10 best comic book crime bosses (from Red Hood to Wilson Fisk)
By Mark Lynch
6. Carmine Falcone
Carmine Falcone is one of the original comic book gangsters in terms of when Bruce Wayne became Batman. He’s been on top of the Gotham City criminal empire for decades. If you saw The Batman, you know how deep his control goes. Nothing important went down without Carmine knowing and approving it.
In Batman: The Long Halloween, you saw it wasn’t until costumed beings came in that he was stopped. This was a new breed of criminal. Falcone was old and stuck in his ways. If superpowered crime didn’t happen, he may have stayed top dog much longer. Eventually, he would have gotten too old for the game. And without a capable heir, that would’ve been the end of the Falcone empire.
Comic book enemies: Batman, Catwoman, James Gordon
5. The Penguin
Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin looks and walks goofy. His gimmick is out there as well. The thing that people often find out too late is that Cobblepot is dangerous and one of the best at what he does. He does it without powers too and the constant watch of the Dark Knight. It’s with pure willpower and being the best boss to work for.
Unlike most criminal bosses, Penguin keeps his composure. He doesn’t kill or discipline his subordinates unless they mess up big time. It makes his employees work harder for him. Despite being under the constant watch of the law and Batman, the Iceberg Lounge seems like a positive (ish) work environment.
Comic book enemies: Red Hood, Batman, James Gordon