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But also like many of those Batman antagonists, The Punisher’s war didn’t end there, escalating from those who initially wronged him to everyone who rubs him the wrong way. His family was killed by mobsters, setting him on a path of revenge against those who wronged him in the first place. Like many of Batman’s more interesting antagonists, The Punisher is one who initially starts out with a sympathetic origin. All of this fits the profile of a Batman antagonist through and through. The prequel miniseries Punisher: Born further dives into this, with him killing his fellow soldiers who do something he sees as wrong and showing that he was deeply unwell even before his family was killed. His inner monologues expand upon this, with the titular antihero flat out admitting that killing mobsters is the only thing that gives him any measure of peace. His need to fight and kill criminals is pathological and his constant drive to kill those who he feels deserve it, regardless of extenuation circumstances, paints the portate of a man who is, at the very least, deeply unwell if not flat out psychotic. Right from the start, it’s very clear that Frank Castle isn’t a good person. What makes the book so compelling is that it takes the darker subtext of the character and brings it all to the forefront. Garth Ennis’ run on the Max Imprint of The Punisher is arguably not only the best work the man has ever done but probably the best work anyone has ever done with the character. This would change during his run on the MAX imprint of the character where the Batman antagonist similarities really began to show their face. Even during his own run on the Marvel Knights Punisher series, Ennis himself fully admits that, deep down, he still saw the character as a subject unworthy of serious discussion. When the subject of The Punisher was brought up, the prevailing sense was that the character was not worthy of serious discussion on the subject of violence. He recounted a convention he attended in the late 1980s and a panel that he was an audience member for that discussed violence in comics.
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In his intro to The Punisher: The Complete Series Volume 1 from MAX Comics, longtime Punisher writer and The Boys co-creator Garth Ennis talked about this particular angle. Jon Bernthal Uninterested In Returning As A Family-Friendly Version Of The Punisher There was, however, an overriding theme of shlock to the books that, while fun, led many to dismiss the character for any serious examination or discussion. The Marvel anti-hero would head another series known as The Punisher: Warzone in the 90s, with Bane co-creator and Batman: Knightfall writer Chick Dickson penning most of the series. Frank Castle would eventually get his own series of books that notably included the 1987 series titled The Punisher.
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To the shock of everyone at Marvel, the character really clicked with readers despite of the character’s lack of powers and his 80s/90s action movie hero persona.
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The Punisher first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 during Gerry Conway’s and John Romita Sr.’s legendry run on the book. In fact, you could make the argument that The Punisher is Marvel’s greatest Batman villain.
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In addition, most portrayals suggest that the character is seriously unwell, mentally ill, or just a straight-up psychopath himself who is no better than those he kills. In an effort to dissuade people from idolizing the character, Marvel has done everything it can to make sure that The Punisher, his mission and his lifestyle are as unappealing as possible. Over the years, however, the character has become controversial thanks to what some view as a glorification of gun violence as mass shootings in the United States become almost a regular occurrence. Whereas most heroes of the time and even today put their antagonists in jail, Castle had no issues with simply putting a bullet in their heads and calling it a day.Īrguably because of how unconventional he is, The Punisher has garnered quite a following that defies industry norms. Since he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #129, Frank Castle has been one of the few mainstream heroes who uses lethal force against his enemies. The Punisher just might be Marvel’s most controversial hero and it’s not hard to see why. The Punisher is a character who is somehow not only one of Marvel’s best anti-heroes but also the company’s greatest Batman villain.
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