Boss Zucco... Chief of the mob that killed my parents! 
Anthony "Boss" Zucco is the mobster who ordered the death of Dick Grayson's parents when their employer refused to pay protection money while they were in Gotham City.
History
Earth-Two
Zucco tries to extort from the Haley's Circus, where the Flying Graysons are the main attraction. When the ringleader, Mr. Haley, refuses to pay him protection money, Zucco sabotages the ropes the Graysons use in their act. They break while Dick's parents are in mid-air, sending them falling to their deaths. Dick is subsequently adopted by Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. the Batman), and adopts the identity of his partner "Robin". The Dynamic Duo locates Tony Zucco and capture him, sending him to jail.[2]
Many years later, Robin, under the influence of the Stream of Ruthlessness, eventually tries to murder him in hospital decades later only to find that he has become senile and no longer recognizes him
Earth-One
Presumably, the history of Tony Zucco on Earth-One mirrors his Earth-Two counterpart, except for that his actions took place decades afterwards.[3]
New Earth
Dark Victory
Main article: Batman: Dark Victory
Zucco, under the alias of Anthony "Fats" Zucco, is a low-level family head working for Sal Maroni, a member of the Falcone crime empire, which at the time was being led by Sofia Gigante. He and another minor family head, "Edward Skeevers," are put in charge of drug trafficking. After constant attacks by other enemies such as the Penguin, Zucco starts a new method of smuggling these drugs. He only lets Skeevers in on the secret, believing that its success will make their minor families greater than the Falcones and the Maronis put together, and attempts to take over Haley's Circus in order to use its trucks for drug trafficking. He is shown to be heavyset (hence his street name) and quite nervous, as he is constantly sweating. He kills Dick Grayson's parents in order to show the circus owner that he means business, and then quickly goes underground. He is later found by Batman and Dick Grayson (Pre-Robin), and is chased down a dark alley by Grayson until he has a heart attack, and confesses to his various crimes.
Year Three
Main article: Batman: Year Three
Another account shows that Zucco did not die of the heart attack, but he actually went into a coma and was later sent to prison after recovering. He is sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the deaths of John and Mary Grayson, and incarcerated in Blackgate Penitentiary.
Roughly seven years after killing the Graysons, Zucco files for a parole hearing, offering testimony to put other criminals away. He professes remorse for his crimes, but naturally he simply wants to be released. Before he was sent to prison, Zucco had hidden a ledger detailing every operation in Gotham City in the orphanage Dick spent a month in after his parents' deaths. It would be enough to send any criminal boss to life imprisonment if he offered it to the authorities. The orphanage is being condemned and he is eager to get it back before the place is torn down. Wanting to keep the truth from Dick, who has recently become Nightwing, Alfred goes to the parole hearing and pleads for the judge to keep Zucco behind bars. Unfortunately, Dick does learn of Zucco being released early, despite Alfred's attempts, and he races to Blackgate to confront his parents' murderer once and for all. However, as he steps out of the prison, Zucco is gunned down by a helicopter hired by a rival crime boss to eliminate him. While it does give Dick some closure, his relationship with Batman is even further strained, even though Bruce insists he knew nothing about the parole.
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.
- The Earth-One version of the character shares a similar history to his Earth-Two counterpart. The difference is that after being captured, Zucco was sentenced to death in the electric chair.[4]
Recommended Reading
Related
- 34 Appearances of Anthony Zucco (New Earth)
- 13 Images featuring Anthony Zucco (New Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Anthony Zucco (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Anthony Zucco (New Earth)
Footnotes
  Black Lantern Corps member |
 Batman Villain(s) |
 Robin Villain(s) |