HBO’s The Penguin has finally started, and the character of Salvatore Maroni is ready to make an appearance. The series continues from where 2022’s The Batman left off, with Oz (played by Colin Farrell) wanting to take over Gotham after the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone.
Due to scheduling issues, the character Carmine Falcone, originally played by John Turturro in The Batman, will now be portrayed by Mark Strong in flashbacks. Another important gangster, Salvatore Maroni, is also expected to cause problems for Oz, also known as “The Penguin.”
“Boss Maroni,” as he was originally called, first appeared in Detective Comics #66. In his first story, published in August 1942, Maroni went on trial for the murder of “Bookie” Benson, and the story ended with Maroni’s death.
Even though his death has been a main part of the comics for the last 80 years, more details about his life have been added since then.
Writers have explained more about his beginnings, his goals, and what happened between his trial and his death. Here’s all the important information about the character played by Clancy Brown in The Penguin.
Salvatore Maroni’s Story Begins With Batman’s Girlfriend
Salvatore Maroni started as the son of Luigi “Big Lou” Maroni, who led a rich crime syndicate. In his earliest story, Maroni was introduced as a low-level mob boss. He funded Hugo Strange’s experiments on inmates from Arkham Asylum.
The graphic novel Batman and the Monster Men, written by Matt Wagner, shows Maroni lending money to both Strange and Norman Madison. Norman Madison is the father of Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend, Julie. When Strange couldn’t repay his debt, he sent one of his “Monster Men” to kill Maroni. However, Batman saved Maroni’s life, so Maroni canceled Norman’s debt.
Later, in Batman and the Mad Monk, Maroni refused to take Norman’s money because he feared Batman. Frightened, Norman tried to pay Carmine Falcone instead, but this started a war between the two gangs. In the end, Maroni’s men killed Norman.
The gang war got worse when a killer named “Holiday” began targeting Maroni’s men. This happened in The Long Halloween comic, which inspired The Penguin along with Dark Victory and Batman: Ego. In The Long Halloween, Holiday killed Maroni’s father.
Maroni believed Falcone was behind it, so he made a deal with District Attorney Harvey Dent. He promised to expose Falcone’s crimes if the DA would be lenient with him, but things didn’t go as planned.
Salvatore Maroni’s Role in Harvey Dent Becoming Two-Face
The Long Halloween also connects to Maroni’s first appearance in Detective Comics #66, where Harvey Dent, originally called “Harvey Kent,” turns into the villain Two-Face. While waiting for his trial for the murder of Bookie Benson, Maroni met with his secret girlfriend, Sofia.
She is Carmine Falcone’s daughter, and in The Penguin, Cristin Milioti will play her. Sofia convinced Maroni that Harvey Dent was the real killer, and Maroni worked with Dent’s assistant, D.A. Vernon Wells. During the trial, Wells gave Maroni a vial of acid.
When Batman presented Maroni’s two-headed silver dollar as evidence in court, Maroni was found guilty. To get revenge, Maroni threw acid at Dent, disfiguring him. This event led Dent to become the villain of Two-Face.
In the original comic, Two-Face killed Maroni soon after, but later stories showed that Maroni survived Dent’s first attempts to kill him.
Though Maroni became paralyzed, Dent continued his revenge, killing both Carmine and Sofia Falcone. Maroni, however, killed the new husband of Dent’s ex-wife, Gilda, before Dent finally succeeded in killing him.
Salvatore Maroni’s Connection to The Penguin
Maroni’s crime empire didn’t die with him. In the comics, his sons, Pino and Umberto, took over the family business. It’s unclear if they will appear in The Penguin or Matt Reeves’ sequel to The Batman. It’s also important to know that Pino and Umberto should not be confused with Tom and Tad, also called the “Trigger Twins.”
These two, played by Max and Charlie Carver, work as bouncers at the Iceberg Lounge in The Batman. Though the Trigger Twins have worked for Two-Face in the animated series, it’s unlikely that Maroni’s sons would have a similar role.
Maroni has appeared in other Batman adaptations. Eric Roberts played him in The Dark Knight, where Maroni worked with Heath Ledger’s Joker to trap Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes.
Though the situation was different, The Dark Knight continued the theme of Maroni’s involvement in Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two-Face.
The movie even referenced Maroni’s paralysis from the comics when Batman broke his legs. Other portrayals of Maroni include David Zayas in Gotham and Dennis Paladino in Batman Forever.
Maroni has always been a major player in Gotham’s organized crime but has rarely been the main villain. In 2022’s The Batman, Maroni was briefly seen as an uncredited character, but in The Penguin, he will have a larger role. This time, Clancy Brown plays Maroni, and fans are excited to see how the character will be developed.
Maroni’s relationship with Oswald Cobblepot, also known as The Penguin, is still unclear. In some stories, such as 2015’s Batman: Earth One (vol. 2), Maroni works for the corrupt Mayor Cobblepot.
In this version, after The Penguin dies, Maroni stabs Harvey Dent in prison and finishes him off with a Molotov cocktail. Fans will have to wait and see how their connection plays out in The Penguin.
The Penguin is available to stream on Max.
