History
Ernesto Karnelli was the long-hidden leader of the shadow arms of the Maggia, the Undermob. Being known as the Underboss, Karnelli operated completely from a lair located in a secret network of underground tunnels near the New York City Hall. Since he lived completely off the grid, the Underboss' oly company was his loyal servant Renaldo.
As part of a contingency to eliminate either a mayor or a grand jury that could cause the Maggia trouble, Karnelli used his connections in City Hall to have erected outside the building a statue made completely of tritium, which could be used as a destructive explosive when exposed to a specific kind of charge. The statue was made to commemorate the Battle of Blood Creek, a fabricated event from the Revolutionary War, with digital evidence of it also being forged to go with the deception.
Reporter Ned Leeds started to look into Blood Creek, but the investigation went nowhere following his death. However, when Ned was brought back to life by the new Jackal, he left his wife Betty Brant a voicemail which ended with the words "Blood Creek." The Enforcers witnessed when Leeds sent the message, and later visited the Underboss to warn him that the investigation could resume.
Karnelli had the Enforcers kidnap Leeds' contacts from when he was investigating Blood Creek, historian Dr. Childs and a city constructor named Mr. Prescott, as well as Ms. Brant. The three were taken to the Underboss' underground lair, where he explained he was going to set off the statue to ensure his anonymity since the truth was close from being uncovered. Karnelli escaped on a small train with the Enforcers and a remote detonator while he ordered Renaldo to get to the surface and access the bomb's manual detonator as a back-up plan. Spider-Man managed to rescue Karnelli's hostages, and followed his train. After the defeat of all the Enforcers except Montana, Karnelli decided to detonate the statue even if he wasn't outside the blast's radius. Spider-Man convinced Montana to turn against the Underboss, and he snatched the detonator from Karnelli's hand. Meanwhile, Renaldo had been stopped by Brant. Karnelli and all of his associates were later apprehended and imprisoned. Betty wrote an exposé on the truth behind Blood Creek, and the statue was taken down.[1]See Also
- 1 appearance(s) of Ernesto Karnelli (Earth-616)
- 2 minor appearance(s) of Ernesto Karnelli (Earth-616)
- 1 image(s) of Ernesto Karnelli (Earth-616)