Summary
While Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb rules the roost on HBO’sThe Penguin, Gotham City is filled with conniving criminals and malevolent monsters. Aside from Oz trying to amass his own criminal empire, the crux ofThe Penguinseason 1 has been the turf war between the Falcones and Maronis as they fight for control of the crime-riddled city.
Important movers and shakers from the pages of DC Comics have already found a place inThe Penguin’s expanded cast, withCristin Milioti’s portrayal of Sofia Falconebeing a particular highlight. Although Clancy Brown’s Sal Maroni has played a relatively minor role, he could be important to the future of Matt Reeves' Batman universe and potentially introduce a major villain forThe BatmanPart IIor beyond.
Who is Sal Maroni in DC Comics?
Introduced in 1942’sDetective Comics#66, Sal Maroni was originally called Moroni and appeared as a mobster who was on trial for “Bookie” Benson. It just so happened that his prosecutor was a man named Harvey Kent – the original name of Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, in the comics. Maroni has since appeared in several continuities, with his origin story largely unchanged and him boasting acomplicated history with the Falcone family.
Apart from helping fund Hugo Strange’s Monster Men experiments Post-Crisis, Sal is featured prominently in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’sBatman: The Long Halloween, inwhich the serial killer known as Holiday targets the crime families. Tensions grow between the Falcones and Maronis, with both assuming Holiday is working for their rival. After Sal’s father, Luigi “Big Lou” Maroni, is killed by Holiday, he makes a plea deal with Harvey Dent to expose all of Falcone’s criminal dealings.
Sal is shot in the chest during the dramatic trial, but having survived his injuries, he is then killed by Holiday. The big reveal is thatHoliday is actually Alberto Falconebefore the story ofThe Long Halloweenspills over into theBatman: Dark Victorysequel without Sal. While it’s possible some of these events could play out,The Penguinis taking a loose approach when it comes to adapting the comics.
Sal Maroni is a Major Player in The Penguin
The Shawshank Redemption’s Clancy Brown has taken on the role of Sal Maroni forThe Penguin. Brown sat outThe Batmanas it focused on Carmine Falcone’s (then played by John Turturro) relationship withSelina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz)as his illegitimate daughter. Despite Carmine’s death at the end ofThe Batman, his ghost has loomed large overThe Penguin.
The Penguinisn’t the first time Sal Maroni has appeared in live-action, popping up inGothamseason 1 (played by David Zayas) and even inThe Batman,where an uncredited extra played him. Sal also has an important part in animated outings likeBatman: The Long Halloween,Batman: Gotham Knight, andBatman: The Killing Joke. If handled properly,The Penguincould keep Brown around for a little longer and make him an important part ofTwo-Face’s introduction.
After both the Falcones and Maronis have been betrayed by Oz,The Penguinhas forced an uneasy alliance between Sofia and Sal. This is a possible nod to their backstory inThe Long Halloween, where it’s revealed that the pair are secret lovers. It seems unlikely that this will play out inThe Penguin, but as the series heads into its endgame, the crime bosses are hot on the tale of Oz.Farrell is confirmed to return forThe Batman Part II, which means things aren’t looking good for Sofia and Sal. Still, while Sofia’s story could be coming to a natural close, Sal has a lot more potential.
Sal Maroni Can Be Used To Introduce Two-Face
Despite his minor appearances across various generations of DC stories, Sal has almost always been linked to the creation of Two-Face. Typically, Maroni throws acid in Harvey Dent’s face while on trial, triggering the character’s different personalities and scarring the District Attorney to make him Two-Face. This story played out via flashback when Dennis Paladino played Sal in theunderratedBatman: Forever, although it’s not the only way to bring Harv into this world.
Christopher Nolan took the character down a different route when Eric Roberts played him inThe Dark Knight. Maroni became the successor of the Falcone crime family after Carmine’s death, while the Joker causedDent’s (Aaron Eckhart)disfigurement. AsThe Batmanhas already given revamped origin stories to the Riddler and even the Caped Crusader himself, audiences could be in for a surprise when it comes to Two-Face’s introduction. After all,The Dark Knightproved it doesn’t take a courtroom acid splash to turn the District Attorney into his villainous alter ego.
While Reeves is remaining tight-lipped on who the big bad ofThe Batman Part IIwill be, there have been whispers that Mr. Freeze could be integral to the story. There have also been discussions about Two-Face appearing in some capacity, although James Gunn debunked the rumor thatLogan’s Boyd Holdbrook was playing Harvey Dent. AfterJoker: Folie à Deuxwas accused of wasting its own version of Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey), fans are excited to see where Reeves could take the damaged DA.
Reeves himself has teased that Dent could be out there somewhere, and whenThe Streamrgrilled him on the potential of a Dent-centric legal drama in the vein ofThe Penguin, the director said it was a ‘possibility.’ Despite a series focusing on the GCPD and one on Arkham State Hospital having been seemingly shelved, the success ofThe Penguinwill surely spark the conversation about whether more spin-offs can fill the gaps between movies. It might taketwo movies to properly tell Two-Face’s story, but if Sal Maroni makes it out ofThe Penguinalive, it could be the first step to bringing Two-Face into the Reevesverse.
