History Characters / ThePunisher

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[[Characters/ThePunisherVillains Villains]]
[[Characters/ThePunisherMAX MAX (Earth-200111) Punisher]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #129 (1974)

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher War Zone'' #1 (1992)

-> '''Debut:''' ''Champions'' Vol. 1 #5 (1976)

-> '''Debut:''' ''Punisher'' Vol. 7, #1 (2009)

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[[/folder]]

[[folder: Villains]]

-> ''"My own list of troublemakers? Let's just say it's getting shorter all the time. However, some of them seem to keep coming back, like the pain from an old wound..."''
-->-- '''The Punisher''', ''The Punisher'' Annual Vol. 2, #5 ("The Punisher's Top Ten Villains!")

!! Jigsaw

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/354ff43523868cc2ea8eeb840ec069ae.jpg]]

-> '''AKA:''' Billy "The Beaut" Russo
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #161 (1976)

--> ''"See, guy, see--before I get to the punchline I gotta back up a second. Let me tell you about Frank--let me tell you about the Punisher. Because he's--he's my--see, the first time we met, I was just this guy, y'know? I was this, I was this guy, I had my things goin' and he--well, he's got his thing goin' too. And our things, they don't go together so well. So the guy--the guy who kills so many, so often--me he decides not to kill. Me he decides to just put through a window. Again and again and again. Frank Castle just kinda drives me a little crazy. See? Just you look at what that maniac brings out of me. We scrap. We tussle. Loads of times, me and him. And you know what? I can't never seal the deal and he--he always lets me live. A little worse for wear, of course. I'm tellin' you, Irish, he's like a kid what pulls off the wings off flies just to watch 'em wiggle. He digs the torture. I mean, what kind of sick, sad, insane--what kind of lunatic--"''

A hitman for the Maggia and the Costa crime family, pretty-boy Billy "The Beaut" Russo had his face mangled when the Punisher shoved him through a plate glass window. Left with a tattered mess of a face, Billy took the name Jigsaw, and set about doing his best to ruin Castle's life.

