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Maggia
Attribution unknown, artist Jack Kirby
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Avengers #13 (February 1965)
Created by	Stan Lee (writer) Don Heck (artist)
In-story information
Type of organization	Organized Crime

The Maggia is a fictional international crime syndicate that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The organization exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. Its structure is somewhat similar to the Mafia (which is itself almost never referred to in Marvel stories), but the Maggia differs in that it frequently hires supervillains and mad scientists to work for them.^[1] The characters Count Nefaria and his daughter Madame Masque have both been leaders of an important Maggia family. It first debuted in Avengers #13 (February 1965), and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.

Comic creator Scott Shaw believes that the Maggia were created to avoid offending the real-life mafia, as comic book distribution at the time "was Mafia controlled".^[2]

Fictional history

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The Maggia is an international crime syndicate that is the world's most powerful organization dedicated to conventional crime (as opposed to subversive activities). Originating in southern Europe, the Maggia spread throughout non-Communist Europe and the Americas. Its presence in the United States first came to public attention in the 1890s, and the Maggia's widespread bootlegging of illegal liquor during the Prohibition Era has become legendary. Today the Maggia controls most of the illegal gambling, loan-sharking, and narcotics trade in the United States, as well as many legal gambling casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Las Vegas, Nevada. It also has great influence within various labor unions, and controls politicians on every level of government. Especially in recent years, the Maggia has invested many of its illegal gains into legitimate businesses. However, the Maggia enforces a strict code of secrecy among its members, and does not hesitate to punish betrayals and failures with death. Often the Maggia marks one of its members for execution by having a Maggioso grasp the intended victim by the chin in the so-called "Maggia touch."^{[citation needed]}

The Maggia is not a monolithic organization but is instead a coalition of many virtually independent groups known as "families." The leading members of each family are usually connected through familial or marital ties. The Maggia also has affiliations with other criminal groups such as the Morgan organization in New York City's Harlem.

With Bruno Karnelli's horrible leadership, the loss of Silvermane, and Hammerhead siding with Mister Negative, the Maggia is thrown into chaos until Mysterio appears and uses robot duplicates of the dead Maggia members.^[3][4] When the Hawkeyes Kate Bishop and Clint Barton attempted to make a difference in the lives of everyday people by fighting organized crime. Several New York crime families, including the Maggia, striked back against them.^[5]

During the Infinity storyline, it was revealed that the Nobili Family are members of the Maggia where some of it's members turned out to be descendants of some Inhumans.^[6]

Known Maggia families

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Several "families" are based in the New York City area. Three of these families have come to pre-eminence:

The Silvermane Family

Its leader is

The following characters have been members of the Maggia’s Silvermane family:

• Blackie - Rank unknown. First appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #75.
• Caesar Cicero - The Silvermane Family's lawyer.^[8] First appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #73.
• Man Mountain Marko - Silvermane's top lieutenant. First appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #73.
• Rapier - A one-time employee of Silvermane. First appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #2. Killed by Scourge of the Underworld
  .

Dominated by middle-aged Maggia traditionalists, this family first became notorious under unusual circumstances. Perhaps in imitation of the Nefaria family, its leader, known as the "Top Man," outfitted his family hit men with costumes and advanced weaponry. He then gained ownership of the Baxter Building through questionable means, thinking that doing so would somehow give him legal title to the technology of the building's famed occupants, the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four defeated and captured the "Top Man," his claims to owning the Baxter Building were dismissed by the courts, and the "Top Man" was reportedly assassinated by order of his own family. The family then sought a new leader who would direct operations along thoroughly traditional lines, and chose a newcomer known only as Hammerhead, an amnesia victim whose new ruthless persona had been shaped by his love for gangster films. Hammerhead uses methods from the Prohibition Era, including gang wars, although he will use advanced technology for personal ends, such as the exoskeleton that magnifies his strength. In light of Hammerhead's recent loyalty shift to Mister Negative, the status of his Maggia family remains undetermined.

