Joseph Manfredi

"You got a lot of nerve showing up here with him, you know what I do to men who steal from me?"

- Joseph Manfredi

Joseph Manfredi is a volatile leader in the Maggia crime syndicate and a former lover of Whitney Frost, who helps her further her own agenda.

Early Life
Around 1935, Joseph Manfredi met Whitney Frost. Though he was very attracted to her, she met and married Calvin Chadwick; Manfredi kept an animosity towards Chadwick, feeling that Chadwick stole Frost from him. Manfredi, being a gentleman, sent Frost expensive bone China as a wedding gift, but, for over a decade, he and Frost did not talk.

Stealing a Bomb
"Now we're talking, how many guns do you need?" "No guns, no guns. Just some of your men who are good with their hands and discreet." "Sounds like a pretty sweet deal for me."

- Joseph Manfredi and Whitney Frost

While eating dinner at a public restaurant, Manfredi was informed that Whitney Frost and Calvin Chadwick had come to speak to him. Manfredi at first threatened Chadwick, reminding him of when he had stolen from him; however, he soon began laughing and assured him that since it had been a decade he was over it and invited them to sit down. They discussed how Chadwick was running for Senate and Manfredi noted that as he was connected to the Council of Nine he would likely get elected. Frost offered Manfredi a proposed freeway system in exchange for his help. Manfredi offered his men for both the freeway system and the promise that Chadwick would ensure that the newspapers no longer published his or his men's names on their front page. When Chadwick tried to argue, Manfredi pulled one of his men aside and they began discussing Frost's beauty. When Clifford called her beautiful, Manfredi slammed his head on the table before mercilessly beating him while the other guests watched in horror. He then returned to the table and agreed to the deal with Frost.

Protecting Whitney Frost
"Your presence is requested." "I'm busy!" "You want I should tell her that?"

- Joseph Manfredi and Vernon Masters

When Whitney Frost began as the new leader of the Council of Nine, she hired Manfredi and his Maggia men to work as her muscle and protection, keeping guard over her new home at the Chadwick Ranch. During his time working for her, Manfredi was told to collect Vernon Masters to speak to Frost, interrupting his torture of Dottie Underwood. Masters was furious and, at first, refused, but Manfredi simply reminded him of the threat Frost held over him. As Masters and Frost spoke, Manfredi took the time to make himself a drink and listen in on their conversation. Masters made it clear that he felt Manfredi's men were not needed as his men were better trained, but Frost and Manfredi both pointed out that the Maggia men were more loyal and obeyed orders without question. Once Frost had tasked Masters with obtaining the original Atomic Bomb uranium rods that were stolen during the Infiltration into the Roxxon Warehouse, Manfredi gave her a drink; when Frost revealed her Zero Matter scars to him, Manfredi said that she was still as beautiful as ever before Frost left the group to question Underwood herself. Manfredi joined Frost in traveling to Howard Stark's Estate in order to kidnap Jason Wilkes. When Manfredi arrived, he commented that he had never seen a black scientist, causing Wilkes to threaten him with the Zero Matter in his skin. Manfredi asked Frost if she had gotten everything she wanted; she informed him that Doctor Wilkes would be coming with them. Wilkes refused, so Manfredi distracted him by threatening that he should watch his tone while talking to them, before Frost knocked him out with a metal bar. As Manfredi put Wilkes inside his car, they were interrupted when Ana Jarvis demanded that they let him go. Manfredi pulled his gun but Frost ordered him to put it away, claiming that they were not monsters. Frost and Jarvis argued about whether or not Wilkes would die if he was taken away, with Frost arguing that what he needed was answers. When Peggy Carter's car pulled into the drive, Frost took Manfredi's gun and shot Jarvis in the gut in an attempt to distract Carter long enough for her and Manfredi to escape with Wilkes.

Two More for Lunch
"Whitney Frost was employing your muscle at a Roxxon Facility we raided." "Look, I wish I could help you but how am I to know who my associates associate with?"

- Peggy Carter and Joseph Manfredi

Manfredi returned to his Italian restaurant and began cooking with his mother while he had a team of Maggia guards protect them. Manfredi made a new kind of gravy for his mother although she berated him that it was not good enough, leading to an argument with Manfredi speaking in English while his mother yelled in Italian. They were interrupted when they saw that Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa had defeated their guards in a fight.

