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AKA: FRANK CASTLE
Yet another Marvel character who started off as a villain – notably a Spider-Man villain (although he was more of a goon when he first cameoed in Amazing Spider-Man) – before graduating to his own title and anti-hero status. The Punisher is now one of the most iconic characters in the entire Marvel stable. A 'Nam vet driven by his family's murder to punish all criminals by death, it's perhaps not unsurprising that the dark, disillusioned '70s was the decade that saw a brutal, uncompromising psychopath (for that's what Castle is, no debate) become a fan favourite. Although, truth be told, operating within the confines of the toothless main Marvel titles never sat well with The Punisher – in recent years, with the move to the MAX label, and Garth Ennis' soon-to-finish installation as Punisher guru, the dark heart and psychology of Frank Castle has been fully explored, giving a new insight into this grimmest and most compelling of characters.
Trademarks: A giant white skull on his black-shirted chest. An eternal desire for revenge. And guns. Lots of guns.
On Screen: Three Punisher movies, three different Punishers. For all the apparent simplicity of the character, Frank Castle has proved a hard nut to crack. Ray Stevenson, Dolph Lundgren and Thomas Jane all took a shot at the role on the big screen, but it took Jon Bernthal to nail that gruff demeanour, violent tendencies and wounded humanity, first in Netflix's Daredevil and subsequently in his own limited series.
Did You Know?: Unlike other Marvel characters, who seem to age at a rate of one year for every five years of comics (at least), The Punisher ages – at least in the MAX line – in real time. Which currently makes him a 58-year-old kicking ass, as he was born on February 16, 1950.
Buy Punisher Max Complete Collection Vol. 1 now on Amazon
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