The following characters have been members of the Maggia’s Hammerhead family:

• Top Man - Former leader of Hammerhead family. First appeared in Fantastic Four #101 (Aug 1970). Assassinated by an unknown member of his Maggia group.^[9]
• Hammerhead - Second leader of Hammerhead family.^[10] First appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #113 (Oct 1972).
• Big Rock - Rank unknown. First appeared in Fantastic Four #101 (Aug 1970).
• Blackwing - Rank unknown. First appeared in Daredevil #118 (Feb 1975).
• Eel (Lavell) - One-time employee and representative of the Maggia's Gulf Coast. First appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #92 (April 1983).^[11]
• Gimlet - The Top Man's lieutenant who aspired to become the next Top Man. First appeared in Fantastic Four #101 (Aug 1970).

The Nefaria Family

This group bears little resemblance to the rest of the Maggia. The Italian nobleman,

• Count Nefaria - Founder of the Nefaria family. First appeared in Avengers #13 (Feb. 1965)
• Cyclone (Gerard) - First appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #143 (Apr 1975). Killed by Scourge of the Underworld.
• Eel (Stryke) - Former agent.^[14] First appeared in Strange Tales #112 (Sep 1963). Killed by Gladiator
  .
• Whitney Frost - Head of Nefaria family. First appeared in Tales of Suspense #97 (Jan 1968).
• Gladiator - Former member. First appeared in Daredevil #18 (Jul 1966).^[15]
• Daniel Lindy - First appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #22 (Sept 1978).
• Masked Marauder - Former leader of Nefaria family. First appeared in Daredevil #16 (May 1966).
• Plantman - Former agent.^[14] First appeared in Strange Tales #113 (Oct 1963).
• Porcupine - Former agent.^[14] First appeared in Tales to Astonish #48 (Oct 1963). Died in battle against Diamondback
  .
• Scarecrow - Former agent.^[14] First appeared in Tales of Suspense #51 (Mar 1964).
• Tri-Man - An android created by Masked Marauder that copies the abilities of three low-level crooks. First appeared in Daredevil #22.^[16]
• Unicorn - Former agent.^[14] First appeared in Tales of Suspense #56 (Aug 1964).
• Whiplash - Former enforcer.^[17] First appeared in Tales of Suspense
  #97 (Jan 1968).

The Costa Family is associated with the Maggia and was responsible for the death of Frank Castle's family which led to Frank becoming Punisher. At one point, they used Billy "the Beaut" Russo (AKA Jigsaw) as an enforcer and hitman.^[18]

The following members are seen in the Costa Family:

• Luis Allegre - Member of the Costa Family. First appeared in Marvel Super Action #1. Killed by the Punisher.
• Bruno Costa - Enforcer of the Costa Family and brother of Frank Costa. First appeared in Marvel Preview #2. Killed by Frank Costa's assassin Audrey.
• Byron Hannigan - Member of the Costa Family. First appeared in Marvel Super Action #1. Killed by the Punisher.
• Leon Kolsky - Member of the Costa Family. First appeared in Marvel Super Action #1. He was killed when Punisher tricked him into firing on an aquarium tank that contained a shark.
• Matt Skinner - Member of the Costa Family. First appeared in Marvel Super Action #1. Killed by the Punisher.

The Nobili Family

The Nobili Family is a struggling Maggia family and have been fighting against other crime family including the Paguro Family. It turns out that some of the members of the Nobili Family are descendants of some Inhumans.

The following members are seen in the Nobili Family.

• Gordon "Gordo" Nobili - The patriarch of the Nobili family. First appeared in Thunderbolts Vol. 2 #14.
• Carmen Nobili - The son of Gordon Nobili. First appeared in Thunderbolts Vol. 2 #14. Killed during the fight against the Paguro Family even when the Thunderbolts interfered.
• Joseph Nobili - The son of Gordon Nobili. First appeared in Thunderbolts Vol. 2 #14. Killed during the fight against the Paguro Family even when the Thunderbolts interfered.

