When teaching mask making, in order to broaden students' concept of masks beyond Halloween, I display posters of world masks and show some of the masks I've collected during my travels. I share some of the masks' various functions, such as to ascend into the spiritual realm, to be worn in a play or even as part of funerary burial rites. I end the presentation by showing pictures of Batman and Spiderman and ask why these superheroes wear masks, leading to a lively discussion that bridges the idea of masks into the students' contemporary world.