Carmine Falcone
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Carmine "The Roman" Falcone is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe who made his debut in the four part story Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, in 1987.
Falcone is a powerful Mafia chieftain nicknamed "The Roman," referencing at least once to his control over Gotham City's mob as "The Roman Empire." Falcone later appeared in a major role in the Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale mini-series Batman: The Long Halloween. Falcone was the last old-style crime boss in Gotham City before Batman's familiar Rogues Gallery took over.
[edit] History
In the story Batman: Year One, Falcone virtually runs the city, with the mayor, city council, and Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb under his influence. However, his power base comes under attack by the new mysterious vigilante, Batman. Despite Loeb's assurances that the new opponent may be a long term benefit, Falcone was still worried about him. That concern was justified by Batman's bold assault on a dinner party hosted by Falcone, and attended by the commissioner and other corrupt high society members to announce that they will be delivered to justice.
Despite Loeb's desperate attempts to stop him, Batman's attacks on Falcone's organization become even more brazen; Batman had his car was dumped into the river, invaded his home, assaulted him, stripped him to his underwear, and left him hogtied to his bed. Humiliated, Falcone orders Batman killed. He is too elusive, however, and he later helps Catwoman attack him.
Finally, Falcone orders police detective Jim Gordon's wife and child kidnapped to bring him to heel, but the plot is in part foiled by the Gordons while Batman rescues their child. Eventually, District Attorney Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon's investigations, with some secret assistance by Batman, restore law and order to Gotham; Loeb is forced to resign, and Falcone's power is put under threat by the new opposition he now faces.
The plot of The Long Halloween involves a serial killer named Holiday targeting Gotham's crime families, with particular attention paid to the Falcone family. While fighting the criminal justice system, Falcone is desperately trying to get a grip on his once-powerful empire, and he resorts to hiring "freaks" in the form of what becomes Batman's Rogues Gallery. Falcone's son, Alberto, confessed to all of the Holiday killings, as he wanted his father to accept him into the family business, but it is important to note Harvey and Gilda Dent are at least somewhat responsible for them. Harvey Dent was in fact the initial suspect, and the suspiscions directed toward him were in part responsible for the accident in which he became Two-Face. While Falcone played a large role in The Long Halloween, he was killed in the end, shot in the head by Two-Face.
In Batman: Dark Victory, Falcone's grave is robbed and his body goes missing. His finger is cut off and sent to his daughter, Sofia Gigante, the new leader of the Falcone Family. This is described as an "old style message", signifying that someone is out to take everything away from the Falcone Family, crushing them both as a public, business organization in the crime world as well as literally killing members of the family. Not until the end it is revealed that Two-Face has Falcone's body, having frozen it using Mr. Freeze's cryogenic technology.
[edit] Batman Begins
Carmine Falcone was also featured in the 2005 film Batman Begins, played by Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson.
In the film, Falcone all but controls Gotham City, flooding it with drugs and crime. He is above the law, with most of Gotham's politicians and police on his payroll. He has Joe Chill, the man who murdered Bruce Wayne's parents, killed for threatening to testify against him, depriving Wayne of the chance to take his own revenge. Wayne confronts him, but he dismisses the young billionaire as a harmless nuisance, having him beaten up to teach him a lesson.
Years later, Falcone goes into business with The Scarecrow and (unknowingly) Ra's al Ghul, smuggling a fear toxin into Gotham inside toy rabbits. As a form of payment, Scarecrow, who as Dr. Jonathan Crane runs Arkham Asylum, diagnoses Falcone's henchmen as insane when they are arrested so they can avoid prison. Wayne, who by now has become Batman, discovers and foils the plan and knocks Falcone unconscious, leaving him tied to a searchlight for the police to find. The trussed-up mobster, surrounded by a tattered overcoat, projects a bat-like shape into the sky; this impromptu calling card would later evolve into the Bat-Signal.
While in prison, Falcone tries to blackmail Crane into allowing him a part in the upcoming fear toxin project. Crane instead puts on the freakish scarecrow mask he uses in his experiments on the asylum's inmates and gasses him with the fear toxin. Crane literally terrifies his former partner-in-crime out of his mind and left in an apparently permanent state of psychosis. Falcone is permanently incarcerated in Arkham.
Its been rumored that Falcone might return in the sequel The Dark Knight (which supposedly will be loosely based on The Long Halloween)[citation needed], but many believe that his role in the criminal underworld will be taken simply be taken by someone else. Wilkinson has said that he would definitely return to the new Batman franchise, so long as they can fit him in.
| Batman | |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Bob Kane • Bill Finger • Other writers and artists |
| Supporting Characters: | Robin (Tim Drake) • Nightwing (Dick Grayson) • Batgirl • Batwoman • Alfred Pennyworth • Lucius Fox • Barbara Gordon • Commissioner Gordon • Harvey Bullock |
| Villains: | Bane • Catwoman • Clayface • Harley Quinn • Joker • Killer Croc • Mr. Freeze • Penguin • Poison Ivy • Ra's al Ghul • Red Hood (Jason Todd) • Riddler • Scarecrow • Two-Face • Other villains |
| Locations: | Arkham Asylum • Batcave • Gotham City • Wayne Enterprises • Wayne Manor |
| Miscellanea: | Batarang • Batmobile • Batsuit • Popular media • Publications • Storylines • Alternate versions of Batman |
