The Power of Faceless Characters
By: Phillip Caron
Tags: Pop Culture, Features, Gaming, Culture, Videogames

The Power of Faceless Characters

Through the years, faceless characters have driven our intrigue and kept us on the edge of our seats

What do the following characters have in common: Master Chief, Navi (from The Legend of Zelda), Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Samus, and the Mandalorian?

We hardly — or never saw their faces — and yet we found ourselves unusually attached to all of them.

It’s not to say that their faces didn’t exist. Most of them had quite familiar-looking faces once exposed, but developers intentionally hid their expressions from us. These archetypes found themselves mysterious and featured obscure backstories designed to keep us in the dark.

We loved their stoic posture. We searched far and wide for more information about their origins and when none came up, we were even more intrigued. We just had to know who these mysteriously dark characters were. Our minds raced at the possibilities.

Let us for a moment explore some possibilities why rooted deep within our complex brain.

Darth Vader and Boba Fett are arguably two of the most intriguing villains of our time. Boba Fett was so mysterious and exciting that an entire show was created around his suit of armor (The Mandalorian). Boba Fett appeared for less than ten minutes of the entire original films and he lands on everyone’s top five Star Wars characters of all time. Darth Vader only exposed his face for mere seconds before his death at the hand of the Emperor. Luke’s hands lifted the veil of mystery, and all the intrigue into the Sith’s appearance faded, as did Vader himself.

My son recently received a Boba Fett figurine, and I can still feel those small pangs of jealousy as he tore through the plastic.

Why? The notion of an expressionless character seems to produce the opposite result when done well.

Zelda’s Navi is a unique character that acts as your guide and even an extension of your conscience. The faceless nature of her persona adds to her background role. Her subtle dialog produces a personality all it’s own. This personality compliments Links silence wonderfully.

Heroes like Samus and Master Chief from Halo produced minimal dialog, and we only saw their faces towards the end of their story arcs. Despite what would seem like an obvious silence, Master Chief emits power. I have rarely felt as much power as I do when I tear through enemies as Master Chief.

Each of these characters carried similar characteristics. They were powerful, loners, masters of their craft, competent, and dangerous.

We instead read more subtle cues when we can’t look to the human face for signals on a masked persona’s emotional response. Body language and tone of voice force us to use higher levels of concentration to interpret the narrative. All of this brings us deeper and deeper into a well-written story.

What drives our interest in these noble or sinister characters? Why are we intrigued by the loner?

Projection is the answer.

Our brain hates the unknown. We hate the unknown so much that we often fill in the narrative gaps based on our limited knowledge.

Don’t believe me? Have you ever been cut off in traffic? Your brain immediately draws assumptions about the other driver’s intentions based on your mood.

Ever gone to bed, knowing the next day will be a stressful one? Our brain projects itself into the future in an attempt to predict the outcomes. Often, we can drive ourselves mad in anticipation. If we don’t have the answer to a question, our brain will “make it up.”

This same principle works to create a deeper connection with the stories that we ingest. Having a strong, silent, and faceless character in your narrative can create a more immersive experience if executed correctly. Your brain goes to work creating a backstory that fits exactly what you want the character to be.

You suddenly have a character that is highly relatable and a one size fits all. Each of us has our own versions of Master Chief rolling around.

We can fully integrate with these characters by filling in our backstory, giving us a deeper connection to the overall narrative. The more we know about a persona, the less connected we feel. The narrative distance is further away from the action, and we become an outsider to the overall narrative.

The absence of facial expressions can produce the opposite effect as well. We often view enemies like storm troopers, droids, or other abominations void of eyes and mouths as non-human. This dehumanizing effect can lead to a more comfortable time destroying enemies.

It is much easier for me to wipe out a squad of Stormtroopers than a team of real people.

In games where fear is involved, having the hero wear a mask often projects their fear onto you. Games like Dead Space and Bioshock (the Big Daddy) come to mind. There is a heightened sense of awareness and the environment when you can’t read the hero’s thoughts.

Gaming is a unique medium that allows us to integrate with an experience. Having faceless characters only enhances this already immersive experience. Done right, we can all believe that we are Master Chief or Boba Fett. At least, for a time.

I patiently wait for the next faceless reaper of destruction to enthrall me with their mysterious persona.