Tony Zucco

Tony Zucco
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)
Created by	Bob Kane Bill Finger Jerry Robinson
In-story information
Alter ego	Boss Zucco
Team affiliations	Maroni family Black Lantern Corps

Anthony "Tony" Zucco is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is most commonly known for his connection to the origin of Dick Grayson, who once used the Robin persona and later became Nightwing.

Tony Zucco first appeared in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940) and was created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson.

Antonio Zucco (originally just "Boss Zucco" in his first appearance) is a Mafia boss, or simple low level thug (his position of power varies depending upon the Golden and Silver Age continuity) in Gotham City who is responsible for the death of Dick Grayson's parents.

Throughout the years, Zucco's role in Robin's origin remains largely the same. Zucco tries to extort the Haly's Circus, where the Flying Graysons are the main attraction. When the ringmaster C.C. Haly (who runs an honest business) refuses to pay him protection money, Zucco sabotages the trapeze ropes the Graysons use in their act. The ropes break while Dick's parents are in mid-air. Because the Graysons perform their act without a safety net, they fall to their deaths. This caused C.C. Haly to pay him protection money to prevent any further "accidents."

Dick is subsequently adopted by Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman) and becomes his partner Robin. Both of them locate Tony Zucco and send him to jail and he is eventually sentenced to the electric chair.

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Wikipedia