Sofia Falcone

Hulk (ally, confidant, lover)

"*Hulk...You may think you have everything as Gotham's vigilante, but there is one thing you don't have. A Falcone as a friend.*"

—Sofia Falcone offering friendship to Hulk

**Sofia Falcone** is the only daughter of the late Carmine Falcone, the sister of the late Mario Calvi and the ex-lover of both Jim Gordon and Hulk. Sofia resided in Miami with her father, until she returned to Gotham City to help Jim with the intention of stopping Oswald Cobblepot from being the king of Gotham. By manipulating Penguin's allies and Penguin himself with memories of his late mother Gertrud, Sofia managed to gain his trust, while secretly rebuilding her father's criminal empire.

## Biography

### Early life

Sofia was born as only daughter to Carmine Falcone and an unnamed woman. As a child she once broke her ankles while playing with her cousins, causing her to cry in pain. Her father told her to put ice on it but her mother went to the hospital with her. On the way she explained her daughter that cold actually increases the pain. What's needed instead is warmth.

When Sofia was 13, her father sent her away, believing that Gotham City was too dangerous for her.

### Life in Miami

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"*What do you think I've been doing down south the past ten years?*"

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—Sofia Falcone to James Gordon

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When James Gordon traveled to Miami to persuade Carmine Falcone to help him win back Gotham from ruling crime lord Penguin, Sofia just came back from a horse ride and she and Gordon briefly noticed each other in front of the Falcone estate. While Gordon talked to her father on the terrace, Sofia interrupted them by wishing Carmine a good morning and giving him a kiss on his cheek. Carmine then asked her how Artemis was, to which she replied that she whipped him into shape. On Sofias demand, Carmine introduced her and Jim Gordon to each other. Gordon then wanted to stand up to greet her, but she refused and sat down too. Thereupon, she asked Gordon what he is doing in Miami, to which Carmine responds to Jim that he can go ahead, since he has no secrets from his children. James then began explaining that Penguin took control over Gotham and the GCPD had turned its back on the city, but there are still families loyal to the Falcones left and Carmines help is needed to knock Cobblepot off his perch.

Carmine thereafter asked Gordon if he was sure that wasn't about James and his loss of power in Gotham. Jim replied that this issue was bigger than him, but Carmine told him that even though he always admired the fight in Gordon, he can't do what Jim is asking for. When asked by Gordon about the reason, Falcone told him that he is dying, although the doctors don't know why, maybe old age or karma. Carmine then explained that he can't go back to Gotham with Jim, because the doctors seem to think the air is better down in Miami for him to give him more time and he is not the one to argue with doctors. Consequently, Sofia responds that she will go back, but Carmine told her to be quiet, because she is not ready for Gotham.

In the end, Carmine explained to Gordon that there was a time in his life when he would have done anything for the city, but that those days are gone. He tells Jim he is sorry, but Gordon is on his own.

### Return to Gotham

Sofia then makes herself known to Oswald Cobblepot by paying him a visit. Carmine Falcone's capos Giovanni, Rinaldi, and an unnamed cap later showed up at her house upon coming out of hiding and wanted her to lead the Falcone crime family. Unfortunately for them, Cobblepot arrived to meet with Sofia while the three capos were killed outside by Victor Zsasz.

She visits Cobblepot's office and asks if Joe Fixit would like to go on a lunch date with her tomorrow, to which Penguin chuckles and tells Sofia he'll make sure Joe gets the message.

Hulk begrudgingly accepts, which makes Sofia happy, and she leaves after telling Hulk to meet her at Janos Szabo's restaurant at 11:00.

Sofia visits Janos Szabo's restaurant prior to her lunch date and tells him how to make goulash just like Hulk's mother made. As Sofia and Hulk dine at the restaurant, Hulk figured that she was trying to hurt him, as the taste of the goulash was just like how his mother used to make and angrily left, thinking that Sofia was trying to get close to him And use him for some nefarious purpose.

Victor Zsasz visited Hulk telling him that he has been tailing Sofia and found that she has made meetings with Mayor Burke and the zoning commissioner. When Sofia is confronted by Hulk and Zsasz outside the building in question, Cobblepot found that Sofia remade the building into the Falcone Home and School for Orphans.

At the time when Cobblepot visits her at the Falcone Home and School for Orphans, Sofia told Cobblepot that his father used to collect chickens as a hobby and that he should take up a hobby as well. Sofia later sees that Cobblepot has befriended Martin. When Mr. Penn tells Cobblepot that Mayor Burke had promoted Jim Gordon to police captain, he suspected that Sofia had a hand in this.

Cobblepot and Mr. Penn visited Sofia as she was making arrangements for the charity event at the orphanage where he tells her that Mayor Burke is nowhere to be found. After walking away from Cobblepot, Sofia calls Gordon telling him that she had Mayor Burke leave town for a while. At the same time, Cobblepot asks Martin to find out everything he can about Sofia. She later arranges for Martin and the other kids to perform at the charity event. During the event, Sofia talks to Cobblepot until the event was crashed by Professor Pyg and his hired help where they have everyone gather at the dining table to eat his special meat pies containing organs harvested from the less fortunate that he poisoned. When Sofia speaks out about it, Professor Pyg stabs her in the right hand. Upon killing a man who considered the orphans the urchins of town with the same knife that was used on Sofia's right hand, Cobblepot and the others ate the meat pies with Cobblepot having to help Sofia eat hers. When Joe Fixit arrived, Sofia and the other attendees fled to safety while Joe fought and easily took down Professor Pyg. Following Professor Pyg's defeat, a doctor tends to Sofia's hand injury as Cobblepot tells her not to go behind his back again. As Sofia meets with Joe to thank him, Martin witnesses the event and tells Cobblepot about it.

## Personality

Sofia is strong, intelligent and calculating, although she comes across as an innocent and naïve young woman, she can be very manipulative, as she knew the moment she returned to Gotham City, that her father, Carmine Falcone's loyalists would seek her out and that Oswald Cobblepot was using her to draw them out of hiding so he can kill them, as it was all part of a plan to gain Oswald's trust while secretly rebuilding her father's criminal empire; despite this, Sofia did feel guilt and remorse for her role in her father's loyalists' deaths, revealing that she apparently has a moral compass.

Despite being raised into the Falcone family, Sofia is apparently very kind, caring, selfless, polite and respectful, she is also apparently far more honorable than her father, as she does not hold a grudge against Jim Gordon for killing her brother, Mario Calvi, as she is fully aware that the latter was infected by the Alice Tetch virus, she even defends Jim for killing Mario, by stating that "he did what he had to do".

However, most of these traits were nothing more than a façade, to hide Sofia's true nature, despite having previously feigned understanding Jim's reason for killing her brother, her entire campaign in Gotham was nothing more than a vendetta to avenge Mario, one which Sofia caused dozens of deaths to achieve.

In truth, Sofia is actually arrogant, egotistic, delusional, selfish, hypocritical, cold, cruel, sadistic and ruthless, to the point of being immoral and unstable; when her father refused to allow her to rebuild his criminal empire (which she took as Carmine being ungrateful) she had him killed, Sofia had no guilt or remorse for this vile act of hers. She is a manipulative liar, she also lacks a moral compass and a sense of honor, as she is not above using innocent children or putting their lives in danger to get what she wants.

Despite her ruthless and unstable traits, Sofia can sometimes be quite cowardly, as when she accidentally brings up Hulk's deceased mother, he gets enraged and visible fear can be seen on her face.