Suzi Berengetti (Earth-616)

Mrs. Berengetti
Name	Suzi Berengetti
Current Alias	Mrs. Berengetti
Aliases	Nicknames: Suze; Suzy from the Coliseum; Suzie; Suzy
Affiliation and Relationships
Relatives	Michael Berengetti (husband, deceased)
Marital Status	Widowed
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Female
Hair	Brown, Dyed Blond
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Occupation	Casino owner and manager
Base of Operations	Coliseum Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Peter David, Jeff Purves
First	Incredible Hulk #347 (May, 1988)
First	Incredible Hulk #347 (May, 1988)

History

Suzi was the girlfriend of Michael Berengetti, the successful owner of the Coliseum Casino in Las Vegas. Suzi was also a friend of Mona, a nurse, and her roommate, Marlo Chandler, a statuesque physical instructor who couldn't find a steady boyfriend because men tended to find her too intimidating; Suzi, wanting Chandler to have a stable and satisfying relationship like hers with Berengetti, hoped to play go-between between Chandler and a good catch. Suzi also knew that Chandler had amassed a collection of plush toys, which gave her ideas when she wanted to give Chandler a gift.

Suzi spent a lot of time with Berengetti, both at his private home and visiting the Casino. Suzi therefore knew that Berengetti had hired a spectacular enforcer, Joe Fixit, who quickly gained a reputation in the city as an incredible man, in addition to being a super-powered protector. Suzi visited the Coliseum to see Berengetti, and she learned that an armed client had taken a hostage, and that Berengetti himself had gone there to negotiate his surrender. After that, Suzi saw her boyfriend in his office, greeted him with a kiss and slapped him for taking such a risk when he had security guards like Fixit. They both heard Fixit roaring which led them to think that he was moody, so Suzi decided to set him up with Chandler. She phoned her friend, who was reluctant to go on another blind date until she heard that the most eligible mystery man of Las Vegas was looking for a woman's company.

The organized crime syndicate Maggia was trying to intimidate Berengetti for protection money, but Berengetti was resisting, so when he left the building in his limousine at the end of the day, along with Suzi, Maggia forced the driver to go to the ruins of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, where the Maggioso Tony Gold, escorted by dozens of armed thugs, intended to convince Berengetti by force. Berengetti understood that he was being lured into a trap, but did not want to risk a car chase with Suzi on board, and instead he notified Mr. Fixit by beeper; Fixit interrupted his date with Chandler to go help. At the Carlton, as Berengetti refused to give in, Gold had his thugs beat him, and then they pulled out his guns to point them at him and Suzi. Fixit then burst into the Carlton, protected Berengetti and Suzi from the bullets, and defeated the thugs. Berengetti asked him not to kill Gold so as not to spoil the night, after which Berengetti and Suzi left, and Fixit returned to his date with Chandler.

Later, when Fixit's suite at the Coliseum was destroyed by an attack organized by rival businessmen, Suzi accompanied Berengetti to meet Fixit at the wrecked room, so that Berengetti could tell him what he could do next. Berengetti offered Fixit another suite, and proposed to take revenge on those responsible for the attack.

Suzi (center) and her friends Marlo Chandler (left) and Mona (right), with Chandler's plush toys

Soon after, Chandler was injured by hostile cyborgs, and Fixit had been rude when Mona told him (although Fixit discreetly retaliated against the attackers). Then Fixit disappeared for a week, without a warning. When Chandler returned home after a time in the hospital, Suzi visited her, gave her a plush toy, and asked if Fixit had come to see her; Mona criticized Fixit for his behavior, and Chandler excused him, thinking that perhaps Berengetti had given him an important job. She asked Suzi if she knew anything about that, and she only said that not even Berengetti knew where Fixit was, or if he did, he hadn't told her.

