Sal Maroni

Sal Maroni

Sal Maroni from "Batman and Monster Men", illustrated by Matt Wagner
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Detective Comics #66 (August 1942)
Created by Bob Kane
Bill Finger
In-story information
Alter ego Salvatore Vincent Maroni
Team affiliations Mafia
Notable aliases The Boss, The Italian

Salvatore "The Boss" Maroni is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as one of Batman's first enemies, and among the toughest gangsters in Gotham City. Maroni is most famous for being the one who scarred Harvey Dent, setting the stage for the young attorney's transformation into Two-Face.

Contents

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Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis/Earth Two

Maroni's first Pre-crisis appearance was in Detective Comics #66 (August 1942) as "Boss" Moroni, a mobster on trial for the murder of a man named "Bookie" Benson. Harvey Dent, (who was named Harvey Kent in his first appearance and Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths remained the identity of the first Earth-Two Two-Face), is the prosecutor at the trial. He calls Batman as his first witness. During Batman's testimony Maroni calls Batman a liar, leading Dent to show his proof: Maroni's lucky two-headed silver dollar found at the scene with Maroni's fingerprints on it. Enraged, Maroni throws a vial of acid at Dent, horribly disfiguring him and transforming him into the insane gangster Two-Face.

Two-Face later shoots and kills him, after which Two-Face surrenders and voluntarily goes back into police custody.

By presumed coincidence, in All-American Comics #25 (April 1941), a criminal named "Killer" Maroni blinds Dr. Charles McNider, who subsequently becomes Doctor Mid-Nite of the Justice Society of America. In Adventure Comics #76 (July 1942), Starman (Ted Knight) battles the Moroni Gang (note variation in spelling).

Silver Age

During Silver Age recountings of Two-Face's origin, Maroni's role was unchanged, but his name was changed to Morelli. In this version, Batman is there at the trial and tries to prevent the mobster from throwing the acid, but Dent is still disfigured.

Prior to COIE, Maroni returned in DC Superstars #14 and Batman #328 to 329. He survives an assassination attempt by a still-bitter Two-Face in the first story, but his legs are left paralyzed. In the latter story arc, he undergoes plastic surgery and changes his name to Anton Karoselle to avoid attention. His first act is to murder Dent's former wife Gilda's new husband, Dave Stevens, as retribution against the former DA. By the story's end, he is murdered by Two-Face.

Post-Crisis

In the graphic novel Batman and the Monster Men, Maroni lends money to Norman Madison (father of Julie Madison, Bruce Wayne 's girlfriend) to cover some debts of its activities, and Professor Hugo Strange for his genetic experiments. After Maroni sends his henchmen to put pressure on Strange, the mad scientist responds by sending one of his creatures to kill everyone in one of his establishments of gambling and stealing the money they would need to pay Maroni off. When Maroni realizes Strange might be responsible of the attacks, he sends enforcers to further pressure and intimidate him. Strange decides to get rid of Maroni once and for all, and sends one of his creations to kill him. Maroni is saved by Batman, who as a favor to Julie Madison, forces him to call off her father's debt.

In the sequel, Batman and the Mad Monk, Norman tries to pay off his debt to Maroni, unaware of Batman's intervention on his behalf; Maroni refuses it, terrified that Batman would visit him again. Norman instead gives the money to Carmine Falcone, which humiliates Maroni. Later, near the end of the story, Norman is killed by Maroni's thugs when he snaps to kill Maroni.

Maroni is featured prominently in Jeph Loeb's maxi-series Batman: The Long Halloween, which retells Two-Face's origin. In this version, Salvatore Maroni is the scion of the Maroni crime family, headed by his father Luigi "Big Lou" Maroni. He is the most powerful mobster next to Carmine Falcone, and both believe that serial killer Holiday (so named for assassinating mobsters on holidays) is working for the other (although they also think that Harvey Dent has something to do with the murders). Their business relationship becomes strained as a result. When his father is killed by Holiday, Maroni makes a deal with Dent to reveal all of Falcone's criminal activities, in exchange for leniency.

However, Falcone's daughter Sofia — Maroni's secret lover — visits Maroni in jail, where she convinces him that Dent, not Falcone, is responsible for the killings and his father's death. Dent's assistant Vernon Field provides him prior to court with "stomach medicine" for a supposed ulcer. During the trial, Maroni throws acid into Dent's face, disfiguring him. Maroni gets into a scuffle with a bailiff who shoots him twice in the chest. He survives, however.

When he is moved out of his cell, Maroni is finally killed by Holiday, who is revealed to be Alberto Falcone, the rival crime boss' son who acted out against the family to make a name for himself.

Other versions

Elseworlds

Sal Maroni appears in the Elseworlds story, "Citizen Wayne" which was published in 1994. Set in the 1930s it depicts Maroni as an Al Capone-like crime lord who is involved in bootlegging, resides in a luxury hotel suite and who lures his law-enforcing enemies into a trap when they are led to believe that they can get him for tax evasion (Capone was eventually jailed for tax fraud). In this version Maroni completely scars Harvey Dent's face with acid. This leads Dent to assume the Batman mantle and break up Maroni's operations before finally killing him. Bruce Wayne is a newspaper publisher and fierce critic of Batman (much like Spider-Man's J. Jonah Jameson) who, following Maroni's death, goes after him since he feels that Batman/Dent has overstepped the mark. The pair are killed during the fight and, much like Citizen Kane, their story is told in flashback as a young Assistant District Attorney interviews their friends and acquaintances, including Maroni's henchmen.

In other media

Film

Video games

See also

References