# Heros and villians with Helmets rather than masks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006 "2011-05-15T16:35:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/41 "2011-05-17T04:56:57Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Golden Age Atom, in his second costume. > Golden Age Starman. > > Lots o helmets in the JSA, didja ever notice? I wouldn’t call those helmets. They seemed like ordinary superhero cowls but with an added fin. (For aerodynamics or just awesomeness?) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/42 "2011-05-18T11:03:03Z")
Got to mention Dyna-Man, the government-sponsored super in THE GOLDEN AGE: his costume includes a stylized, old-timey football helmet _ **not** _ as a mask (since he routinely brings it along, but isn’t wearing it, during public appearances when he makes a point of having no secret identity) and not for protection (since he’s a flying strongman with Superman-caliber durability, and it gets smashed to pieces by hits that can’t possibly injure him). But for the novelty helmets – and the action figures with their distinctive helmets, and the billboards where he’s got the helmet on, and his knack for donning that helmet while announcing to a cheering crowd that he’ll take the fight to America’s enemies – it’s a great little bit of marketing. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/43 "2011-05-18T14:28:05Z")
The orginal [Ant-Man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_Man) always wore a helmet. (It seemed to be his device for communicating with ants.) ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/44 "2011-05-18T16:01:22Z")
John W Wintergreen (Electra-Glide in Blue) most of the Knightriders ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/45 "2011-05-18T16:17:11Z")
The All-American from Astro City wore a stylized 1940s-style football uniform, with helmet. The Blue Knight, a vigilante-type, also from Astro City, wore a riot gear-style helmet with the image of a skull showing in the face plate. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/46 "2011-05-18T17:37:00Z")
The Atomic Knights wore full suits of armor. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/47 "2011-05-18T17:54:28Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Got to mention Dyna-Man, the government-sponsored super in THE GOLDEN AGE: his costume includes a stylized, old-timey football helmet _ **not** _ as a mask (since he routinely brings it along, but isn’t wearing it, during public appearances when he makes a point of having no secret identity) and not for protection (since he’s a flying strongman with Superman-caliber durability, and it gets smashed to pieces by hits that can’t possibly injure him). [Moon Shadow](http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ps238/comics/index.php?date=2008-03-12) wears a football helmet, too, but in his case, it’s definitely protective. He’d “wear” a tank, if Revenant would let him. 🙂 (His [future self](http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ps238/comics/archive.php?date=2008-08-25&year=2008) has a slightly less goofy outfit.) ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/48 "2011-05-18T17:56:43Z")
Captain Britain ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/49 "2011-05-18T19:20:40Z")
I’d like to see the helmet for Modok. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/50 "2011-05-20T02:21:37Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > Captain Britain When did he have a helmet? Hell, his original costume’s mask didn’t even cover the top of his head and his hair stuck out. His later costumes (the ones I’m familiar with anyway) looked pretty much like Batman’s cowl, just with no bat-ears (and different colors, obviously). ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006/51 "2011-05-20T03:01:53Z")
[Torquemada.](http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh175/Graza1973/ScotchCorner/Torquemada_GNREID.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heros-and-villians-with-helmets-rather-than-masks/582006.md?page=2)