Maggia (Earth-616)

Maggia
Name	Maggia
Aliases	Five Families, Syndicate, Undermob
Members
Leader(s)	Count Nefaria Formerly Bushmaster, "Nick Cloot" (alleged founder), Madame Masque, Silvermane
Current Member(s)	Big Rock, Blackie, Phil Bradshaw, Caesar Cicero, Marcos Crusetti, Cyclone (Fresson), Leo Dawes, Hammer, Hammerhead, Ando Karnelli, Bruno Karnelli, Joe Karnelli Jr., Vincenzo Karnelli, Lavinia Libris, Man Mountain Marko, Masked Marauder, Nautilus, Owl, Dante Rigoletto, Silvermane, Snaky Duvall, Carmine Villanova, Julie Winston, Danny, Mojo, Vito
Former Member(s)	Luis Allegre, "Nick Cloot", Bruno Costa, "Frank Costa", Bushmaster, Crime-Master, Cyclone (Gerard), Dreadnought, Eel, Erik Josten, Goldbug, Grim Reaper, Byron Hannigan, Bobby Karnelli, Carmine Karnelli, Kingpin, Isabelle Libris, Mad Thinker, Madame Masque, Simon Marshall, Miles Morales, Mister Fish, Photon (Jason Dean), Porcupine (Gentry), Rapier, Don Rigoletto, Scarecrow, Joey Tartaglione, Tombstone, Top Man, Moran, Roak
Affiliation and Identity
Identity	Public
Enemies	Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, Defenders, Dragon Lords, Fantastic Four, Gambit, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Lockstep, Luke Cage, Nomad, S.H.I.E.L.D, Silver Sable, Spider-Man, Thing, Thor, Doctor Octopus, Thunderbolts, X-Men, Mister Negative, Inner Demons, Hydra, A.I.M., Cloak, Dagger
Origin and Status
Status	Active
Reality	Earth-616
Base of Operations	Global, though primarily centered in the United States
Place of Formation	Southern Europe
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Stan Lee, Don Heck
First	Avengers #13 (December, 1964)
First	Avengers #13 (December, 1964)

History

Overview

The Maggia was an international crime syndicate that originated around the 13th century in southern Europe (mostly Italy) under the influence of Satannish, which expanded throughout Europe and the Americas. Unlike other prominent criminal organizations (e.g. Hydra and AIM), the Maggia were not involved with any subversive activities. In the United States they eventually ended up controlling most of the nation's loan-sharking, illegal gambling, and narcotics. Protection rackets and prostitution were also very important to the Maggia.

The Maggia were not a monolithic organization, instead it has consisted of many "families", all of which are independent of each other. They usually didn't cooperate much less coordinate with each other, though they normally agreed not to interfere with each other. Within the Maggia, bloodlines were usually valued more than brains. In Europe, the most powerful Maggia leaders were members of the "Commission". Internationally, a few Maggia chieftains have risen to dominance over the other Maggia families. Count Nefaria was for a time the leader of the European Maggia, and perhaps of all the Maggia. The Afro-Caribbean Bushmaster later became the head of the European Maggia. The American Maggia has not yet had anyone unite the families in the Western Hemisphere.

A few Maggia families have recruited or hired superhuman agents, usually the Nefaria family. Within the New York area were several Maggia families, the most prominent ones being the Manfredi and Hammerhead families. The Maggia has partnered or allied with other criminal groups, such as that of Boss Morgan in Harlem. The Maggia or individual families within it have also gone to war with various criminal organizations, including both rival crime syndicates (e.g. Kingpin's organization and Mister Negative's Inner Demons) and subversive organizations (e.g. Hydra and A.I.M.).

The Maggia have had their share of clashes with vigilantes and the super-powered community. The Nefaria Family has had confrontations with both the X-Men and the Avengers, and especially Iron Man. In New York City, both the Manfredi Family and Hammerhead Family have had dealings with the street-level costumes of the city (e.g. Spider-Man, Daredevil, Cloak, and Dagger) as well as the vigilante, Punisher. The Bushmaster clashed repeatedly with Iron Fist and Luke Cage, and on occasion several Maggia groups have had dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D..

Maggia Groups

• Manfredi Family
• Nefaria Family
• Hammerhead Family
• Karnelli Family
• Costa Family (Defunct)
• Libris Family

Crimelords

• Count Nefaria (mutate)
• Madame Masque (female)
• Bushmaster (Dead)
• Silvermane
• Hammerhead
• Top Man (Dead)
• Eel
• Nick Cloot
• Bruno Karnelli
• Frank Costa (Dead)
• Bruno Costa (Dead)
• Caesar Cicero
• Lyla DeCrisco (female) (Chinese)
• Masked Marauder
• T.B. Smithson
• The Owl (mutate)
• Shigeru Ichihara (Japanese)
• Cyclone
• Tombstone

Teams

• Lethal Legion (Nefaria Family)
• Death Squad (Nefaria Family)

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Dreadnoughts

Transportation

Submarines, Maggia Gambling Ship

Notes

• 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."

Trivia

• Unlike in the Marvel Universe, where the Maggia (its analog of the American Mafia) are still major players in America's underworld and perhaps the most important players, the real American Mafia no longer dominates organized crime in the United States. Outside of the northeast (mainly NY City) and in Chicago (mostly the suburbs) where the Mafia is still strong, the criminal underworld is dominated by other groups and in many major cities the American Mafia no longer have a presence.

See Also

• 207 appearance(s) of Maggia (Earth-616)
• 13 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Maggia (Earth-616)
• 12 minor appearance(s) of Maggia (Earth-616)
• 121 mention(s) of Maggia (Earth-616)
• 10 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Maggia (Earth-616)
• 13 image(s) of Maggia (Earth-616)
• 103 member(s) of Maggia (Earth-616)
• 5 item(s) used/owned by Maggia (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Maggia at MarvelDirectory.com