The Punisher (character)

The Punisher is an antihero character in the Marvel comic books and in several Marvel television series. The vigilante is a US Marine veteran who seeks justice after his family is murdered. The Punisher does not have superhuman abilities, but he is highly skilled in combat and heavily armed.

The Punisher, whose symbol is a stylized white skull, has headlined comic book series and has made appearances in many other comics. He is central to multiple story arcs in Marvel television series. The character is notable for his strict moral code as well as his willingness to do what many heroic characters in comics will not: kill his enemies. His iconic skull has been adopted by many in law enforcement, much to the chagrin of its creator.

Background

Marvel Comics dates to 1939, when magazine publisher Martin Goodman created Timely Comics to milk the popularity of the superhero genre. The first Timely comic book was Marvel ComicsNo. 1. Timely was notable for creating and introducing Nazi-fighting superhero Captain America in 1941, but after World War II the public lost interest in such fantasy stories. Goodman changed the company name to Atlas Magazines, which published some horror, science fiction, and Western comics. Rival DC Comics reinvigorated the superhero comic genre during the late 1950s, and Atlas morphed again, emerging as Marvel Comics.

Marvel is noted for having created what is known as the “Marvel Universe.” The setting of the comic book stories is recognizably Earth, but home to heroes and villains with super powers. Within this universe, Marvel writers and artists have frequently crossed characters into others’ storylines and series.

Marvel had a wealth of talent in its lineup. Writer Gerry Conway and artists Ross Andru and John Romita Sr. created The Punisher. Conway got his start as a comic book writer when he was sixteen years old, selling stories to both Marvel and DC Comics. He conceived of The Punisher as a villain, but created a strict moral code and the killer emerged an antihero. Conway also sketched the skull symbol.

The Walt Disney Company bought Marvel Comics’ parent company in 2009. By this time, the Marvel movie division, Marvel Studios, LLC, had launched the Avengers film franchise, based on the comics of the same name. The cinematic storylines take place in what came to be called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this realm, the characters’ stories often diverge from what has been published. The plots of multiple television series, launched in 2013 with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and including The Punisher, mesh with the film story arcs.

Overview

The Punisher first appeared in 1974 in Issue 129 of The Amazing Spider-Man as a contract killer. He was hired to kill the superhero, but later realized Spider-Man was not a criminal. A special comic book in 1995 altered readers’ perception of the killer by providing his backstory, which does not mesh with other versions of the character’s origins. In The Punisher vs. Marvel Universe, his wife and children die during a battle of superheroes.

The Punisher teams up with heroes from time to time in comics. He saves the organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. in a 1995 issue. The Marvel Knights series, which debuted in 2000, teamed the vigilante with Black Widow, Daredevil, and other heroes. He teamed with Daredevil again in 2011 and fought the green Avenger in The Incredible Hulk issue 8 that same year. Most of The Punisher’s stories are set in New York City.

Marvel’s website describes The Punisher as six-feet, one-inch tall, weighing 200 pounds with black hair and blue eyes. He wears a Kevlar uniform and drives the high-speed Battle Van, an advanced armored combat vehicle. He was born Frank Castiglione (later Castle), in Queens, New York.

Castle attended a Catholic seminary, where he came to believe forgiveness could not be achieved without punishment, but did not become a priest. Instead, he joined the US Marines and Navy SEALS, completed four tours of duty with distinction, and raised two children, Lisa and Frank Jr., with his wife, Maria. Castle’s first action of vigilante justice occurred while in the Marines, when he killed an officer who enjoyed encouraging soldiers to desert only to abandon them to die.

Castle took his family to Manhattan’s Central Park for a picnic. After they witnessed a murder, the mobsters involved shot them. Castle was the only survivor. He recovered and sought justice, but the police were corrupt and Castle decided he had to go after the Costa crime family himself.

The vigilante crosses swords with Big Apple-based figures including Daredevil and Spider-Man. He sometimes works grudgingly with superheroes to fight a common foe, but remains an antihero.

