Origin

Brought up alongside his brother Paul, Peter Gambi became a member of the mob. Working as a hitman, he killed several people, including Alvin Pierce, Jefferson Pierce's father. He ultimately repented, reformed, and expressed guilt for his criminal past. Moving into the Suicide Slums, he became a tailor.

Creation

Peter Gambi was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden. He made his first appearance in Black Lightning #1.

Major Story Arcs

Black Lightning

With his tailor shop located below the apartment Pierce shared with his mother, Gambi strikes up a friendship with the young man. Following the murder of one of Pierce's students, he seeks out Gambi for advice. Gambi presents him with a costume and force field belt he has designed, enabling Pierce to pursue a crime-fighting career as the superhero Black Lightning. When someone tries to kill Black Lightning, Gambi jumps in front of the gun, sacrificing himself as a final act of contrition for his past sins.

Powers and Abilities

Gambi has no known superhuman powers or abilities. He is a skilled tailor and may have some mechanical engineering experience. As a former hitman he is presumably skilled in the use of various weapons.

Other Media

Television

DC Nation Shorts

Gambi appears in the Black Lightning short "Clothes Make the Hero" as a tailor who creates costumes for Black Lightning and his daughters, Thunder and Lightning. He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.