Who Is Salvatore Maroni in 'The Penguin'?

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for The Penguin.

HBO's The Penguin has finally raised its curtain, and the character of Salvatore Maroni has been waiting in the wings (pun intended). The series picks up where 2022's The Batman ended, with Oz (Colin Farrell) hoping to fill the void left vacant after the demise of Gotham's crime boss Carmine Falcone. Due to scheduling conflicts, the John Turturro character from The Batman will be portrayed by Mark Strong in upcoming flashbacks throughout The Penguin, but another important Gotham gangster is likely to cause trouble for Oz "The Penguin" Cobb: Salvatore Maroni.

The character of "Boss Maroni," as he was originally known, first appeared in Detective Comics #66. The original story from August 1942 saw the character on trial for the murder of "Bookie" Benson and concluded with Maroni's death. Although this has remained largely canon throughout the last 80 years of Batman comics, many details have been added since then, to further explore the character's origins, ambitions, and what happened in between his trial and his murder. Here's everything you need to know about Clancy Brown's character in The Penguin.

Salvatore Maroni's Origins Are Linked To Batman's Girlfriend

DC Comics' Sal Maroni looking scared as Batman shows up behind him and says his name.

Salvatore's origins begin as the heir to his father, Luigi "Big Lou" Maroni, and his wealthy crime syndicate. In his earliest chronological appearance, Maroni is established as a low-level mob boss, funding Hugo Strange's genetic experiments on Arkham Asylum inmates. Matt Wagner's graphic novel Batman and the Monster Men sees Maroni lending money to both Strange and Norman Madison, the latter being the father of Bruce Wayne's girlfriend, Julie. Unable to pay his debts, Strange sends one of his abominable "Monster Men" to kill Maroni. When Batman saves the gangster's life, he makes Maroni forgive Norman Madison's debts.

Later, in the sequel, Batman and the Mad Monk, Maroni refuses to take Norman's money, fearing Batman's wrath. In a panic, Norman tries to pay rival gangster Carmine Falcone instead. This triggers a feud between the two gangs, resulting in Norman being killed by Maroni's men. The gang war worsens when a mysterious killer known as "Holiday" terrorizes Maroni's men in The Long Halloween (a comic that heavily influenced The Penguin, along with Dark Victory and Batman: Ego). Jeph Loeb's maxi-series shows Holiday killing Maroni's father, and believing Falcone to be behind it, Maroni makes a deal with District Attorney Harvey Dent, outing Falcone's crimes in exchange for leniency. But things don't go according to plan.

Will Batman Appear in Max's 'The Penguin' Series?

The Colin Farrell-led series premieres September 19.

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By Carolyn Jenkins

Salvatore Maroni Turns Harvey Dent Into Two-Face

The story of The Long Halloween catches us up with Maroni's first appearance in 1942's Detective Comics #66, in which Harvey Dent (originally named "Harvey Kent") becomes the villainous Two-Face. While awaiting his trial for the murder of Bookie Benson, Maroni is visited by his secret girlfriend, Carmine Falcone's daughter Sofia (portrayed in The Penguin by Cristin Milioti). In an attempt to save her father, Sofia convinces Maroni that Harvey Dent is behind the Holiday killer, and so Maroni corrupts Dent's assistant, D.A. Vernon Wells, who slips Maroni a vial of acid during the trial.

When Batman reveals Maroni's two-headed silver dollar as evidence in the trial (yes, that iconic Two-Face prop), Maroni is deemed guilty. In an act of revenge, Maroni throws the acid at Dent, disfiguring him, and driving Dent to be the villainous Two-Face. Although the original comic ended with Two-Face killing Maroni soon after, the comics' Bronze Age fleshed out the story, with Maroni surviving the initial assassination attempts by Dent, but becoming paralyzed. Dent goes on to kill both Carmine and Sofia Falcone, while Maroni kills the new husband of Dent's ex-wife, Gilda, before Dent ultimately kills Maroni too.

What Is Salvatore Maroni's Relationship With The Penguin?

Salvatore Maroni's empire doesn't end with his death. In the comics, his two sons, Pino and Umberto, become the heads of their late father's outfit. Whether they will appear in The Penguin, or Matt Reeves' sequel to The Batman, is yet to be seen, but they are not to be confused with Tom and Tad (Max and Charlie Carver), the "Trigger Twins" who appear as bouncers in The Batman's Iceberg Lounge. These characters play a similar role to Pino and Umberto, but given that the Trigger Twins are sometimes depicted as working for Two-Face (such as in Batman: The Animated Series), it's highly unlikely that the Maroni twins would ever take such a job.

Fans of the screen adaptations have been faced with Salvatore Maroni before. The character was played by Eric Roberts in The Dark Knight, who collaborated with Heath Ledger's Joker to imprison Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) among exploding oil drums. Despite the difference in circumstances, The Dark Knight continued to honor Maroni's involvement in creating Two-Face, and even paid homage to Maroni's paralysis in the comics by having Batman break his legs in the movie. The character was also portrayed by David Zayas in Gotham and Dennis Paladino in Batman Forever.

Maroni's role within Batman's story has always been that of an organized crime figurehead, but rarely the main antagonist. 2022's The Batman saw Maroni portrayed briefly by an uncredited extra, but now, in The Penguin, Maroni takes center stage. This time played by the fantastic Clancy Brown, Maroni is likely to finally be given his dues, but what exactly is Maroni's relationship with Oswald Cobblepot? Although it varies in the comics, 2015's Batman: Earth One (vol. 2), which takes place in an alternate world, depicts Salvatore Maroni as an enforcer of Gotham's corrupt Mayor Cobblepot. After The Penguin's demise, an imprisoned Maroni stabs Harvey Dent in prison and finishes him off with a Molotov cocktail. Whether this is the relationship they will share on the small screen is yet to be seen.

The Penguin is available to stream on Max.