The stylized skull logo Castle bears originated in his military background. He was captured by an enemy soldier known as the Monkey, who wore a skull medallion. When Castle killed the Monkey, he adopted the symbol, although he did not wear it until he attacked and killed most of the Costa family. At that time, he spray-painted the elongated skull on a bulletproof vest. Later, the Punisher’s creators sent him to prison, effectively putting the Punisher on hiatus until several miniseries debuted in the late 1980s and sales exploded.

The character has appeared in television series, movies, and video games. Castle was introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a major character in the second season of Netflix’s Daredevil in 2016. In 2017 and 2019, Netflix aired two seasons of The Punisher starring Jon Bernthal.

Many in the military embraced the Punisher skull during the War on Terror (2001-), painting the symbol on vehicles, body armor, helmets, and weapons. Not long after, American law enforcement officers were also noted to be wearing the insignia, and in 2004 a group of police in Milwaukee, Minnesota, operating as a vigilante group wore the symbol. When the Blue Lives Matter movement began in 2014 as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement, organizers used a blue Punisher symbol on posters and other merchandise. Use of the symbol by law enforcement drew attention when the Netflix series debuted and the character became better known. A version called Punisher Trump was also adopted by some conservative fans of President Donald Trump.

Creator Conway objected to the use of the skull by law enforcement and military. He said the Punisher is not a character to be emulated and only exists because the police and military failed Castle and society. Conway compared law enforcement wearing the skull to flying a Confederate flag on a government building and endorsed rebooting the Punisher as a person of color. In a 2019 comic book, the Punisher rips a decal of the skull off a police car and castigates the officers for admiring his vigilante justice.

Bibliography

Avila, Mike. “Remembering Ross Andru, the Most Under-Appreciated Spider-Man Artist.” SyFy, 12 June 2020, www.syfy.com/syfywire/remembering-ross-andru-spider-man-artist. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

“Character Close Up: The Punisher.” Marvel, www.marvel.com/comics/discover/361/the-punisher. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.

Cronin, Brian. “A History of the Punisher Logo Being Used by Police, Military & Politicians.” Comic Book Resource, 17 July 2019, www.cbr.com/punisher-history-logo-used-police-military-politicians/. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

“Deconstructing the Symbols and Slogans Spotted in Charlottesville.” Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/local/charlottesville-videos/. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

Engber, Corinne. “Neo-Nazis, the Punisher and Cognitive Dissonance.” Jewish Boston, 12 Jan. 2021, www.jewishboston.com/read/neo-nazis-the-punisher-and-cognitive-dissonance/. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

Foster, Devon. “Punisher: How Netflix’s Most Brutal Marvel Villain Joined the Thunderbolts.” Comic Book Resource, 1 Mar. 2021, www.cbr.com/punisher-how-netflixs-most-brutal-marvel-villain-joined-the-thunderbolts/. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

“Frank Castle Punisher.” Marvel, www.marvel.com/characters/punisher-frank-castle. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.

Hernandez, Danny. “Netflix’s Punisher: 5 Things They Changed (and 5 They Kept the Same).” Screen Rant, 3 Feb. 2019, screenrant.com/netflixs-punisher-things-changed-and-kept/#:~:text=The%20biggest%20changes%20to%20the,like%20agent%20Madani%20and%20Dr.. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

Thielman, Sam. “How Do You Stop the Far-Right Using the Punisher Skull? Make It a Black Lives Matter Symbol.” The Guardian, 11 June 2020, www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/11/how-do-you-stop-the-far-right-using-the-punisher-skull-make-it-a-black-lives-matter-symbol. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

Voytko, Lisette. “The Creator of ‘The Punisher’ Wants to Reclaim the Iconic Skull from Police and Fringe Admirers.” Forbes, 11 July 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/06/11/the-creator-of-the-punisher-wants-to-reclaim-the-iconic-skull-from-police-and-fringe-admirers/?sh=4758b3d3b434. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.