The father of Roman Sionis, Richard Sionis was the president and head of Sionis Investments, having run the company for years before his health took a turn for the worse. He was reported to have had ties to criminal organisations, however their was no proof to corroborate these accusations. Richard was the founder of the False Face Society. He had a very estranged relationship with his son, however both shared a fascination for masks, hoarding a vast collection in his mansion. He was said to be "the premier collector of masks in the world."Sionis wanted to expand the False Face Societies' operations across Europe for many years, however did not allow Roman to lead this mission. Instead he set about looking for the perfect candidates; people who were hungry for power and had no connections to Sionis should the outpost fall.
Several years before he was taken ill, Selina Kyle and her former boyfriend David Franco stole Richard's credit card, using it to make numerous purchases. Upon discovering this, he tracked down the couple - after members of the Society kept tabs on them - and corned them in an alleyway. Getting out of his car, he mockingly interrupted Selina as she threatened her attackers, demanding to know what he intended to do to them. Calmly taking a punch to the face, Sionis' mask slipped off his face, introducing himself to the defiant thief. He remarked that he knew who they both were and what they had done with his stolen card.
Bringing the couple back to his home, Richard boasted about his collection, looking for a book - The History of Gotham - as David demanded to know what the collection had to do with them. Opening the book on the Faceless Mask, he began to explain that the object was as old as Gotham, adding that there were legends about it being cursed. Musing on the mask's return to Gotham, he coldly remarked that he wanted them to steal it from the Gotham Museum of Crime. Interrupting David's objection to the plan, he ordered his men to turn guns on them, reminding the couple that they had stolen from him - reasoning that he would overlook their transgression if they complied with his demand. Amused by Selina's demand to get paid for willingly accepting his boon, Richard humoured her explanation, finding all her points to be very compelling - that as they were two streets kids with no past connection to Sionis, as well as being highly talented thieves, thirty thousand dollars would allow them both to leave Gotham, whilst he got the Faceless Mask. Agreeing to her terms, he remarked that he liked her spirit. He let them go, satisfied by Selena's promise that the mask would be in his collection by the next morning.
Watching the news, Richard smirked at the breaking reports of a burglary at the Museum of Crime, he sarcastically remarked at the anchor's comment that nobody knew the culprits of the crime. He is approached by a society member, who notified the boss that Selina and David were there to see him with the stolen mask. When David knocked out the henchmen and turned the gun on him - much to the surprise of Selina - Richard warned him not to make threats. He smiled as he watched David was shot by a hidden loyalist, remarking how beneficial it was to work with an underground network that had experience in hiding and secrecy, since no one could see them coming. Turning to Selina, Richard gave her the choice, to leave now David to die and live, or to stay and be caught by the authorities for trespassing and stealing from Sionis. He is satisfied by her choice to leave without a fuss, allowing her to say - what she thought would be - her final farewell.
In reality, Richard had made a deal with David that would ensure he became the head of the Societies European Division, if he sold Selina out and fake his own death. Due to being sexist, he did not deem Selina to be high up in the organisation due to her being female.
In his guise as the Black Mask, both he and his son have been in a war that had splintered the organisation in two. In an effort to end this, he hired Franco to take on the mantle of the White Mask, steal The Faceless Mask and run the organisation in his image.
Richard was administered in the Gotham Hospital, where he was in chronic pain. The news of his terminal illness was reported on Gotham News."Faceless, Part One"
On the evening that the Faceless Mask had been stolen from his house, Richard suffered from a particularly painful attack, screaming for a nurse to tend to him. Begging her to give him anything that can relieve him of his pain, he let the nurse inject an unknown compound into his intravenous drip. Thanking her for the assistance, he suddenly yelled in horror as his whole body convulsed, opening his eyes wider as the substance took effect on him. As he looked into the nurse's face, he is panicked by the sight of her, realising that it was in fact his son disguised as an employee at the hospital. Pressing down on the panic button, he attempted to summon aide, pleading for somebody to help him.
Richard implored his son to stop, acknowledging that although they had a history that was far from amicable, he was still his father. However, Roman remarked that all he wanted from him was to see him die. He finally fell silent, breathing his last breath.
As a final insult to injury, Roman put his father's old mask on his corpse, boasting that he would now take control of the False Face Society.
Appearances:
- "Faceless Part One" - First Appearance (Flashback and main story/Dies in present)
- "Faceless Part Two" - Final Appearance (Flashback Only/Flashback prior to main story events)
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