Ma Gnucci
Encyclopedia
Isabella Carmela Magdelena "Ma" Gnucci is a fictional villain from the Punisher
comics. She was created by Garth Ennis
and Steve Dillon
, and appears in the "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline.
-like group that controls many of the illegal activities in New York
. As such, she has subtle control over both the Mayor
and the Commissioner
of the NYPD. Other members of the Family include Ma's brother, Dino and her three sons: Eddie, Bobbie, and Carlo.
As the "Welcome Back" story begins, Frank Castle
throws Carlo off the top of the Empire State Building
. He does this in order to re-announce his presence to the New York underworld
. He then ambushes and kills Eddie and Bobbie; Eddie is shot to death when the Punisher raids a drug deal and sets fire to the warehouse where the deal took place, and Bobbie is shot to death by the Punisher after a gunfight in the local hospital morgue. Bobbie dies atop Eddie's charred corpse.
In retaliation for the murder of her sons, Ma hires three professional hitmen — gunman Harry "Heck" Thornton, martial-arts expert Eddie Lau, and sniper "Tall Joe" Small — to try to eliminate the Punisher, but the Punisher kills all of them. Heck is shot to death at point-blank range; Lau is shoved and run over by a subway train; and Tall Joe is driven over twice by the Punisher's vehicle. He murders her consigliori Joe Malizzia (who is forced out of his own car at over 100 mph by the Punisher and run over by an 18-wheeler) and takes the guns and money Ma offered as a down payment to the hitmen. Frank intends to "wear down Ma's defenses" before actually killing her; thus he spends the next several weeks attacking Gnucci soldiers.
Ma's brother Dino is captured by law enforcement; his lawyer is the vigilante Matt Murdock (Daredevil
). The Punisher overpowers Daredevil and kills Dino with a sniper rifle. The very next night, Ma and a few of her remaining soldiers find Frank Castle outside the Central Park Zoo
. Despite being outnumbered and virtually unarmed, Frank manages to fight them off, killing all the soldiers and luring her and a goon into a polar bear
exhibit. Ma's henchman is killed by a polar bear and she is mauled, losing all her limbs, but she survives.
When her cousin Stevie asks her "how she is" after her mauling, she orders one of her men to shoot her cousin. When that man hesitates, she orders another man to shoot her cousin and the first man. When that man hesitates, she orders a third man to shoot her cousin and the first two, and so on until three of her men and her cousin lie dead at her non-existent feet. She puts out a $10 million bounty
on the Punisher's head. A man named Al Grummet has a lead on the Punisher.
Ma's goons torture and mutilate Spacker Dave, one of Castle's neighbors who has made himself a close friend of the Punisher. After Castle kills Ma's associates who tortured Spacker Dave, the Russian
is summoned by Ma and sent in as a follow-up.
Ma's calls for reinforcements go unanswered, as the other crime families are distancing themselves from her as she had lost so many men and resources. Ma Gnucci tells the Mayor to stay out of the situation, as she has blackmail photos of him. The Russian confronts Castle at his apartment and brutally beats him, but Castle manages to exploit the Russian's weakness (he cannot tolerate heat) and smothers the Russian to death.
Anticipating victory, Ma is shocked to see Frank appear on her front lawn holding the Russian's head. The remainder of her soldiers throw down their guns and leave, saying that she "can't pay us enough to fight that." Frank then burns the Gnucci mansion to the ground (after raiding Ma's safe and stealing about $1 million of Ma's money and secret documents) with Ma inside who is cursing at him all the while. Gnucci manages to attack Frank, but he kicks her into the fires of her burning mansion, where Ma burns to death.
.
Six years later, it appears that Ma Gnucci has mysteriously come back from the dead; the Punisher does not question this and instantly blows her up with a rocket launcher. She returns again and even again. However, Ma Gnucci's reputation was being capitalized upon by the rich and murderous son of "Elite", a racist vigilante Frank had killed years ago. She had not actually come back; the man was using trickery (such as other disabled women) to make it seem as if she did.
video game. The general plot of "Welcome Back, Frank" remains the same (right down to the home burning down), but the polar bear attack is not included, thus she keeps her limbs. Following the death of both of her sons at the hands of Castle, Ma retreats to the Gnucci mansion with her remaining guards in tow. Frank blasts his way through her forces, and after disposing of Bushwhacker in the library he finds Ma cowering in her office. The crime lord dies when the Punisher tosses her out of the office's third-floor window (other options for her disposal are available to the player).
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
comics. She was created by Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
and Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
, and appears in the "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline.
Fictional character history
Ma is the matriarch of the Gnucci Crime Family, a MafiaMafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
-like group that controls many of the illegal activities in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. As such, she has subtle control over both the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and the Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of the NYPD. Other members of the Family include Ma's brother, Dino and her three sons: Eddie, Bobbie, and Carlo.
