Antoinette Dracon
Antoinette Dracon is the twin sister of Tony Dracon, and a major figure in the New York underworld.
History
In 1997, Antoinette and Pal Joey were outside Bellevue Hospital to pick up her grandfather, Dominic Dracon, at his release. Once in the limo, she reminded him that, according to their lawyers, it was important that he maintain his act of suffering from dementia. She later visited Tony in prison and two deliberated how best to handle their uncle's release from Sing Sing, something she also asked her grandfather earlier that day. ("Idyll or Nightmare")
On May 14th, Antoinette went to pick up Dino from Sing Sing. From the back seat she watched her uncle assault Pal Joey for splashing water on his shoes as he drove in. Back at Park Manor Hotel, Antoinette was in attendance when Glasses briefed Dino about the latest developments with the Five Families. When the others expressed how Dino seemed more measured despite hearing the Dracon family's setbacks, Antoinette was quick to remind them what had happened to Pal Joey. ("Tale Old as Time")
The following night, with little plan in how to contain her uncle Dino from either her grandfather or brother, Antoinette sought help from outside the family: the gargoyles. After overhearing Dino sharing with Dominic his plan to take out Izaak Slaughter, Antoinette went to the Eyrie Building hoping to convince the Manhattan Clan – chiefly Broadway – to thwart Dino's attack. She explained the situation to Broadway, who eventually pushed aside his disdain for the Dracons to protect Slaughter from Glasses and Pal Joey's attack involving a myriad of stolen Cybots. ("Underwater", "Everywhere")
When Goliath's nighttime hearing began on May 19, Antoinette watched the proceedings in person in the courtroom gallery. She watched the second night's events with her uncle and grandfather back at Park Manor Hotel. Goliath's Hearing would not be the only drama scheduled for that night. After listening in on a phone conversation between her uncle and Glasses, Antoinette phoned the Manhattan Clan, explaining Dino's plan to harm two recently abducted teenagers, Rosaria Sanchez and Peter Choy. Once again her information and cooperation with the gargoyles prevented Dino from achieving his ends. ("Your Witness", "New Rules", "Young At Heart")
The morning following Dino's foiled foul play, Antoinette volunteered to go to Slaughter's emergency summit with her grandfather to represent the Dracon family's interests, but her uncle – claiming he was "fond" of her – insisted she stay away from the gathering. Once more, she journeyed to the Eyrie Building to seek the gargoyles' aid. In sharing the details to stop her uncle's latest ploy, Coldstone considered the information she shared with the clan "surprisingly comprehensive". Antoinette then insisted she take Pal Joey's place and escort her grandfather to the emergency summit. As the Manhattan Clan collected and safely detonated the bombs over the Hudson and East Rivers, Antoinette and Dominic joined the other gangs in attendance. The mobsters were soon interrupted by Goliath, Coldstone, and the Trio. After Coldstone quickly identified and neutralized the hidden explosive in the room, the gargoyles called for an end to the infighting, pointing out that Sanchez, Choi, and Slaughter all owed the gargoyles for their various recent interventions. Antoinette and Jack Dane also acknowledged that Goliath saved Tony and Brod while the gargoyle was incarcerated at Rikers. The summit was interrupted once more by Dino Dracon, carrying one last explosive with a dead man's switch. Antoinette's presence there finally began to clue Dino in on how the gargoyles managed to continually mess with his plans. Antoinette was shocked to learn that her uncle killed her father Anthony, Sr. as Dino prepared to kill everyone in attendance, family members included. Disappointed in his son, Dominic shot Dino in the chest, who then fell out the broken window, letting go of his dead man's switch. ("Cold Comfort")
After Dino met his apparent demise, Antoinette remained present at the summit which ultimately paved the way for a new détente between the criminal families, with all six gangs recognizing Dominic Dracon as their pater familias. This arrangement not only benefited Antoinette, who was now content to run the gangs through her grandfather as she sees fit, but it satisfied the gargoyle who truly guided her the most: Demona. As Antoinette and Coldstone reported to the Rogue Gargoyle at her townhouse, Antoinette declared the Six Families were Demona's to control. ("Cold Comfort")
Over the next several months, Antoinette Dracon worked towards Demona's goal to seize the Three New Keys to Power. When the Gathering of the Gargoyles Guild held their first convention in the Park Manor Hotel, Antoinette attended to listen to what Goliath had to say - after trading a few barbs with Elisa Maza - finding Goliath's voice impressive but the words "fairly standard". She later rendezvoused with Demona and unleashed exo frames the Dracon mob had stolen from Golden Cup on the Eyrie Building, which Antoinette controlled remotely through a stolen RECAP visor to distract the Manhattan Clan while Demona snuck in and stole Puck's Flute from Owen Burnett. By November of 1997, Antoinette travelled to Geneva and bought Cleopatra's Necklace at an auction. The following day, she turned it over to Demona. With all Three Keys in her possession, Demona united them casting an enchantment that would force humans to obey her commanders. Antoinette didn't feel any different and Demona pointed out that due to her existing loyalty and already being enthralled to her, she wouldn't. ("Questions", "Quo Vadis Cum Hoc?", "Acquisitions", "Unequivocal Success")
Come Thanksgiving, Antoinette walked uptown from Gramercy Park with Demona, as she enchanted humans to bow to her. They both entered the Eyrie Building together where Antoinette had another role to play. Elisa Maza, who had been enchanted earlier that evening, followed her commands to tranquilize Bronx and Fu-Dog and steal Egwardo. Without seeing getting a look at her, Elisa gave Egwardo to Antoinette who then delivered it to Demona. She stood by and smiled as Demona vowed to raise the egg to hate the humans and vie to destroy them and any gargoyles who stood in Demona's way. ("Unequivocal Success", "Queen of All She Surveys")
Characteristics
Antoinette despises being called "Toni". She usually corrects anyone who calls her that, with the chief exception being her uncle Dino. She also seems to be the most subtle and manipulative of the Dracons – in sharp contrast to her brazen brother, and her psychotic uncle. ("Idyll or Nightmare", "Tale Old as Time", "Cold Comfort")
Antoinette needled Elisa over her relationship with Goliath at the Gathering of the Gargoyles Guild before brushing her comments off as a joke. Later Demona would describe Antoinette as already being loyal and enthralled to her making Antoinette a willing and eager participant in Demona's quest to acquire the Three Keys to Power - Antoinette flew to Geneva, Switzerland to purchase Cleopatra's Necklace as a proxy for Demona - as opposed to the enchantment she used to force loyalty on other humans after all Three Keys had been gathered. She even kidnapped Egwardo and presented her to Demona, and didn't seem to object at all to Demona's plans to further make war on humanity. ("Questions", "Acquisitions", "Unequivocal Success", Queen of All She Surveys")
She also is, fashionably, very stylish and is often seen in different outfits.
Appearances
- "Idyll or Nightmare" (First Appearance)
- "Tale Old as Time"
- "Underwater"
- "Your Witness" (No Lines)
- "New Rules"
- "Young At Heart"
- "Cold Comfort"
- "Questions"
- "Quo Vadis Cum Hoc?" (No Lines)
- "Acquisitions"
- "Unequivocal Success"
- "Queen of All She Surveys"
Production Background
Greg Weisman shared that Antoinette Dracon was already a character in the predevelopment of the story to follow Clan-Building during the SLG run in 2006-2009, which ultimately became Here in Manhattan for Dynamite Entertainment thirteen years later. During that time, he pointed out that "no one ever asked me about her, so that helped not to hint about her." [1]