The Maggia, seeking control over Las Vegas, renewed their attacks against Berengetti. The Maggia launched an armed attack on Fixit's suite, but he did not seem to be inside at the time; the Coliseum telephoned Berengetti's house, where he was eating with Suzi, to give him the news. Then a bomb placed by the Maggia in Berengetti's car exploded, killing the driver; Suzi, Berengetti, and Berengetti's secretary Jake came out of the house to see the disaster, and then the house exploded. The explosion left Berengetti and Suzi bruised and slightly injured; both went to the police station to testify, but Berengetti refused to talk about organized crime and refused police protection. Berengetti did not want to return to the Coliseum, which would surely be attacked again; Suzi proposed that they stay with her friend Chandler, and he accepted, both ignoring that Bruce Banner, Joe Fixit's secret human identity, was sleeping in an adjoining room. A group of three armed Maggia thugs followed them there, with the explicit purpose of assassinating Berengetti as a message to other businessmen who resisted Maggia; they also revealed that Tony Gold was no longer in charge of the operation. Fortunately, Banner woke up and transformed into Fixit in time to stop the hitmen. However, Berengetti berated Fixit for his unreliability. Fixit yelled at Berengetti, then took the hitmen away, leaving Chandler's home while Berengetti and Suzi left for a cheap hotel outside the city, so as not to use their credit cards because they feared that Maggia would track their movements. Fixit had asked Berengetti to keep Fixit's clothes; Suzi theorized it may be as a proof that Fixit would not go far (as Fixit was extraordinarily big and required custom-made suits). Discussing about the loss of Fixit, Berengetti tried to appease Suzi explaining that he had had a successful career before Fixit; but Suzi understood that Fixit was more than an employee to Berengetti, he was also his beloved friend. Against Suzi's advice, Berengetti then returned to his Casino. He discovered where the Maggia was hiding, and eventually, with Fixit's help, kicked them out of the city.

with Mr. Berengetti.

Berengetti also discovered that Suzi's favorite musician was Brian Newman, whose career Berengetti had helped start and invested in. Berengetti also had business with Newman's representatives at Bone Marrow Management. He sent Fixit to book a Newman concert at the Coliseum's main room for Suzi's birthday as a surprise - but Bone Marrow was unable to do so due to Newman having become a reclusive artist, focusing on a long-term composition. Berengetti then sent Fixit to meet Newman in person, but Newman convinced Fixit that his new symphony was worth the wait. Fixit then phoned Berengetti, who was with Suzi at the time, and told him that Newman was unavailable and that Berengetti should instead hire Wayne Newton, much to Berengetti's disappointment. Apparently Suzi was not informed of the failed plan.

Mrs. Berengetti

Berengetti eventually fired Fixit, as Fixit was attracting too much trouble including super-powered enemies, and also of disappearing for days without warning. Soon afterward, Berengetti admitted to Suzi that he really loved Fixit and that firing him was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. No longer after that, Berengetti married Suzi, who adopted his surname.

Suzi was married to Berengetti only briefly because he was murdered by rival businessman Sam Striker and his super-powered hitman Frost. Striker wanted to replace Berengetti as the most powerful man in Las Vegas and get his assets, but the heiress direct was Suzi Berengetti.

Mrs. Berengetti in her casino, after the funeral

Mrs. Berengetti arranged a funeral for her late husband, with a priest who had not met Mr. Berengetti in person, and which Mona attended; Chandler, who had by then moved to Reno, sent his apology for not being able to travel at that time. The vigilante Punisher, who had arrived in Las Vegas tracking Frost, infiltrated the funeral and identified the widow, but decided that Mrs. Berengetti had loved her husband and not was suspicious, unlike Striker.