As the "Welcome Back" story begins, Frank Castle
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
throws Carlo off the top of the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
. He does this in order to re-announce his presence to the New York underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
. He then ambushes and kills Eddie and Bobbie; Eddie is shot to death when the Punisher raids a drug deal and sets fire to the warehouse where the deal took place, and Bobbie is shot to death by the Punisher after a gunfight in the local hospital morgue. Bobbie dies atop Eddie's charred corpse.
In retaliation for the murder of her sons, Ma hires three professional hitmen — gunman Harry "Heck" Thornton, martial-arts expert Eddie Lau, and sniper "Tall Joe" Small — to try to eliminate the Punisher, but the Punisher kills all of them. Heck is shot to death at point-blank range; Lau is shoved and run over by a subway train; and Tall Joe is driven over twice by the Punisher's vehicle. He murders her consigliori Joe Malizzia (who is forced out of his own car at over 100 mph by the Punisher and run over by an 18-wheeler) and takes the guns and money Ma offered as a down payment to the hitmen. Frank intends to "wear down Ma's defenses" before actually killing her; thus he spends the next several weeks attacking Gnucci soldiers.
Ma's brother Dino is captured by law enforcement; his lawyer is the vigilante Matt Murdock (Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
). The Punisher overpowers Daredevil and kills Dino with a sniper rifle. The very next night, Ma and a few of her remaining soldiers find Frank Castle outside the Central Park Zoo
Central Park Zoo
The Central Park Zoo is a small zoo located in Central Park in New York City. It is part of an integrated system of four zoos and the New York Aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society , and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums .The zoo began in the 1860s as a...
. Despite being outnumbered and virtually unarmed, Frank manages to fight them off, killing all the soldiers and luring her and a goon into a polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
exhibit. Ma's henchman is killed by a polar bear and she is mauled, losing all her limbs, but she survives.
When her cousin Stevie asks her "how she is" after her mauling, she orders one of her men to shoot her cousin. When that man hesitates, she orders another man to shoot her cousin and the first man. When that man hesitates, she orders a third man to shoot her cousin and the first two, and so on until three of her men and her cousin lie dead at her non-existent feet. She puts out a $10 million bounty
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
on the Punisher's head. A man named Al Grummet has a lead on the Punisher.
Ma's goons torture and mutilate Spacker Dave, one of Castle's neighbors who has made himself a close friend of the Punisher. After Castle kills Ma's associates who tortured Spacker Dave, the Russian
Russian (comics)
The Russian is a Marvel Comics supervillain created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon to become an assassin during the Punisher's relaunch in November 2000.-Fictional character biography:...
is summoned by Ma and sent in as a follow-up.
Ma's calls for reinforcements go unanswered, as the other crime families are distancing themselves from her as she had lost so many men and resources. Ma Gnucci tells the Mayor to stay out of the situation, as she has blackmail photos of him. The Russian confronts Castle at his apartment and brutally beats him, but Castle manages to exploit the Russian's weakness (he cannot tolerate heat) and smothers the Russian to death.
Anticipating victory, Ma is shocked to see Frank appear on her front lawn holding the Russian's head. The remainder of her soldiers throw down their guns and leave, saying that she "can't pay us enough to fight that." Frank then burns the Gnucci mansion to the ground (after raiding Ma's safe and stealing about $1 million of Ma's money and secret documents) with Ma inside who is cursing at him all the while. Gnucci manages to attack Frank, but he kicks her into the fires of her burning mansion, where Ma burns to death.
Inheritance
Ma Gnucci's nephew Peter realizes he stands to inherit Ma's money, if the Punisher dies. He hires Deadpool to do this. When it is falsely assumed the Punisher is dead, Peter acquires his money in the form of a check. He loses it in traffic. By the time he realizes he can ask the bank for a new one, it is too late. A truck bounces him out of the road impaling him on the Wall Street Bull statueCharging Bull
Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that stands in Bowling Green Park near Wall Street in Manhattan, New York City...
.
Six years later, it appears that Ma Gnucci has mysteriously come back from the dead; the Punisher does not question this and instantly blows her up with a rocket launcher. She returns again and even again. However, Ma Gnucci's reputation was being capitalized upon by the rich and murderous son of "Elite", a racist vigilante Frank had killed years ago. She had not actually come back; the man was using trickery (such as other disabled women) to make it seem as if she did.
Video games
Ma Gnucci is one of the villains in the 2005 PunisherThe Punisher (2005 video game)
The Punisher is a 2005 action game which stars the Marvel Comics antihero, The Punisher. After his family was murdered by the mafia, Frank Castle devoted his life to the punishment of criminals. Players take control of the vigilante hero to track down criminals and kill them...
video game. The general plot of "Welcome Back, Frank" remains the same (right down to the home burning down), but the polar bear attack is not included, thus she keeps her limbs. Following the death of both of her sons at the hands of Castle, Ma retreats to the Gnucci mansion with her remaining guards in tow. Frank blasts his way through her forces, and after disposing of Bushwhacker in the library he finds Ma cowering in her office. The crime lord dies when the Punisher tosses her out of the office's third-floor window (other options for her disposal are available to the player).