The Mask of the Red Skull.

In case, anyone is interested in the Red Skull's comic book origin, it can be viewed here on this blog. 

OK, spoilers ahead about the Captain America film! In the film, Hugo Weaving's face really is a red skull, a by-product of testing his own version of the Super Soldier Serum on himself. He wears a lifelike mask of his old face through about half of the film, but eventually discards it.



The Red Skull discarding his human face mask.



But in the comics, for the longest time, the red skull aspect  was the mask covering a human face. It wasn't until 1989, nearly 5 decades after his first appearance in 1941 that it was decided to give him a red skull face.

The Red Skull was originally mentored by Adolf Hitler and given the costume and mask.



The mask was rarely removed. In fact, so rarely that after having switched bodies with the Red Skull once, it took Captain America two issues to realize he could remove it in an effort not to be so conspicious.



Captain America (in the Red Skull's body) belatedly realizes that removing the mask would be a good idea if he wants to keep a low profile.

Eventually, the Red Skull had his mind transferred into a cloned body of Captain America and decided to take a more subtle approach and not wear the mask anymore.



The Red Skull decides to quit using a mask



But sometimes he used it when torturing his enemies.....

Unfortunately, but not using that image was short lived and the Red Skull's chemical was turned on him, giving him a true red skull.

So, the Red Skull had to wear a human mask in his secret identity as a businessman and he would be forced to clarify to another Marvel Comic villain, the Kingpin, that it was now his true visage.