Between the 1989 film with Dolph Lundgren, the 2004 version with Thomas Jane, the wonderfully bonkers 2008 take with Ray Stevenson, and the upcoming Netflix series with Jon Bernthal (which debuts on November 17th), most TV and film audiences are now familiar with the origin of The Punisher. As the myth goes, Frank Castle, a grizzled ex-soldier, saw his family murdered by bad guys and went on a dark, eternal quest for vengeance against all criminals. He's like Batman, but without the intellect or finesse; he's usually seen sporting two machine guns, frowning into the shadows, shooting those he has deemed to be guilty. For Marvel comics, The Punisher is exceptionally dark.
But where did a character like The Punisher come from? What was happening in the world that Marvel Comics, in 1974, should allow such a dark, violent character to enter their canon of brightly dressed Spider-Men and weirdo space-dwelling Silver Surfers? In fact, The Punisher's origins are perhaps more political than most fans generally realize.
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But where did a character like The Punisher come from? What was happening in the world that Marvel Comics, in 1974, should allow such a dark, violent character to enter their canon of brightly dressed Spider-Men and weirdo space-dwelling Silver Surfers? In fact, The Punisher's origins are perhaps more political than most fans generally realize.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...