Manfredi sat down with Carter and Sousa who questioned him regarding his men guarding Whitney Frost during the Infiltration into the Roxxon Warehouse. Carter noted that Manfredi had a relationship with Frost, although Manfredi insisted that she had dumped him for Calvin Chadwick. Sousa told Manfredi that they needed to get a message to Frost, which led to Manfredi demanding that they leave. Sousa mentioned that Tommy Fantana was being freed from prison and threatened to claim that Manfredi had given him up; this caused Manfredi to agree to their request.

Having been given the message from Carter and Sousa, Manfredi went to the warehouse where Frost was attempting to teach Jason Wilkes how to control the Zero Matter within him. Manfredi called Frost over, interrupting her work with Wilkes and insisted that she give him a kiss on the cheek before he could talk. He then informed Frost that Carter had been to visit him and had offered to give Frost the uranium rods from the Atomic Bombs in exchange for Wilkes' return unharmed. Frost happily agreed and told Manfredi to inform Carter that they had a deal.

Manfredi and Frost then waited for Carter and Sousa's arrival outside the warehouse, with Manfredi calling Frost gorgeous and promising her that she was even more beautiful than ever; when Frost claimed that she was not Manfredi briefly lost his temper as he insisted he was not lying as her scars represented power and were nothing to be ashamed of. The pair went to kiss just as the van finally arrived; Manfredi ordered his men to bring out Wilkes while he stood beside Frost and offered her protection.

The deal seemingly went down without any trouble, with Manfredi and his men standing guard with her guns raised. Manfredi was given the case containing the rods and confirmed that they were giving off Gamma Radiation as expected, allowing Frost to willingly hand over Wilkes to the SSR. However when Manfredi gave the case to one of his men, it was dropped and the rods were revealed to fake. When Frost saw this, she ordered Manfredi to kill them as Carter and Sousa attempted to escape, with the Maggia men shooting at them before giving chase.

Nuclear Test
"You're gonna pay for that. Plug 'em!" "Wait! Wait. Wait."

- Joseph Manfredi and Whitney Frost

Jason Wilkes betrayed Peggy Carter and got the location of the real uranium rods, which Whitney Frost had Vernon Masters steal from the Auerbach Theatrical Agency. Manfredi and his Maggia guards once again stood by as Frost prepared to cause a Nuclear explosion, casually commenting to Masters how he'd always enjoyed fireworks. Manfredi watched as the bomb was activated and the rift sucked in Jason Wilkes until it was destroyed by a device.

When Edwin Jarvis ran onto the site and shot Frost twice in the chest, Manfredi and his men rushed down to avenge her, mortified at having seen the love of his life killed, Manfredi vowed to make them pay. However just as Manfredi gave the order for his men to shoot, Frost awoke and ordered them to stop, claiming that she needed Jarvis and Peggy Carter alive so that they could be used to blackmail Wilkes into giving up his power. Manfredi then ordered his men to knock the pair out and lock them in the van.

Abilities

 * Tactician:
 * Multilingual: Manfredi understands Italian, his mother's language, though he prefers to speak in English.

Family

 * Nonna Manfredi - Mother

Allies

 * Whitney Frost - Former Lover
 * Calvin Chadwick † - Situational Ally
 * Maggia - Subordinates
 * Clifford
 * Roxxon Guard
 * Vernon Masters

Enemies

 * Peggy Carter
 * Dottie Underwood
 * Jason Wilkes
 * Ana Jarvis
 * Daniel Sousa
 * Edwin Jarvis
 * Jack Thompson

Appearances
In chronological order:
 * Agent Carter
 * Season Two
 * The Atomic Job
 * Monsters
 * The Edge of Mystery
 * A Little Song and Dance
 * Hollywood Ending

Trivia

 * In the comics, Joseph Manfredi is a criminal who controls bats and goes by the alias of Blackwing. He is also the son of Silvermane, and has been a member of HYDRA, the Skeleton Crew, and Crimson Cowl's version of the Masters of Evil.