Hollywood has long been obsessed with the mafia, turning real-life mobsters into silver-screen legends in films like Goodfellas, The Godfather, and The Irishman. These stories mix power, paranoia, and perverse loyalty, turning brutal crime into gripping drama. Now that fascination is turning to one of the mob’s coldest, most methodical killers, Tommy Karate.

But who exactly is Tommy Karate, whose terrifying legacy Pete Davidson is stepping into for a new crime thriller?

Thomas “Tommy Karate” Pitera was one of the most feared enforcers in the history of the New York Mafia. A member of the Bonanno crime family, he earned a grim reputation for methodical, almost clinical violence. Nicknamed Tommy Karate for his martial-arts training, Pitera reportedly studied anatomy and used his fighting skills to carry out precise hits, often dismembering and burying bodies in a way that turned murder into a kind of macabre science.

Law enforcement estimates he was linked to as many as 30-60 killings, making him one of the most lethal hitmen the Five Families ever produced. In the upcoming crime-thriller, Pete Davidson steps into that terrifying legacy, playing the real-life Tommy Karate opposite Paul Walter Hauser as the DEA agent who helped bring him down.

The project casts Davidson not as a one-note comedian, but as a dark, disciplined enforcer whose chilling precision and paranoid worldview drive the story. Camila Mendes and Simon Rex join the cast, rounding out a tense ensemble centered on Pitera’s rise, his drug-fueled network stretching from New York to Florida, and the FBI investigation that finally unraveled his carefully concealed web of killings.

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While the film dives deep into Tommy Karate’s brutal world, Pete Davidson is also embracing a very different, lighthearted side of fame right now.

Pete Davidson has just become Crocs’ newest global brand ambassador, bringing his signature irreverent humor and “I don’t care” swagger to the comfort-clog giant. In the brand’s “Wonderfully Unordinary” campaign, Davidson rocks Classic Clogs with socks, even joking that Crocs are perfectly acceptable wedding footwear if it means ditching suits and heels. He has been a longtime fan, telling outlets he has worn Crocs for around a decade because they are the one thing that keeps his feet happy.

The campaign leans into Davidson’s anti-fashion ethos, with him proudly showing up underdressed at events and poking fun at the idea that everyone has to look polished or uncomfortable to be taken seriously. Crocs seems to be banking on his authenticity and comedic edge to appeal to younger, internet-savvy audiences who value comfort and self-expression over traditional red-carpet glamour.

This lighthearted, laid-back Crocs deal stands in sharp contrast to the darker, more intense role he is taking on as Tommy Karate, a cold-blooded mafia hitman in an upcoming crime-thriller. On one side, Pete is the goofy, unapologetic dad-in-Crocs who wants everyone to relax. On the other hand, he is about to embody one of the mob’s most methodical killers, showing just how wide he is trying to stretch his range.

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What do you think about Pete Davidson playing Tommy Karate? Let us know in the comments.