver Queen would think, "Geez, you don't see many beards like that. Hmmm...."
Well, as we I know they are terribly comfortable, and everyone will be wearing them in the future.
While this is a bit of ret-conning on my part, I like to theorize it's because they do something for the hero or villain.
For example:
Recently I listened to some very early Superman radio episodes on XM. Curiously in those early days the radio Superman went to great lengths to keep, not his identity, but his very existence secret! Not an easy trick when you're decked out in a costume as colorful as Supe's. Superman never wore a mask but as we all know his alter ego threw on a pair of glasses that fooled everyone for decades upon decades.