Nicky Cavella

Nicolas "Nicky" Cavella is a fictional villain appearing in comic book series.
Publication history
Cavella made his first appearance in the second issue of the first Punisher MAX story arc, "In the Beginning". He went on to appear in all subsequent issues of this story arc, before going on to play a more significant role in the "Up Is Down and Black Is White" story arc, of which he appeared in every single issue.
Fictional character biography
Early life
Much of Cavella's early life is revealed through flashbacks in the "Up Is Down and Black Is White" story arc. Cavella was born in The Bronx, New York. His parents were both respected members of the Italian American Mafia, and he also had a younger sister. During his late childhood, he secretly made a deal with his father's sister, Mo, to kill both his parents and his sister, in return for inheriting his family's business. He shot his family and blamed the killings on his uncle, Jimmy. His aunt ensured that he would have a prominent position in the New York Mafia. However, she would also force him to have sexual intercourse with her, reassuring him by saying that he was her "Brave Little Soldier", and constantly ordering him to "Fuck Auntie Mo!" It was around this time that Cavella also became a sadist, torturing and killing rival mafia members. Eventually he killed his aunt during forced sexual intercourse with her by suffocating her with a pillow.
Cavella grew up to be a very feared and respected criminal. One of the jobs he was assigned to do by Massimo Cesare, the current head of the New York Mafia, was to frighten an Asian crime lord, David Kai, in order to make him work for them. Cavella and then proceeded to kill Kai's youngest son, then had his accomplices, Ink and Pittsy, disguised a part of the child's body as beef. Kai then proceeded to eat the meat, unaware that it came from his son. Cavella then visited Kai and told him of his request to join the mafia. When Kai refused this offer, Cavella told him of the origin of the meat, the pulled out a gun and killed Kai's two remaining sons, but left Kai alive.
Cavella believed that this errand would do well for his reputation, but he was wrong. After learning of his action, he became despised by his fellow mafia members, and was forced to flee New York. He eventually settled in Boston, along with Ink and Pittsy, where he ran a successful drug trafficking operation, for the next 15 years. It was around this time that he also began to have a sexual relationship with a corrupt military officer called William Rawlins.
In the Beginning
In this story arc, after the Punisher kills Massimo Cesare and most of the rest of the New York Mafia, Laurence Barucci, one of the few surviving members, calls Cavella and asks him to return to New York, in order to re-build the Mafia. Cavella accept, but suggests that instead of rebuilding, the first step should be to eliminate the Punisher. At this time, the Punisher was captured by CIA agents working with his former partner Microchip, in order to try to persuade him to work for the government. Cavella learns this information after Pittsy tortures a CIA agent by castrating him. Cavella, Ink, Pittsy and Barruci then assault the hotel where the Punisher is secretly being kept. However, all does not go according to plan as Ink is shot dead by CIA agent Kathryn O'Brian, and Pittsy is badly wounded by Microchip. The Punisher and Microchip then flee to a warehouse where Microchip has secretly stashed loads of weapons. However, Microchip did not know that his cell-phone was bugged, and before long police, SWAT teams as well as Cavella and a small army of Mafiosos attack the warehouse. During the fight Pittsy is impaled on a gate by the Punisher. Cavella then points his gun at Barruci, ordering him to run at the Punisher, who instantly kills him. The Punisher was just preparing to kill Cavella when he was distracted by a barely alive Pittsy, allowing Cavella to escape.
Up Is Down and Black Is White
At the start of the fourth Punisher MAX story arc, Cavella returns. He goes to the site where the Punisher family are buried, dig up and opens the coffin, and urinates on the bodies, while his henchman films him. He then sells this footage to all major news broadcasters, to be shown on television, in an attempt to try and provoke the Punisher and drive him insane with anger. This does not work, and instead the Punisher starts to massacre Cavellas henchmen and other gangs. Cavella, however, remains confident that his plan will work. Due the fact that the now rebuilt mafia see his action as bravery, he is quickly promoted to head of the organization. While enjoying his newfound success, he again encounters Rawlins, who threatens to reveal that Cavella killed his own family unless Cavella agrees to use himself as bait to lure the Punisher. The plan goes wrong, and with O'Brien's help, Rawlins is captured and taken to to the home of William Roth, who Pittsy castrated in the previous story arc. Cavella's henchmen then abandon him in fear of the Punisher, leaving him on his own. He manages to track down the Punisher and threatens to kill a schoolboy unless the Punisher surrenders. It is here that Cavellas cowardly nature is finally shown, because he refuses to kill the child after the Punisher warns him of the consequences if he does. The Punisher then proceeds to knock Cavella unconscious and ties his hand behind his back. He then locks him in the trunk of a car and drives that car far into the wilderness. He lets Cavella out, who sobs and begs the Punisher to spare his life, and begins to frantically pray for forgiveness. The Punisher ignores these pleas, and shoots Cavella low in the stomach, explaining that because of where the bullet hit, Cavella will bleed to death very slowly, while his lungs would become badly infected, and that it would probably take him several days to die a very slow, painful death. It is later revealed in the next Punisher story The Slavers, that a hunter had found Cavella dead with his eyes pecked out by birds.

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