The Batman: Who Is Carmine Falcone?

The Batman finally made its way into theaters this past weekend, bringing about a reverential but revolutionary approach to DC Comics lore. The film is jam-packed with comic-accurate moments and Easter eggs, as its ensemble of characters get thrown into an increasingly-complex riddle. Major spoilers for The Batman below! Only look if you want to know! One character who ends up playing a key role in the film is Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) a mobster who is at the heart of the city-wide conspiracy tied to the Gotham Renewal project. The character proves to be a formidable player up until his shocking death in the third act — a role that reflects his presence in the pages of DC Comics.

Created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, Falcone first made his debut in 1987’s Batman: Year One, as a mob boss nicknamed “The Roman”, who has the vast majority of public figures in Gotham in his back pocket. This puts him directly into the crosshairs of Batman, who escalates his attacks to embarrass Falcone to the point of breaking into his home, stripping him to his underwear, and leaving him hogtied. After that event, Falcone decides to have Batman killed, but is outsmarted by him and Catwoman at multiple turns, and eventually gets into a mob war with his sister, Chicago mob boss Carla Falcone.

Falcone’s story was further expanded upon in Batman: The Long Halloween, as the Holiday Killer decided to pick off the dwindling members of the larger Falcone family. The series also dove into Falcone’s past with the Waynes, including that Thomas Wayne performed lifesaving surgery on him at his home, as a young Bruce watched from the rafters (a moment that is directly lifted in The Batman). Over the course of The Long Halloween, Falcone hires a group of Batman rogues for protection, but ultimately gets killed by Two-Face. We also get more insight into Falcone’s children — his son Alberto ultimately confesses to being the Holiday Killer, his son Sofia takes over the family business during the Dark Victory miniseries, and Catwoman eventually reveals that she suspects he is her biological father.

The rebooted New 52 continuity proceeded to showcase Falcone’s attempt at rising to power, but he was ultimately arrested, and reveals he was manipulated by Cluemaster. He then appeared again in the DC Rebirth continuity, as a small player of the “War of Jokes and Riddles” storyline.

Prior to Turturro’s portrayal in The Batman, Falcone appeared in the Batman: Year One and Batman: The Long Halloween animated films and multiple video games. His previous live-action appearances included Tom Wilkinson’s performance in Batman Begins, and John Doman in Fox’s Gotham television series.

The Batman is now playing exclusively in theaters.