Mrs. Berengetti reunited with Mr. Fixit

Accompanied by her friend Mona, Mrs. Berengetti returned to her then offices in the Coliseum, where she was greeted by Striker and his entourage of thugs, who had entered thanks to employees who were betting on Striker as the winner, and intended to obtain Berengetti's private files, high roller list and bank accounts. Striker asked Mrs. Berengetti for them, suggesting that Michael Berengetti would have wanted Striker to take care of everything; she replied that her husband would have sent Striker to hell, and that she did too. Striker was not intimidated because he believed himself to be the most powerful man in Las Vegas and because Mrs. Berengetti had no apparent protectors; and then Joe Fixit returned, bigger, stronger and with his own retinue of thugs. Mona and Mrs. Berengetti recognized Fixit immediately, thou they were both surprised at his change. Fixit proclaimed himself the top man in Las Vegas, and fought Striker's goons without problems; when Frost showed up, Fixit discovered that Frost had strength comparable to that of the Hulk; but Fixit intimidated Striker into retreating with his people. Striker claimed that they had only visit to offer their help, and that if Mrs. Berengetti didn't want it, they would leave; but they actually wanted to plan their next move. When they left, Mrs. Berengetti hugged Fixit, told him how much Michael had loved him, and how difficult it had been to for him to fire Fixt (One of Fixit's men, Ulysses, mentioned that Fixit had told them that Fixit had resigned, not that he had been fired). Fixit met privately with Mrs. Berengetti and told her that, in honor of the friendship Berengetti had given him, Fixit was going to find his murderers. Fixit also revealed to Mrs. Berengetti that he was actually the Incredible Hulk, which was a new shock for Mrs. Berengetti.

With the Punisher's collaboration, Fixit had Striker confess to his murder and be arrested by the police. After that, he said goodbye to Mrs. Berengetti on good terms, once again mentioning Berengetti's importance in both of their lives, and exchanging a quote from classic film noir. After that, Mrs. Berengetti continued her professional life as owner and manager of the Coliseum Casino, dealing almost daily with problematic people who, like Striker, were unable to intimidate her. For some reason, Mrs. Berengetti did not take out insurance against damage caused by superhumans.

Chandler decided to marry Rick Jones at the Coliseum Casino. Mrs. Berengetti attended Chandler's bachelorette party at a male strip club; there was an attempted robbery that night there, but there were super-powered guests who dealt with the intruders. Mrs. Berengetti helped Chandler don her wedding gown along with Mona, Chandler's mother and Chandler's new friend Betty Banner. The wedding was attended by a number of officially-invited humans and superhumans, and many others who received a fake invitation sent by Impossible Man as a prank; but Jones and Chandler welcomed them with open arms (They did behave during the ceremony). Pastor Peter David officiated the wedding and the demon Mephisto tried to ruin it by taking the bride, only to receive a beating from the Hulk and leave empty-handed. The ceremony ended with surprisingly little damage to the premises, thou the repairs took quite some time. There was a slight wreckage on the sidewalk next to the Coliseum due to a guests, the Skrull Talos the Tamed, jumping there to begin a confrontation with the Hulk, but the fight moved to Benbow Inn.

Some days later, Mrs. Berengetti attended another wedding at the Coliseum, which was interrupted by the Strange, a magical creature on Rick Jones' trail. Although the people in this second wedding party were terrified, Mrs. Berengetti stood between them and the Strange, and emotionally demanded that the Strange leave before he could break something. She mentioned Jones in her rant, and then the Strange demanded that she bring him to Jones. Understanding that Jones was already gone, Strange transformed Mrs. Berengetti's flesh into an amorphous mass, and then left, thinking that he could have destroyed all the witnesses. Possibly Mrs. Berengetti recovered her body shortly afterward, and continued her usual activities at the casino.

Attributes

Abilities

Suzi Berengetti proved to be a good and courageous casino owner and manager who had to deal forcefully with problem people.

Trivia

• Suzi liked Brian Newman's music, but unfortunately Newman had become a reclusive artist, refusing to give concerts.
• Michael Berengetti was sometimes too private about his business to share information with Suzi. He also told Suzi that he loved walking down the Strip and shared with her his love for Las Vegas.
• Suzi interacted with Joe Fixit many times when the latter worked at the Coliseum, never showing that she was incredibly intimidated and even afraid of him.
• The movie quote Mrs. Berengetti and Mr. Fixit exchanged after Striker's arrest is from the movie To Have and Have Not(1944, Howard Hawks). Fixit's minion Ulysses (a self-identified noir movie buff) erroneously identifies the quote as being from The Petrified Forest (1936, Archie Mayo) as both movies feature actor Humphrey Bogart. The Hulk later mentioned that Ulysses always mixed up his movie quotes.

See Also

• 11 appearance(s) of Suzi Berengetti (Earth-616)
• 5 image(s) of Suzi Berengetti (Earth-616)