Vito Spatafore Sr. Vito was a closeted homosexual, who had seemingly been engaging in sexual acts with other men for years. This was revealed in the show's fifth season , and became one of the more prominent subplots in the sixth season.
In the season 3 episode " Another Toothpick ", Vito's brother, Bryan Spatafore, is violently beaten with a golf club by a young hot-head known as Salvatore "Mustang Sally" Intile and put into a coma. Vito is vindictive and demands someone render Sal's comeuppance. Tony pressured Cifaretto into ordering Jackie's death; Vito performs his first on-screen murder by shooting his own cousin, Jackie Jr.
Although the cover story for Jackie Jr. Take your pick. They all look alike. Vito is subsequently promoted to capo of the Aprile Crew, as he was second-in-command. In , in the Season 5 episode " Unidentified Black Males ", it is disclosed to viewers Vito is in fact homosexual after he is seen performing fellatio on a security guard early one morning at the Esplanade construction site by Meadow's boyfriend, Finn De Trolio.
Vito intimidates Finn into silence, first by offering him baseball tickets, but then conveying the impression that if Finn lets the word slip that the consequences could result in his own demise. By the Season 6 premiere " Members Only " in , Vito had lost over pounds and appeared in a weight loss commercial. Tony was shot by Uncle Junior in the same episode, and was in a coma for the next two episodes.
While Tony's recovery seemed uncertain, Vito hinted at the idea that he should take over as boss. At the time, Silvio Dante was acting boss, but ended up suffering an asthma attack from the stress. Vito informed Soprano Family capo Larry Boy Barese that he was the best candidate for boss since he was the capo of the highest-earning crew in the family.
