Gotham: Every Major Villain Ranked From Worst To Best

17. Sal Maroni (Season 1)

Sal Maroni, portrayed by David Zayas, was an antagonist of Gotham's premiere season. The show hadn't quite found its pace or footing yet - very much operating like a police procedural before it shifted to a more warmly received season-long structure in season two.

As head of the Maroni crime family, Sal Maroni was at war with Carmine Falcone and it was the constant battle between the two that proved to be a problem for the GCPD and Jim Gordon. That being said, it was at the hand of Fish Mooney that Maroni met his death. He called the wrong woman 'Babe' - it's hardly going out in a blaze of glory, hence this low ranking.

Maroni wasn't an awful villain but he was slightly underwhelming. The angry mob boss archetype has been seen in countless incarnations and Gotham's Maroni failed to add anything new. There are plenty of great villains in the Batverse that the Gotham writers could've drawn from - which they certainly did - but Maroni just wasn't one of them. Simply put, he lacked individuality.