Carmine Falcone (Gotham)

Carmine Falcone
General Information
Real name:	Carmine Falcone
Aliases:	Don Falcone The Roman
Affiliations:	Falcone crime family (boss) Court of Owls
Portrayed by:	John Doman
Appearances:	Gotham

Carmine Falcone is a powerful crime boss in Gotham City who has control of much of the police department and other political connections, putting him into conflict with fellow mob boss Sal Maroni. Despite being a criminal Falcone believes his control over the city is necessary to prevent it falling into chaos.

Biography

Carmine Falcone has been running Gotham City for decades. He was married although later became a widower, and sent away his children Sofia and Mario so they wouldn't be caught up in the crime and corruption of Gotham. Falcone was also friends with district attorney Peter Gordon, who was later killed by the Court of Owls. Peter's son James Gordon would later become a detective at the Gotham City Police Department, a place which Falcone had influence over.

Falcone and his men rescued James Gordon and Harvey Bullock from being murdered by associates of Falcone's enforcer Fish Mooney, who wasn't authortised to murder them both. Falcone introduced himself to Gordon and revealed he was a friend of his father. Falcone justified his rule over Gotham City as keeping things in line and avoiding everything spiraling out of control and into chaos, although Gordon believed this is just an act. Shortly after meeting Gordon Falcone met with Fish Mooney's former umbrella boy Oswald Cobblepot who was snitching information to the Gotham City Police Department. Cobblepot begged for his life and made a deal with Falcone to have his death faked and would come back to Gotham to act as an informant for him. Falcone agreed, and had Gordon tasked with killing Penguin. With Penguin already knowing Gordon wouldn't kill him, Gordon forced Penguin to flee Gotham after throwing him into the Gotham river. Penguin would later return to the city under a new identity and began working as a double agent for the Maroni crime family.

Cobblepot, now using the moniker as the Penguin, initiates a mob war between Falcone and the Maroni's so they would wipe each other out and leave Penguin to takeover the criminal underworld. Falcone is injured and put in hospital, where Penguin comes close to killing him only to be stopped by Gordon. Gordon takes them to a warehouse, although they are ambushed by Fish and the Maroni's. Falcone, Gordon and Penguin are tied up and ready to be executed, although things escalate into gunfire after Fish betrays and shoots Maroni dead for taunting her. Falcone, Gordon and Bullock escape the chaos, where Falcone reveals his plans to retire from life of crime and retire to the South. Around that same time Penguin kills Fish Mooney by pushing her from a rooftop and into the Gotham River, leaving him free reign to take over the criminal underworld and proclaim himself the "King of Gotham".

Despite leaving Gotham City, Falcone still has influence. When Gordon is stitched up and imprisoned for the death of a police officer, Falcone helps to break him out of prison after being asked by Bullock. Falcone offers to get Gordon far away from Gotham and start a new life, although a grateful Gordon turns him down and decides to return to the city to clear his name. Gordon eventually exposes Edward Nygma as the true culprit.

Falcone returns to Gotham City after his son Mario gets engaged to Leslie Thompkins, the ex-girlfriend of Gordon. Falcone is revealed to be involved with the Court of Owls and warns them away from them attempting to kill Mario (who is infected with the Tetch virus) or he would raze the city to the ground to stop them. The Court's representative grants Falcone's request due to his loyalty to the Court in the past.

Unfortunately for Falcone, the Tetch virus brings out a person's darkest side, which causes Mario to become jealous and believe Leslie is still in love with Gordon. Following Mario and Leslie's wedding they go for a honeymoon at a lakeside cabin, where he plots to stab her to death with a knife. Gordon arrives in time and shoots Mario dead, although the knife drops into the lake and makes it look like Gordon has done this out of pettiness. Falcone puts a hit out on Gordon, although eventually calls off his men at the request of Leslie.

Gordon later visits Falcone at his villa in Miami and begs him to return to Gotham City in order to bring down the Penguin. Falcone turns down his request, revealing that he is dying. Gordon is introduced to Falcone's daughter Sofia, who follows Gordon back to Gotham in order to help him bring down Penguin. Sofia ends up hiring a serial killer and assassin known as Lazlo Valentin to pose as a killer "Professor Pyg" and commit acts of anarchy and death to bring down Penguin. Despite Sofia's apparent fondness for Gordon, she also plans revenge on him for the death of Mario. Falcone clues up to Sofia's activities and arrives to bring her back to Miami, although he is assassinating by Valentin on her orders. With her father dead, Sofia becomes the head of the Falcone crime family, although this comes to an end after she is shot in the head by Leslie Thompkins and put into a coma.

Appearances

Season 1

• "Pilot"
• "Selina Kyle"
• "The Balloonman"
• "Viper"
• "Spirit of the Goat" (photograph)
• "Penguin's Umbrella"
• "Lovecraft"
• "What The Little Bird Told Him"
• "The Scarecrow"
• "Everyone Has a Cobblepot" (mentioned)
• "The Anvil or the Hammer"
• "All Happy Families Are Alike"

Season 2

• "Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do..." (mentioned)
• "Rise of the Villains: Strike Force" (mentioned)
• "Wrath of the Villains: Prisoners"
• "Wrath of the Villains: Transference" (mentioned)

Season 3

• "Mad City: Look Into My Eyes"
• "Mad City: Anything for You" (mentioned)
• "Mad City: Follow the White Rabbit" (mentioned)
• "Mad City: Blood Rush"
• "Mad City: Time Bomb"
• "Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster"
• "Mad City: Ghosts"
• "Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It" (mentioned)
• "Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions"
• "Heroes Rise: Pretty Hate Machine" (mentioned)

Season 4

• "A Dark Knight: The Fear Reaper" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: They Who Hide Behind Masks"
• "A Dark Knight: The Demon's Head" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: Hog Day Afternoon" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: Let Them Eat Pie" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: Things That Go Boom" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: Queen Takes Knight"
• "A Dark Knight: Pieces of a Broken Mirror" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: A Beautiful Darkness" (costume in hallucination)
• "A Dark Knight: The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: That Old Corpse" (mentioned)

Season 5

• "Legend of the Dark Knight: The Beginning..." (mentioned)

Novels

• Gotham: Dawn of Darkness (mentioned)

Trivia

• This is the second live-action Carmine Falcone following the 2005 film Batman Begins.
• Whilst Falcone is typically still the ruling mob boss of Gotham City when Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, this version of Falcone dies just over a decade before the show's version of Bruce Wayne takes up the mantle.