Sal Maroni
| Sal Maroni | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #66 (August 1942) |
| Created by |
Bill Finger Bob Kane |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Salvatore Vincent Maroni |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Maroni Crime Family |
| Notable aliases | The Boss, The Italian, Morelli, Anton Karoselle |
Salvatore Vincent "Sal" Maroni is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character is portrayed as an enemy of Batman and among the most infamous gangsters in Gotham City. Maroni is most famous for disfiguring Harvey Dent, setting the stage for the young district attorney's transformation into the supervillain Two-Face.
Sal Maroni first appeared in Detective Comics #66 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.
Maroni's first Pre-Crisis appearance was in Detective Comics #66 (August 1942) as Boss Moroni, a mobster on trial for the murder of a man named "Bookie" Benson. Harvey Dent (here named "Harvey Kent") is the prosecutor at the trial. He calls Batman as his first witness. During Batman's testimony, Moroni calls Batman a liar, leading Dent to show his proof: Moroni's lucky two-headed silver dollar found at the scene with Moroni's fingerprints on it. Enraged, Moroni throws a vial of acid at Dent, horribly disfiguring his face in the way that visibly depicts his eventual identity as the insane gangster Two-Face, who eventually shoots Moroni dead and then surrenders and goes to prison.
During Bronze Age recountings of Two-Face's origin, Maroni's role was unchanged, but his name was changed to Morelli. Harvey Kent's surname was altered to Dent, which has become that character's permanent name.
In this version, Batman is present at the trial and tries to prevent the mobster from throwing the acid, but Dent is still disfigured.
Prior to COIE, Maroni appeared in DC Superstars #14 and Batman #328 to #329. He survives an assassination attempt by Two-Face in the first story, but his legs are left paralyzed. In the latter story arc, he undergoes plastic surgery and changes his name to Anton Karoselle to avoid attention. He kills Two-Face's former wife Gilda's new husband, Dave Stevens, as retribution against the former DA. By the story's end, Two-Face murders him.
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