This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
History
Overview
Salvatore Vincent "The Boss" Maroni grew up in the priveleged Maroni crime family, headed by his father Luigi "Big Lou" Maroni. Maroni was one of toughest gangsters in Gotham City, and is shown in his prime to be the second most powerful mobster in Gotham City after Carmine Falcone, The Roman. He is largely credited with being the mobster to throw acid at Harvey Dent, and turn him into Two-Face. Maroni owned an Italian restaurant called Maroni's that he used as a front for his criminal activities.
Earth-Two
Pre-Crisis, Maroni first appeared in Detective Comics #66 as "Boss" Moroni, 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, Maroni 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 first Two-Face, he killed Maroni for revenge, but afterwards surrendered and voluntarily went into police custody.
Post-Crisis
Sal Maroni makes his next chronological appearance in Batman and the Monster Men. He is 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 Carmine Falcone's criminal organization during the Long Halloween storyline, 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, Big Lou Maroni 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.
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.
Recommended Reading
Related
- 43 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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