Superhero Origins: The Punisher
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VOICE OVER: Dan
Of all things, Frank Castle started out studying to become a priest. However, his inability to forgive those who did evil acts led him to instead enlist as a U.S. Marine Captain. An expert in reconnaissance and warfare, he was sent to Vietnam before marrying and having two children. Unfortunately, they ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time and were killed by gangsters, causing Frank to snap and dedicated his life to violently punishing those who would cause injustice. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we explore the comic book origins of The Punisher.
Superhero Origins: The Punisher
He doesn’t fight crime; he punishes it. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be exploring the comic book origins of Frank Castle, otherwise known as The Punisher.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline that unfolded in 1974’s The Amazing Spider-Man #129, which was expanded upon in 1975’s Marvel Preview #2 and 1994’s Punisher: Year One.
In his debut appearance, The Punisher was introduced as a mysterious costumed vigilante who waged a war on criminals, who had been hired and misled by the Jackal in order to eliminate Spider-Man.
Following this dramatic introduction, the Punisher was given his own origin story in which he was shown to be a one of a kind hero.
With his backstory fleshed out, he was revealed to be a man named Frank Castle, who of all things started out studying to become a priest. However, his inability to forgive those who did evil acts led him to enlist and become a U.S. Marine Captain. An expert in reconnaissance and warfare, he was sent to Vietnam where he became a highly decorated member of the Special Forces.
Afterwards, he married a woman named Maria. They had two children together before a fateful afternoon when they decided to have a picnic in Central Park. There, they witnessed a gangland execution of an informant by the Costa Crime family and were gunned down.
Somehow, Frank survived the massacre and awakened while being placed in a body bag. Filled with panic and anger, he fought the police, before being sedated and taken to the hospital.
While recovering from his wounds, the mafia sent hitmen to tie up lose ends. Overwhelming his assassins, he was then taken to the police station to give testimony. To his horror, the men he identified were revealed to have iron clad alibis.
Released, he sank into a deep depression and contemplated suicide. However, he soon turn to turned to revenge as his sole motivation for staying alive. This led him to begin tracking down the killers, who in-turn blew up his house.
Since the bomb had gone off while Frank was about to enter the house, both the police and his killers thought he had perished in the blast. It was at that point that Frank decided to fight fire with fire, abandoning all rules in order to claim justice.
Revealing himself to the sympathetic detective he had met, he explained that he wasn’t bound by the law anymore, and was thus capable of taking out the criminals that had come to own the city. Unable to condone his actions, the detective instead hinted that equipment and weapons were in his car’s trunk, and that he wouldn’t be surprised if his car was randomly broken into.
Claiming the supplies, Frank became the Punisher, a man clad with a white skull painted over a bulletproof vest. This became the symbol of his cause, to bring death to criminals that had become otherwise untouchable.
Waging a personal war on crime, he killed dozens of gangsters, and final tracked down Billy Russo, the Costa family’s top hit man. Smashing Russo’s face through a pane of glass, Frank had his revenge. However, Billy Russo survived only to have his face hideously stitched back together, eventually becoming the Punisher’s arch nemesis, Jigsaw.
Over the years, the Punisher’s countless acts of vigilante justice have led him to cross paths with countless criminals, as well as many other costumed crime-fighters who have disagreed with his harsh methods. His origins have likewise been re-imagined in various forms of media, including several live action movies, the first of which starred Dolph Lundgren.
He doesn’t fight crime; he punishes it. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be exploring the comic book origins of Frank Castle, otherwise known as The Punisher.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline that unfolded in 1974’s The Amazing Spider-Man #129, which was expanded upon in 1975’s Marvel Preview #2 and 1994’s Punisher: Year One.
In his debut appearance, The Punisher was introduced as a mysterious costumed vigilante who waged a war on criminals, who had been hired and misled by the Jackal in order to eliminate Spider-Man.
Following this dramatic introduction, the Punisher was given his own origin story in which he was shown to be a one of a kind hero.
With his backstory fleshed out, he was revealed to be a man named Frank Castle, who of all things started out studying to become a priest. However, his inability to forgive those who did evil acts led him to enlist and become a U.S. Marine Captain. An expert in reconnaissance and warfare, he was sent to Vietnam where he became a highly decorated member of the Special Forces.
Afterwards, he married a woman named Maria. They had two children together before a fateful afternoon when they decided to have a picnic in Central Park. There, they witnessed a gangland execution of an informant by the Costa Crime family and were gunned down.
Somehow, Frank survived the massacre and awakened while being placed in a body bag. Filled with panic and anger, he fought the police, before being sedated and taken to the hospital.
While recovering from his wounds, the mafia sent hitmen to tie up lose ends. Overwhelming his assassins, he was then taken to the police station to give testimony. To his horror, the men he identified were revealed to have iron clad alibis.
Released, he sank into a deep depression and contemplated suicide. However, he soon turn to turned to revenge as his sole motivation for staying alive. This led him to begin tracking down the killers, who in-turn blew up his house.
Since the bomb had gone off while Frank was about to enter the house, both the police and his killers thought he had perished in the blast. It was at that point that Frank decided to fight fire with fire, abandoning all rules in order to claim justice.
Revealing himself to the sympathetic detective he had met, he explained that he wasn’t bound by the law anymore, and was thus capable of taking out the criminals that had come to own the city. Unable to condone his actions, the detective instead hinted that equipment and weapons were in his car’s trunk, and that he wouldn’t be surprised if his car was randomly broken into.
Claiming the supplies, Frank became the Punisher, a man clad with a white skull painted over a bulletproof vest. This became the symbol of his cause, to bring death to criminals that had become otherwise untouchable.
Waging a personal war on crime, he killed dozens of gangsters, and final tracked down Billy Russo, the Costa family’s top hit man. Smashing Russo’s face through a pane of glass, Frank had his revenge. However, Billy Russo survived only to have his face hideously stitched back together, eventually becoming the Punisher’s arch nemesis, Jigsaw.
Over the years, the Punisher’s countless acts of vigilante justice have led him to cross paths with countless criminals, as well as many other costumed crime-fighters who have disagreed with his harsh methods. His origins have likewise been re-imagined in various forms of media, including several live action movies, the first of which starred Dolph Lundgren.
