Maggia (comics)

Maggia is a fictional international crime syndicate appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The organization exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as Earth-616, as well as other Marvel universes. Its structure is somewhat similar to the real-world New York Mafia (which is itself rarely mentioned in Marvel publications), but the Maggia differs in that it frequently hires supervillains and mad scientists to work for them. Some of the prominent Maggia members are supervillains themselves, such as Hammerhead, Silvermane, Count Nefaria and his daughter Madame Masque. The Maggia has come into conflict with various superheroes, including Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Avengers. Comics scholar Brian Cronin has suggested that the Maggia were created to avoid offending the real-life Mafia, as some comic book distributors in the 1960s had Mafia ties. Writer Ed Brubaker says the renaming as Maggia is part of a Marvel policy of referencing the real-world but "one step removed", similar to their fictional company Roxxon inspired by the real-life Exxon. Since their debut in comics, the Maggia have been adapted into several forms of media, including television series and video games. The Maggia appeared in the second season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Agent Carter, with the Los Angeles branch led by Joseph Manfredi portrayed by Ken Marino.