It’s been nearly half a year since the COVID-19 coronavirus began creeping across the globe to eventually cement itself as the worst pandemic since 1918’s Spanish Flu. In that time, the outbreak has infected at least 5 million people worldwide and resulted in 225,000 deaths. The United States remains the epicenter of the virus with nearly 1.6 million cases and a death toll rapidly closing in on 100,000.
The global economy has taken a massive blow, too, resulting in many states in the US beginning to reopen in an attempt to get people back to work. Debate wages on about whether this is best for the country as we continue to deal with what is expected to be only the first wave of the outbreak, but regardless of your viewpoint, one thing is undeniable: protection is important.
Face masks have become a daily part of life for most of the world’s working force now, and it’s even resulted in many companies and individuals taking it upon themselves to manufacture masks for themselves and others to help slow the spread of the virus. But that’s not always enough. This overwhelming need for protection at such a critical moment in history has caused some people to look for unconventional solutions, and has produced some admittedly hilarious outcomes.
If you see anyone walking around wearing a Bane mask, don’t be surprised. Replicas of the mask worn by the The Dark Knight Rises villain are selling out across the globe as people scramble to get their hands on anything they can to protect themselves and their loved ones. Costume.com spokesman David DeJac revealed the news and had the following to say about it:
“Looking at sales figures, the adult mask had quite a sales spike in April and early May, which is unusual for this time of year.”
In the film and comic books, the mask acts as a dosing device for a special venom that makes the character stronger, but people may find that it has quite the opposite effect in real life. That’s because these masks have not been approved by health officials to protect you against the novel coronavirus, so if you’re looking to procure one for yourself, perhaps it’s better to think of a more reasonable option. There are thousands of videos and tutorials online to teach you how to make a face mask out of fabric you likely already have at home, so consider trying that before you spend money on a Bane mask and look silly for no reason.
