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Anthony "Tony" Zucco was a gang enforcer who was responsible for the death of Dick Grayson's family and the estranged nephew of mob boss Arnold Stromwell.
History
Tony Zucco ran a racket in Gotham City, in which he offered "protection" from dangerous life to various performing acts and visiting attractions. In truth, however, the ring was extortion; the services offered were merely a protection from the damage that Zucco would otherwise inflict.
When the Haley's Circus visited Gotham for a Wayne Charity event, Zucco paid the circus owner and ringmaster, Mr. Haley, a visit. Haley threw Zucco out, threatening him to never return. Zucco countered with his own threat, stating Haley would wish he'd taken his offer. At the next performance, Zucco disguised himself as a crew member, and infiltrated the circus tent. He took the aerial ropes in hand and slashed them, weakening the overall durability but not to the extent of notability, thus most people would think they were safe for use. A 10-year old Dick Grayson was performing that night on the trapeze alongside both his parents, all of whom were acrobats. After Dick finished one stunt, he remained perched on a ledge while his parents got ready for another stunt. The combined weight of the two acrobats proved too much for the sabotaged ropes, and they broke, shocking everyone present, but worst of all, Dick watched his parents die in a gruesome manner.
Tony Zucco behind the wheel.
Bruce Wayne took the young Grayson in, and Batman began a savage hunt through Gotham for Zucco. Knowing this, Zucco laid low, taking refuge with his uncle Arnold Stromwell. It didn't take the Dark Knight long to track him down. Batman confronted Stromwell about the circus disaster, to which Stromwell denied his involvment. Indeed, this was technically true, as Stromwell did not perform the sabotage nor order it under his role as a mob boss. However, Stromwell correctly surmised that his nephew was responsible, and was fed up with the heat he was taking at the expense of his nephew's extortion scams, which were unauthorized and (in Stromwell's opinion) not worth the trouble for the expected payouts. Arnold Stromwell kicked Tony Zucco out of the crime family and disinherited him, although he did not rat out Zucco to the authorities.
Taking refuge in Gotham's Lower East Side, Zucco made plans to skip town. Though Batman found Zucco, young Dick found him first. During the struggle, Dick fell into the Gotham River, and Batman chose to save the future Boy Wonder's life rather than apprehending Zucco and risking Dick's death. Zucco, in turn, escaped.
When Batman and Robin broke up a sabotage ring years later, a captured con revealed the man behind the operation, one Billy Marin, an alias for Tony Zucco. Aware of this connection, Batman ostracized Robin from the investigation, pursuing Zucco on his own. Robin, however, wasted little time in discovering who Marin really was, and began his own investigation against Batman's orders.
Robin finds his family's killer.
Batman found Zucco first, but the con managed to get the jump on the Dark Knight. Out of ammunition, Batman (his leg injured from a fall) bought some escape time and took cover in an abandoned amusement park. Methodically, Batman eliminated Zucco's thugs until the big fish himself remained. But before he could apprehend Zucco, Robin arrived. Zucco and Robin engaged each other in a furious fight until Robin gained the upper hand and prepared to take his revenge. Batman protested, and despite his innermost desires, Robin let the police arrest Tony Zucco. In a rare show of emotion, Batman admitted that he forbade Robin from facing Zucco because he was afraid that Robin would be killed.
Equipment and Abilities
Like most mobsters, Tony Zucco relied on guns for his self defense. He was a physically average male, capable of fighting normal people but out-classed by comparison to the highly trained Batman and Robin. He also had his own henchmen, though they were as incompetent as henchmen come.