* AbusiveParents: Billy abused his son Henry, even forcing him to kill a cat that he had let inside by telling him that he'd kill his mother if he didn't.
* AffablyEvil: In Matt Fraction's ''The Punisher War Journal'', he's extremely personable (if still a psychotic sociopath). Probably because he's tired of the whole "try to kill the Punisher" circus and just wants to move on with his life.
* {{Archenemy}}: He's the closest thing that Castle has to one, being one of his few recurring enemies, his EvilCounterpart and, in his mind, TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou.
* AxeCrazy
* BackFromTheDead: Frank actually did kill him during the "Jigsaw Puzzle" arc, but his boss The Rev brougt him back to life. He also came back after being shot through the head during John Ostrander's run, but there was no explanation for that.
* BigBad: Of most arcs he appears in.
* {{Bishonen}}: Billy used to be this. Then the Punisher got his hands on him...
* ButtMonkey: Sometimes played this way.
* ChestInsignia: When dressed in his knockoff of the Punisher's costume.
* ColdBloodedTorture: He and the Hood inflicted this on Tigra when they captured her.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: ''Year One'' revealed it was Jigsaw who the Costas hired to tie up all of the loose ends connected to the massacre of the Castle family. After surviving the bomb that Billy planted in his house, Frank (now the Punisher) tracked down and mutilated him, turning him into Jigsaw.
--> '''Punisher:''' When I do my job, it gets done. No screw-ups, no errors, no mistakes. So yes, you are going to die. But not tonight. You'll die next time I see you. Tonight, you're going to live, so you can tell the Costas face to face how they're going to die. Tell them there is a soldier after them. An instrument of justice. A punisher. Tell them I won't be long. Now look at that.
--> '''Billy:''' What? The cops outside?
--> '''Punisher:''' No... your reflection, "Beaut" Russo. [[DestinationDefenestration Remember it]].
* EvilCounterpart: Has worn a copy of the Punisher's costume during some runs (first during ''Circle of Blood'' when he was a member of the Trust's brainwashed Punishment squad). During ''War Journal'' Vol. 2, his outfit was a color inverted version of the Punisher's (white suit with a black skull) while in the John Ostrander series it had normal coloration, but with a grey-ish tint to the white and lots of sutures. He has also has trained himself to be Frank's physical match.
* GenreSavvy: Every now and then. In the ''Comicbook/SuicideRun'' arc, Jigsaw shows up at a meeting between several big wig criminals for the sole purpose of telling them that no matter what they have planned; Frank will turn it back on them and kill them. During John Ostander's run, when Jigsaw has kidnapped a mafia family Frank has befriended and hears that Frank is coming for the hostages, he orders his men to kill them because he knows that Frank can't win if he can't save his friends.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: His scars are about as evil as you can get, horribly disfiguring his face.
* InformedDeformity: He looked 99% fine in the John Ostrander series, where he was depicted as having a couple of extra lines (and this was the 1990s, when that was in vogue) on an otherwise entirely normal face. Averted in both earlier and later depictions, where he ''is'' seriously mangled.
* InSeriesNickname: Before his run-in with Frank, he was known as Billy "the Beaut".
* JokerImmunity: Jigsaw even lampshades this, and the Punisher justifies letting him live since Jigsaw is more of a danger to his fellow criminals than innocents.
* MadEye: The reconstruction of his face left his left eye larger in appearance.
* ManInWhite: Favors white suits, and a color-inverted Punisher costume much of the time.
* NightmareFace: He's been mutilated to a grotesque degree, to the point that his surgeons were forced to reconstruct his features from scratch.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: When he heard that Castle had been fried in an electric chair, he started killing those responsible while ranting about how inappropriate it was that ''he'' didn't get to kill him.
* PowerArmor: His first appearance had him wearing an exoskeleton said to increase his strength. The [[VideoGame/ThePunisher 2005 video game]] also had him using stolen [[ComicBook/IronMan IronTech]] armor to fight Frank.
* ProfessionalKiller: Was an assassin for the Maggia before reaching his current station in life.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Like the Punisher, he was an antagonist in ''[[Franchise/SpiderMan The Amazing Spider-Man]]'', although he was introduced with his grudge against Frank already established. When Frank got his own book, Billy's villainy was taken there. [[http://www.sidekickcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/untitled.png Distance did not make the heart grow fonder]].
* {{Supervillain}}: One of the few in Punisher's limited rogues gallery. He's a classic, Batman-style freak, with no actual powers, a grotesque physical deformity, and a seeming inability to be put down for good.
* TookALevelInBadass: Has gone from a failed assassin to one of the few criminals who can match the Punisher's combat skills.
* UnknownRival: Frank only sees him as just a mid-level Mafiosi. In fact, he doesn't even [[ButForMeItWasTuesday remember their initial meeting]].
* UselessAccessory: He had some kind of neck cast[=/=]brace in his early appearances. One would assume that it was part of the strength-enhancing exoskeleton he wore under his clothes, though him being allowed to keep it in prison casts doubt on that theory.
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!! Hitman

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-> '''AKA:''' Lieutenant Burt Kenyon
-> '''Debut:''' ''Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #4 (1977)

A Marine in Vietnam, where he saved the life of Frank Castle, Burt Kenyon became a costumed assassin for the underworld after the war, bringing him into conflict with Spider-Man and the Punisher.

* BadassBandolier: Two.
* TheCameo: Appears in a flashback in ''Punisher: Return to Big Nothing''.
* CoolBike: ''A jet-powered motorcycle''.
* CoolPlane: His base of operations is a jet.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Fell off the Statue of Liberty.
* DissonantSerenity: When he gunned down a group of enemy soldiers which had surrounded Frank in Vietnam.
* EvilVersusEvil: In his first appearance, he is hired by a mobster with a grudge against the Vulture.
* FaceHeelTurn: A soldier turned contract killer.
* HumanShield: Enjoyed making one out of J. Jonah Jameson.
* TheMentallyIll: Section 8'ed, meaning he was deemed mentally unfit for military service.
* MonumentalBattle: His final battle with Spidey and the Punisher occurs on top of the Statue of Liberty.
* JackTheRipoff: An unnamed criminal became the third Hitman after buying the name and gear from the Hobgoblin.
* PetTheDog: The Punisher owed his life to the Hitman. While dangling from the Statue of Liberty, the Hitman informs Frank that he owes him ''[[ExactWords a]]'' life, not ''his'' life, and tells him to save Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson instead.
* ProfessionalKiller: Hence the name.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Introduced as a new Spider-Man villain, he was given ties to the Punisher in his second appearance.
* RooftopConfrontation: With Spider-Man and the Punisher, on top of ''The Daily Bugle''.
* TrackingDevice: Employed these against Spider-Man and the Vulture.
* WalkingArsenal: He whips out a lot of gadgets and weapons.
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!! The Rev

