Marvel's Punisher

[The Laughing Fish]

It's official: the Punisher is getting his own TV show on Netflix. I can't wait, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle was a huge highlight in Daredevil Season 2.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/29/11535694/the-punisher-marvel-netflix-series-daredevil-spinoff

Here is the teaser poster underneath.

[Silver Nemesis]

Shooting has wrapped on the first season. Deborah Ann Woll will be appearing as Karen Page, Ebon Moss-Bachrach is playing Micro, and Ben Barnes is playing Billy Russo. With any luck, Russo will transform into Jigsaw before the end of the season. Marvel's Netflix shows have an excellent track record when it comes to villains, so I've got high hopes for Barnes.

[Silver Nemesis]

First pics of Jon Bernthal wearing the classic costume on the set of The Punisher:

So that's one way in which it's already topped Iron Fist.

[Silver Nemesis]

Comic-Con poster by Joe Quesada:

[Silver Nemesis]

[Silver Nemesis]

Still no official release date yet, but it looks like this will be out sometime in November. Meanwhile here's a new picture of Frank in the Punisher costume.

[The Dark Knight]

I think the 2004 Punisher film is underrated, and I enjoyed it a lot back in the day. Tom Jane was excellent in my opinion. If fans haven't seen Dirty Laundry, where he reprises his role, do so. It's only about 10 minutes in length but is a love letter to the character. He's depicted as a compassionate but very violent hero looking out for the little guy. Between this short film and his 2004 feature film, Jane managed to convey a likability and warmth to the character that I think is rather amazing.

[Silver Nemesis]

I enjoy all the Punisher movies to varying degrees. The 1989 film might not be a great Punisher movie, but it's a solid Dolph Lundgren action flick. And I'll watch more or less anything with Dolph in. It also contains one of my favourite action movie one-liners from the eighties:

JAKE: What the f--- do you call 125 murders in 5 years?
PUNISHER: Work in progress.

I think the 2004 film is the best movie overall. Jane made for a likeable and sympathetic Frank Castle and he had a strong supporting cast backing him up. It's a good revenge story with more than a hint of George Miller's original Mad Max (1979). It does deviate from the comics in some areas, but it also adapts quite a bit from Garth Ennis' Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank (2000-2001) miniseries: specifically Frank living in the apartment building with Joan, Mr Bumpo and Spacker Dave, and of course the epic fight scene against the Russian. It's a shame they never followed through on this with a proper feature length sequel. But at least Jane got a decent send-off in the form of Dirty Laundry.

Punisher: War Zone (2008) is easily the goriest Punisher movie to date and it's also the one that sticks closest to the comics (not that that makes it any good). It's campy and over-the-top violent, but I've got a bit of a soft spot for it. There's a definite Batman '89 influence at work in that film. Just compare the scene in War Zone where Frank drops Russoti into the grinder at the recycling plant with the scene where Batman drops Napier into the vat at Axis Chemicals. And then there's this scene:

Of the three theatrical Punisher movies, War Zone is probably the one the new TV series will most closely resemble, what with the darker tone and hard-R violence. Ben Barnes is playing Jigsaw in the TV series; the same villain portrayed by Dominic West in the 2008 film. And Microchip appears in both stories too. So there should be several points of comparison.

My favourite Punisher overall is definitely Bernthal and I can't wait to see the first season of his solo series. It'll be nice to have a new ultraviolent superhero show to watch on those dull November nights when the Halloween season is over and the Christmas season not yet arrived.

[The Dark Knight]

I've said some bad things about Frank Castle in the past. Such as I found the character one note and not particularly memorable. But my opinions have changed, even though elements of them remain. I admit that my knowledge of the character's world is limited, but at the core, The Punisher is cathartic. It's satisfying to see someone take down the badly guys in such a ruthless way. It's a primal human emotion and that's what the Punisher is all about. Watching that Dirty Laundry clip brought that feeling back. I was peeved Jane didn't do a sequel. Honestly, the recasting issue in War Zone sapped my enthusiasm and I don't think I saw the film. But I'm open to exploring the Punisher more, especially given the John Wick trends these days. I guess from a DC point of view, it's like Red Hood taking on Black Mask.

