Salvatore "Sal" Maroni was one of the toughest gangsters in Gotham City, and in his prime he was the second most powerful mobster in Gotham City after Carmine Falcone. He is largely credited with being the mobster to throw acid at Harvey Dent, and turn him into Two-Face.
History
Earth-Two
"Boss" Moroni was a mobster on trial for the murder of a man named "Bookie" Benson. Harvey Kent was the prosecutor at the trial. He called Batman as his first witness. During Batman's testimony, Maroni accused Batman of being a liar, and Kent revealed his evidence, Moroni's lucky two-headed silver dollar found at the scene with Moroni's finger prints on it. Enraged, Moroni threw a vial of acid at Kent; Batman jumped in the way, knocking Maroni out, but not before the acid struck half of Harvey Kent's face. Kent descended into madness and became the criminal Two-Face.[2]
Earth-One
"Boss" Maroni's early history resembles that of his Earth-Two counterpart, including his role in the creation of Two-Face. However, Maroni was apparently killed by Two-Face during one of their confrontations. In fact, Maroni had only been paralyzed from waist down and he decided to have plastic surgery to adopt a new identity. Under the name of Anton Karoselle, Maroni murdered David Stevens, the second husband of Gilda Dent, Two-Face's former wife. Maroni did this to spite Two-Face, and the villain in return tracked him down and killed him, "a second time".[1]
New Earth
The son of retired mob boss Luigi "Big Lou” Maroni, Sal Maroni started as a mob boss and Italian restaurant owner who answered to Carmine Falcone, helping fund Hugo Strange's experiments with super-serum on Arkham Asylum inmates, expecting a promised large monetary return. Strange ends up paying him back with money stolen from mafia establishments he has had his Monster Men wreck. Maroni grows suspicious and tries to shut Strange down, but Strange launches a full-scale attack on the Gotham mob with his creations. Maroni is saved by the intervention of Batman.
When the mysterious killer "Holiday" begins killing members of the Falcone family, tensions grow between Sal and Falcone, as Falcone begins to suspect that Holiday has sided with Maroni (although they also think that District Attorney Harvey Dent has something to do with the killer). Their business relationship becomes strained as a result. Eventually Maroni and his henchman Toots corrupt Dent's assistant D.A. Vernon Wells and make him part of a scheme to kill Dent. In December, Maroni's restaurant was attacked by the Joker who interrogated Maroni, believing he was Holiday. Batman eventually arrived but the Joker was gone by then. In the attack, Toots was killed with Joker Venom.
As the Holiday killings go on, Holiday begins hitting parts of the Maroni Family, killing four of Maroni's bodyguards in a car outside of his restaurant, and shooting everyone in one of Maroni's safe house. Maroni then began to believe that the attacks were organized by Falcone. When his father, Luigi is killed by Holiday, Maroni makes a deal with Dent to reveal all of Falcone's criminal activities, in exchange for a deal. While in custody, Sal is visited by Carmine Falcone's daughter Sofia.
Maroni's attack on Dent
At the courthouse, as Maroni is preparing to testify against Falcone, Wells hands Maroni a vile of acid passing it off as prescription medicine. During the trial, Maroni throws the acid into Dent's face, disfiguring him and changing him into Two-Face. Maroni takes two shots to the chest by the bailiff after getting into a tussle following the scarring, but he survives. Maroni is taken into custody but Batman believes that Maroni will be one of Holiday's next targets. Later, when he is moved out of his cell to protect him from the killer, Maroni is finally shot to death, twice in the head, by Holiday, who is revealed to be Alberto Falcone, the Roman's son working independently.
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Golden Age era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
Recommended Reading
- Batman and the Monster Men (Volume 1)
- Batman and the Mad Monk (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Long Halloween
- Two-Face: Year One
Related
- 44 Appearances of Salvatore Maroni (New Earth)
- 13 Images featuring Salvatore Maroni (New Earth)
- 2 Quotations by or about Salvatore Maroni (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Salvatore Maroni (New Earth)
Footnotes
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