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-> '''AKA:''' Samuel Smith
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 2, #4 (1987)

--> '''Punisher:''' Oh yeah. The Rev. A heavyweight--sending off vibes like crazy. Crazy vibes. Like a psycho, con and holy man all mixed into one.

Sam Smith was the leader of a would-be suicide cult called Church of the Saved, whose zealousness was stopped by the Punisher. He struck a deal with Satan [[note]](Actually the demon [[Characters/XMenVillains Belasco]] posing as him)[[/note]], and returned later with a plan to sterilize the American populace.

* AlliterativeName: Just like his real life counterpart.
* BigBad: Of two separate storylines.
* DarkMessiah: Fashions himself as a savior of his people, while being completely insane.
* GoodPowersBadPeople: He is a crazy cult leader who has HealingHands, which he notably uses to resurrect Jigsaw when he was working for him.
* HollywoodSatanism: After his cult fell apart, he became a worshipper of Satan.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Of Jim Jones, the leader of People's Temple cult whose base of operations was also in South America.
* SinisterMinister: They don't call him "The Rev" for nothing.
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!! Sniper

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-> '''AKA:''' Rich von Burian
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher War Journal'' #4 (1989)

--> ''"I know that slippery *#%&# as well as I know myself. I know how he feels - what he thinks. That makes him predictable to me. I'm ready to nail his hide."''

Von Burian was part of Frank's military unit in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. After the conflict, he was hired by the DEA for illegal drug operations. He later became a mercenary whose brand of work made him a target to the Punisher.

* AdaptationNameChange: He was likely the basis for Gosnell from Season Two of ''Series/{{Daredevil}}''.
* ColdSniper: As his mercenary-name suggests, he is quite handy with the sniper rifle.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has some serious facial scarring in his last appearance, even missing his lips.
* HiredGuns: He's loyal to anyone who pays him enough.
* KnifeNut: He uses a triangular punch-knife as a melee weapon.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He feels that the Punisher owes him big time, and is not happy when the "honor" of killing him is given to someone else.
* TheVonTropeFamily: And definitely part of the evil side of the trope.
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!! Damage

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/damagepunisher.jpg]]

-> '''AKA:''' Jaime Ortiz
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher War Journal'' #8 (1989)

--> ''"Geez! That would've hurt if I was still all flesh and blood. Now I'll just have to order a spare from the shop!"''

Damage was a gang member who was mangled by the Punisher's Battle Van's defense-mechanisms. In an act of CruelMercy, Frank decided to let him continue to live in agony, and dropped his crushed body off at a nearby hospital. He was then recruited by a project of the Kingpin's that rebuilt him into a killing machine.

* AxCrazy: He's introduced frenziedly machine-gunning down a defiant shopkeeper in the streets in broad daylight, not noticing or simply not caring that a woman and her baby are in the way.
* BadassMoustache: His former gang didn't allow its members to have beards or moustaches, but he was deemed tough enough to be an exception.
* CutsceneBoss: He's the owner of the crack house that makes up the tutorial level of [[VideoGame/ThePunisher the 2005 game]]. The confrontation with him at the end of the stage consists of an interrogation mini-game that ends with the Punisher throwing him off of a multi-story ledge and into the path of a car.
* EvilKnockoff: He is turned into a duplicate of the Punisher so that Frank can be framed for killing innocents.
* FireBreathingWeapon: One of his weapons is a flamethrower.
* GangBangers: Former member of the Bunsen Burners.
* PetTheDog: A thoroughly unpleasant individual, when he's first testing his new abilities, he's seemingly attacked by the Punisher, who he kills. Afterwards, the Kingpin's assistant informs him that it wasn't the real Punisher, but a disobedient employee of the Kingpin's who was told he'd be forgiven if he could beat Damage, or his family would be compensated as long as he put up a good fight. When she asks Damage if he thinks he put up a good fight, he says "He was pitiful--but he tried. What the hell!"
* ThePowerOfHate: He would have departed from life when he was comatose if it wasn't for the Kingpin's lackey [[ConverseWithTheUnconscious questioning him]] about the person he hated the most.
* ShockAndAwe: He can use his cybernetic features to generate electricity.
--> '''Damage:''' You look tired... no energy left? I can fix that! '''*TZZZAPP*'''
* ShoulderCannon: It's [[GatlingGood a minigun]].
* WeCanRebuildHim: He was rebuilt into a {{Cyborg}} with the Kingpin's money and [[Comicbook/XMen Reaver technology]], with a variety of tricks up his sleeve. After his defeat at the hands of the Punisher and Wolverine, it is suggested that he can be rebuilt again, [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse if he ever was]].
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!! Saracen