[Silver Nemesis]

Such as I found the character one note and not particularly memorable.

Well to be fair, the Punisher is pretty one note. But that's part of his appeal. He's completely focused on his end goal and is entirely unapologetic about the means he'll take to get there. He's got a one-way ticket to hell and wants to take along as many criminals with him as possible.

Earlier this year I was trying to decide which comic book superhero is the darkest, and a number of obvious candidates sprang to mind. There are demonic antiheroes like Faust, Hellboy and Spawn, and there are vengeful wraiths like Spectre, Ghost Rider and the Crow, and there are misunderstood monsters like Swamp Thing, Hulk and the Ninja Turtles, and there are fascist antiheroes like Judge Dredd, Manchester Black and the Comedian, and there are psychologically damaged antiheroes like Azrael, Jessica Jones and Rorschach, and there are occult heroes like Constantine, Doctor Strange and Vampirella.

But really, I think the Punisher is the darkest superhero of all. This guy's entire existence is pain and death. And the tragic part of it is that Frank was once a good man. He'd trained to be a priest. He'd served his country in the armed forces. He'd been a loving husband and father. He was a soldier, a patriot and a hero. Then one horrible tragedy completely destroyed him – emotionally, psychologically, morally – and left a monster where a good man had once stood. He can't be reasoned with and he shows no mercy towards his enemies. He's a Terminator in human form. A one man killing machine.

And yet there's a crude black and white morality to what he does. He won't kill an innocent person. At worst he'll knock out anyone who gets in his way. But he won't slay a law-abiding citizen or a fellow hero (if indeed the Punisher can even be described as a 'hero'). If superheroes are power fantasies, then Punisher is the embodiment of our collective desire for retribution. He's the ultimate revenge fantasy. And while his methods are appalling, there's a deep and dark place inside each of us that secretly relishes the idea of there being someone like him out there. A serial killer who only targets evil. The Punisher is terrifying. But he's on our side. There's comfort in that. We cheer him on while simultaneously condemning his actions.

Others may disagree with me on this next point, but I believe the Punisher versus Daredevil rivalry is by far the best superhero rivalry out there. They aren't at loggerheads because of some contrived circumstantial grievance. Instead the source of Frank and Matt's disagreement arises from the fundamental incompatibility of their core motivations and beliefs. Theirs isn't a situational conflict like Civil War, but rather an ideological impasse from which neither is willing to back down. As long as these two men are out fighting crime in the same universe, they're destined to oppose one another. They can't just say 'well you go your way and I'll go mine' because their paths are unavoidably crossed.

They're also more evenly matched than most other hero/hero rivals. They come from similar New York backgrounds, they're within the same height and weight bracket, they're both human, they're both skilled in unarmed combat, interrogation and tracking techniques, they both have insanely high pain thresholds, they're both extremely intelligent and utterly uncompromising in their convictions. Matt has the advantage in terms of martial arts skill, agility, reflexes and sensory abilities, while Frank has the advantage in terms of weaponry, technology, brutality and ruthlessness. But despite their differences, there is a mutual respect between them. I always think Frank secretly rather likes Matt (see the time he got himself arrested so he could bust Matt out of prison), and Matt harbours tremendous compassion towards Frank, even though they do both piss each other off. There's a great dynamic between them. And on the rare occasions when they work together – now there's something special.

But I'm open to exploring the Punisher more, especially given the John Wick trends these days. I guess from a DC point of view, it's like Red Hood taking on Black Mask.

Pretty much. It's not a great piece of cinema by any stretch, but it's worth seeing if you're into dark and gory superhero films. I expect a lot of people will be revisiting War Zone in the run-up to the new TV series, if only to refresh their memories of the first live action battle between Punisher and Jigsaw.