Other Maggia members

The following members do not fall under the category of the other four Maggia families:

• Bobby Peculo - First appeared in Punisher: No Escape #1. Killed by the Punisher.
• Bushmaster - First appeared in Iron Fist #15. He was killed when the process that gave Luke Cage his powers proved too much for him.
• Cyclone (Fresson) - He served as a speaker for the European branches of the Maggia. First appeared in Thunderbolts #3.
• Don Fortunato - Crime Boss. First appeared in Spider-Man #70 (May 1996)
• Eli Rumsford - Enforcer. First appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #54 (May 1981)
• Gideon Mace - First appeared in Heroes for Hire #3.
• Goldbug
  - One-time employee. First appeared in Power Man #41.
• Grim Reaper
  - First appeared in Avengers #52.
• Guido Carboni - Crime Boss. First appeared in Marvel Spotlight #20.
• Harry Dumont - First appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #54 (May 1981)
• Mind Master - First appeared in Daredevil Annual #4
• Mysterio - First appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #13.
• Nautilus - An enforcer from Chicago. First appeared in Spider-Man Unlimited #6.
• Photon (Jason Dean) - First appeared in Nova #12. He was responsible for murdering Nova's uncle Ralph Rider.
• Razorwind - An enforcer from Chicago. First appeared in Spider-Man Unlimited #6.
• Shigeru Ichihara - A Maggia member who handled all Maggia activities on the Pacific Rim. First appeared in Avengers Vol. 3 #31.
• Simon Marshall - Maggia Chemist. First appeared in
  Cloak and Dagger
  #1
• Smuggler - First appeared in Avengers #21 (Oct 1965)
• T.B. Smithson - A Maggia member who controls all Maggia activities in Texas. First appeared in Avengers Vol. 3 #31.
• Tapping Tommy - First appeared in Defenders #30.
• Trapster - First appeared in Fantastic Four #38. He was a member of the Maggia in Thing #4.
• Vic Slaughter - Assassin. First appeared in Morbius the Living Vampire #6.
• Vincent Mangaro - A crime boss who set up a drug-dealing operation in New York. First appeared in Punisher: No Escape #1. Killed by the Punisher.

Competitors and allies

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Various criminals have attempted to unify the American East Coast's independent criminal groups so as to compete with the Maggia domination of organized crime. Other lesser criminal organizations may in fact cooperate and work for Maggia, pay street taxes, or manage to operate under the radar of Maggia.

The most successful competitor of Maggia has been the

As noted above, the principal leaders of all three major Maggia families are, to one extent or another, no longer in ideal leadership positions. With the Kingpin presently exiled from the USA in the wake of Daredevil story arcs, the potential for a power vacuum is huge, and the stage is set for a gang war between any and all challengers.

Recently, a new Spider-Man villain called

Other lesser crime bosses include

Although the Maggia organization is, for the most part, analogous in the Marvel Universe to the real life Italian and Italian-American Mafia or La Cosa Nostra, there exist in the Marvel Universe other Italian crime families that resemble more closely the real La Cosa Nostra or Mafia. Some of these families and organizations have been referred to as "the Mafia" in recent comics, but it is unknown whether or not these families ultimately operate under Marvel's Maggia organization or are a part of a separate, more realistic La Cosa Nostra organization in the Marvel universe. As most of these organizations operate on a crew-based street level and specialize in traditional organized crime rather than super-powered organized crime, it is possible they are not connected to the more powerful Maggia. Examples of these organizations include:

• The Angelone Crime Family -
• The Gnucci Crime Family - It was known for the infamous Ma Gnucci.
• The Pazzo Crime Family -
• The Roman Crime Family -

Other versions

House of M

In the House of M reality, the Maggia is a criminal organization that was led by Count Nefaria. The Maggia were annihilated by Magneto's Sentinels for plotting against him.^[19]

In other media

Television

• In the Iron Man episode "Beauty Knows No Pain", Madame Masque mentions her connections to the Maggia when she and her henchmen were looking for the Golden Sepulcher of Isis.^[20]

• The Maggia appears in
  Guardsmen members Force and Shockwave
  appeared. Count Nefaria managed to knock down Force and Shockwave, but was defeated by Iron Man while the remaining Maggia thugs were taken down by Force and Shockwave. It was later revealed by Pepper to Tony upon going into the FBI Database that Force and Shockwave worked for the Maggia before being outfitted with the Guardsmen armor by Obadiah Stane which meant to Tony that Force and Shockwave have staged the bank robbery all along (judging from an earlier comment by Count Nefaria, they gave him false data about the bank containing valuable hardware). In the episode "Titanium vs. Iron," it is revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. suspects Justin Hammer of committing illegal activities with one of them selling his technology to the Maggia.