WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Detective Comics #1024
In Batman’s long and storied history, there are some things that remain constant after being introduced back in 1939's Detective Comics #27: Batman works best with a sidekick, the Batcave will always have the giant penny, and, of course, there will also always be a Matches Malone.
Malone made his first appearance in Batman #242 (1972) in the story “Bruce Wayne--Rest in Peace!” by late comics legend Dennis O’Neil and Irv Novik. In the story, Batman is waging a war with Ra’s Al Ghul. He knows he needs assistance in his ongoing fight and attempts to recruit Malone, “Honcho of the Waterfront Mob,” while he's having supper at his favorite restaurant. He is easy to spot with his tinted sunglasses, plaid suit, and striped shirt, a look that would continue to the modern day. Malone tries to escape but finds himself trapped in the restaurant’s kitchen. Cornered by Batman, Malone fires his gun at the Dark Knight but is killed when the bullet ricochets back to strike him in the heart. Batman then takes on Malone’s identity to attempt to recruit a scientist to the fight. Batman drops the disguise at the end of the issue, but the Matches persona would occasionally pop up over the years when Batman would need a disguise to infiltrate Gotham's underworld.
Now, Malone returns to the comic book pages in Detective #1024, “Fearful Symmetry,” by Peter Tomasi and Brad Walker. Batman is again at war, this time against the Joker, who has taken nearly everything from Batman, including Wayne Enterprises and Wayne Manor (including the Batcave). Batman and Two-Face team up to take down Lincoln March, who has been tasked by the Joker to kill Batman. After defeating March, Batman does emergency brain surgery on Dent to remove a bullet and, thus, the Two-Face persona. Batman then visits Dent in Blackgate Prison - in disguise as Malone - to confirm that Dent is still in control.
In post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity, fans learned a lot more about the real Malone. He had been a small-time hood who specialized in arson to collect insurance money with his brother. When his brother was killed, Malone was the chief suspect but was eventually acquitted. He earned the reputation of being something of a peacemaker between the Gotham mob bosses in spite of himself, as warring bosses would turn their anger toward the obnoxious Malone. In this continuity, Malone lived but often had his identity stolen by Batman while trying to insert himself into Gotham’s mob underworld.
Matches Malone is one of Batman’s most powerful tools in his continuing fight against crime, but he’s been massively underutilized since DC’s Rebirth. Here’s hoping we hear from Malone again soon.