THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS HOME TO PLENTY OF SQUARE-JAWED, MUSCLEBOUND PARAGONS OF TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND
THE AMERICAN WAY, BUT IT ALSO HOUSES A NUMBER OF DAMAGED, DEEPLY DISTURBED, AND DOWNRIGHT
DEVIANT CHARACTERS AS WELL. CASE IN POINT, THE PUNISHER, MARVEL’S RESIDENT MAN WHO
LIVES IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER. OKAY, MAYBE NOT THE RIVER, BUT THE PUNISHER IS A VICIOUS
VIGILANTE WITH A TAKE-NO-PRISONERS APPROACH TO FIGHTING CRIME. NOW, THE TRIGGER-HAPPY
ANTI-HERO IS COMING TO DAREDEVIL SEASON 2, WHERE HE’LL BE PLAYED BY THE BIGGEST BADASS
ON THE WALKING DEAD. NO! I MEAN, YEAH, BUT I’M TALKING ABOUT SHANE, A.K.A. JON BERNTHAL.
BUT MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASKING ME, HE’S PLAYING WHO? WELL, TODAY ON THE DAN CAVE I’LL
TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PUNISHER
IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT THE PUNISHER FIRST MADE HIS DEBUT AS A VILLAIN. CREATED
BY GERRY CONWAY, JOHN ROMITA SR, ROSS ANDRU, AND STAN LEE, THE PUNISHER FIRST APPEARED
IN 1974’S THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #129. HE WAS DEEPLY INFLUENCED BY DON PENDLETON’S
MACK BOLAN CHARACTER, THE STAR OF THE EXECUTIONER NOVELS. IN HIS DEBUT, PUNISHER WAS HIRED
BY THE JACKAL AS AN ASSASSIN TO TAKE OUT SPIDER-MAN FOR THE SEEMING MURDER OF NORMAN OSBORN.
HOWEVER, WHEN PUNISHER REALIZED HE WAS BEING TRICKED, HE DID WHAT HE DOES BEST. OH WAIT WAIT, NO, NO,
NEVER MIND, HE DIDN’T MURDER HIM, BUT HE DID SWEAR REVENGE. HE SWORE IT SO HARD.
BEFORE HE WAS EVER THE PUNISHER, THOUGH, HE WAS A MAN NAMED FRANK CASTLE, A FORMER CATHOLIC
PRIEST IN TRAINING WHO ABANDONED HIS STUDIES DUE TO HIS INABILITY TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO
COMMIT EVIL ACTS. INSTEAD, HE ENLISTED IN THE MARINES, SHIPPING OFF TO FIGHT IN THE
VIETNAM WAR WHERE HE BECAME A DECORATED WAR HERO AND AN EXPERT IN RECONNAISSANCE AND DEMOLITION.
HE RETURNED TO THE U.S., MARRIED A WOMAN NAMED MARIA, AND HAD TWO CHILDREN TOGETHER. YOU
KNOW, LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM.
HOWEVER, HIS BLISS WAS SHORT-LIVED. AFTER HE AND HIS FAMILY ACCIDENTALLY WITNESSED A
GANGLAND EXECUTION IN NEW YORK CITY’S CENTRAL PARK, THE COSTA CRIME FAMILY GUNNED THEM DOWN
IN COLD BLOOD, WIPING OUT ALL WITNESSES. ALL BUT ONE BECAUSE FRANK CASTLE SURVIVED. HE
WENT TO THE POLICE WITH THE IDENTITIES OF THE SHOOTERS, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO HELP
HIM BECAUSE THEY WERE IN THE MOB’S POCKET. WHEN MOBSTERS BLEW UP HIS HOUSE AS HE WAS
ABOUT TO WALK INTO IT THOUGH, THAT WAS THE LAST STRAW.
WRACKED WITH UNKNOWABLE GRIEF AND STYMIED BY A CORRUPT JUSTICE SYSTEM, CASTLE DROPPED
OFF THE GRID, TAKING MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS. HE DECIDED THAT THE ONLY PUNISHMENT
THAT CRIMINALS DESERVED WAS UTTER AND TOTAL ANNIHILATION. DONNING BLACK KEVLAR BODY ARMOR
EMBLAZONED WITH A GIANT WHITE SKULL, AND ARMED TO THE TEETH, HE BECAME THE PUNISHER, [CLEARS THROAT]
SORRY, THE PUNISHER, DEDICATING HIS LIFE TO HITTING THE PROVERBIAL DELETE KEY
ON HUMAN GARBAGE ONE HOT LEAD SLUG AT A TIME. AND YUP YOU GUESSED IT, HIS FAMILY’S KILLERS
WERE THE FIRST SCUMBAGS HE TOOK OUT BECAUSE REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED RIDDLED WITH
BULLETS.
OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CRIMEFIGHTING CAREER, THE PUNISHER’S EMPLOYED SOME LESS THAN CONVENTIONAL
METHODS, INCLUDING TORTURE, KIDNAPPING, EXTORTION, AND OF COURSE, MURDER. JUST HOW DEADLY IS
HE? WELL, IN 1995, HE STARRED IN A COMIC CALLED THE PUNISHER KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE. AND
HE DID EXACTLY THAT. IN SPITE OF HIS EVER-CLIMBING BODY COUNT, THE PUNISHER ABIDES BY A STRICT
CODE OF ETHICS, PROTECTING THE INNOCENT AT ALL COSTS AND LEAVING BAD GUYS IN A CRUMPLED,
BLOODY HEAP.
AND SPEAKING OF BAD GUYS, THE PUNISHER HAS BATTLED PRETTY MUCH EVERY CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION
UNDER THE SUN, INCLUDING THE MAFIA, THE YAKUZA, CHINESE TRIADS, THE ARYAN BROTHERHOOD, JAMAICAN
YARDIES, BIKER GANGS, THE IRISH MOB, DRUG CARTELS, THE RUSSIAN MAFIA, CORRUPT COPS,
AND WAAAAY MORE. HE’S EVEN CROSSED PATHS WITH HEROES LIKE SPIDER-MAN AND DAREDEVIL,
THE LATTER OF WHICH WE’LL SEE PLAY OUT IN SEASON TWO OF MARVEL’S NETFLIX SERIES.
WORST OF ALL, THOUGH, IS HIS ARCH-NEMESIS, JIGSAW. PREVIOUSLY A FAMOUSLY GOOD LOOKING
MOB ENFORCER NAMED THE BEAUT, JIGSAW EARNED HIS NEW NAME AFTER FRANK CASTLE THREW HIM
HEAD FIRST THROUGH A PANE OF GLASS, RIPPING HIS FACE TO SHREDS IN THE PROCESS. NOW FORTUNATELY
SURGEONS STITCHED HIS FACE BACK TOGETHER, UNFORTUNATELY IT LOOKED LIKE A GROTESQUE PUZZLE
AND VOILA, A VILLAIN NAMED JIGSAW WAS BORN. OVER THE YEARS HE WOULD TRY TO KILL PUNISHER
MANY, MANY TIMES -- AND ALWAYS FAILED. HOWEVER, NOT EVEN DEATH CAN STOP FRANK CASTLE. WHEN
HE WAS DISMEMBERED AND DECAPITATED BY DAKEN DURING DARK REIGN, HE CAME BACK AS A WEIRD
STEAMPUNK-Y FRANKENSTEIN BEAST NAMED FRANKENCASTLE WHO KICKED ASS AND TOOK NAMES FROM BEYOND
THE GRAVE.
OF COURSE, PUNISHER GOT BETTER. MAYBE HE TOOK EMERGEN-C OR SOMETHING. I DON’T KNOW. THE
CONTINUITY IS UNCLEAR, THANKS MARVEL. BUT NOW HE LIVES ON TO TAKE OUT CORRUPT COPS,
CONNIVING CROOKS, AND ALL MANNER OF GRUESOME GANGSTERS.
BUT TELL ME, WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PUNISHER STORIES? PERSONALLY, I RECOMMEND BORN OR PUNISHER:
YEAR ONE. LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW AND WHILE YOU’RE THERE, GIVE ME AN UNFORGIVABLE
THUMBS UP. -I’LL KILL YOU-
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY’S SHOW! BE SURE TO JOIN ME NEXT TIME WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE STORY
OF FOUR TERRIBLE, COLLEGE-AGED NIGHTMARE BEASTS AND THEIR VARYING ACCOUNTS OF SCARING A CHILD
TO DEATH IN RASHOMONSTERS UNIVERSITY. UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP ON DIGGIN’.