The Punisher is the most well-known anti-hero in comics, with his best stories diving into this premise and eschewing superhero conventions entirely.
The Punisher is a dedicated, dangerous, and vengeful vigilante within a universe full of powerful and colorful superheroes. Both within the world of Marvel Comics and outside it, Frank Castle’s less-than-law-abiding nature had made him quite controversial. It’s also this nature that makes him so popular, however, and it works best when his skull motif is the only “costume” around.
Though he may be known for rubbing shoulders with heroes like Spider-Man, Daredevil and even Wolverine, The Punisher’s best stories sideline or outright ignore the Marvel Universe. This can be seen in how constant interaction with superheroes dilutes his premise, especially with his most acclaimed series having nothing to do with them. Here’s a closer look at why, for Frank Castle to be at his most effective, the cape crowd has to take a backseat.
The Punisher Doesn’t Work In a Universe of Gods and Monsters
The Punisher’s exploits usually see him taking on the mob or other forms of organized crime, with those of a broader scope dealing with government and military situations. These very street-level situations are great for those looking for throwbacks to classic books from writers such as Don Pendleton. But they definitely stick out in a world where Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy are frequent players. It can become almost ridiculous to envision that some of Frank Castle’s grittier stories take place in the same universe where a talking raccoon is running around, and it actually removes the impact of these sorts of stories. Likewise, trying to pull The Punisher more firmly into this connected Marvel Universe can result in watering him down.
The Punisher can’t be an avenging killing machine in a continuity where villains are constantly brought back to life. Likewise, trying to make Frank Castle fit in has led to some incredibly ridiculous situations, such as his brief “resurrection” as the zombie-esque “FrankenCastle” in Punisher #17 (by Rick Remender and Roland Boschi). Add in the fact that many writers seem to be almost scared of what The Punisher represents, and it’s clear to see why a successful run with the anti-hero is a difficult task. On the other hand, the character’s best incarnation perfectly encapsulated his narrative potential and also displayed why the broader Marvel Universe needs to be excised for him to work best.
Punisher MAX Is the Best Take On Marvel’s Violent Vigilante
Punisher MAX was written by Garth Ennis, a creator known for violent books such as The Boys. He’s also considered perhaps the best Punisher writer ever, with his stories for the character in the mainstream Marvel Universe inspiring Frank Castle’s second movie. Punisher MAX was set in a continuity all its own, with nary a superhero in sight. The stories were far more grounded, with Frank Castle aging and losing a bit of his former effectiveness in the process. The follow-up series from Jason Aaron did feature new incarnations of classic Marvel characters, but these were only street-level characters such as Nick Fury, Elektra, Bullseye, and the Kingpin.
Without any superheroes, The Punisher could “shine” as his world’s resident change-maker, even if said change and impact were highly questionable at best. There was no need to coalesce the stories with a world with a hammer-wielding Norse god flying through the air. Ennis and even Aaron’s stories are the gold standards for the character, and it’s due to them using his more grounded nature as a vehicle for stories that more directly spoke to the human condition. One notable example is the story arc “The Slavers,” which had a rather harrowing look at human trafficking and how The Punisher dealt with those who engaged in it. For as much as it made the victim of the crime an important part of the story, the tale didn’t shy away from making Frank Castle center stage.
These sorts of stories are perhaps the only way for the antihero to stand out in ongoing comics, as he’s simply swept away in the miasma of continuity within the mainstream Marvel Universe. He’s essentially a much more extreme version of the occasional standalone nature of Batman and Gotham City, which can sometimes feel like a universe unto themselves within DC Comics. The skull shirt and the man wearing it may have first appeared in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, but The Punisher has clearly evolved beyond the book and the genre that birthed him.