[[quoteright:298:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/237542-80984-saracen_199.jpg]]

-> '''AKA:''' Muzzafar Lambert
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 2, #22 (1989)

--> ''"You're an interesting man... life will be duller without you."''

A mercenary and terrorist-for-hire of Middle Eastern extraction, Muzaffar Lambert, alias Saracen, brooked no interference with his operations. When Frank Castle destroyed one of his missions, Saracen took it personally, kicking off a rivalry that would result in the deaths of Castle's only remaining relatives, and Lambert himself.

* BadassMoustache: Saracen was an evil, evil guy, but there was no denying that both he and his moustache were very badass.
* BadassNormal: Like most of Castle's enemies, Saracen had no superhuman powers. He earns points, however, for being one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, in a 'verse where a sizable portion of the population can shoot lasers out of their orifices and throw cars around like dolls.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In his two-part debut he spoke slightly broken English, and displayed none of the traits he would later possess. Adding to the oddity is the fact that neither he nor the Punisher bring up their previous encounter when they meet face to face again in ''The Sicilian Saga''.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He kills without remorse, but he refuses to be unfaithful to his wife.
* GoodCounterpart: His equivalent on [[ComicBook/{{Exiles}} Earth-1009]] is a hero, and a member of the Royal [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]].
* GoodHairEvilHair: Has a classically evil moustache.
* {{Greed}}: His primary motivation.
* HappilyMarried: Apparently, given his refusal to betray her.
* HighlyVisibleNinja: Highly visible assassin anyway. Saracen's purple and red costumes are pretty obvious.
* HiredGuns: Lambert has no particular allegiances, save to his money.
* ItsPersonal: He kills the Punisher's aunt and uncle, Frank's last remaining family members.
* KilledOffForReal: The Punisher hacked him to bits in a SwordFight.
* MasterSwordsman: Saracen was very proficient with his scimitar.
* TheMole: Castle first met Saracen when they were both infiltrating a so-called ninja school. They allied at the time, with neither aware of the other's real goals or reasons for being there.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Saracen was loyal only to his paycheck.
* ProfessionalKiller: As a terrorist-for-hire, assassination is certainly within his purview.
* RecurringCharacter: Made nine appearances, which for a Punisher villain is pretty good.
* SinisterScimitar: As part of his stereotypically Arab persona.
* SleevesAreForWimps: As seen in the picture, Saracen's uniform is void of sleeves.
* TerroristWithoutACause: A terrorist-for-hire to be exact, with his only cause being enriching himself.
* YouKilledMyFather: You killed my aunt and uncle, actually. There's a reason Castle wanted this guy dead.
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!!Colonel De Sade

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->'''Debut:''' ''The Punisher Summer Special'' #1 (1991)

-->''"The fact I derive pleasure from cruelty doesn't make me feel guilty, Frank... guilt is ridiculous. There is no "good" or "bad". There is only pleasure and pain... with no heaven or hell at the end of it!"''

A sadistic former interrogator for "[[{{CIA}} the company]]" during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, De Sade later caught the Punisher's eye when he went into bank robbing business and, after their first confrontation, directing [[SnuffFilm snuff movies]].

* CombatSadomasochist: His weapons put more emphasis on causing pain (i.e. a bazooka that shoots barbed wire) than permanently neutralizing his targets. He also enjoys being in the receiving end of Punisher's hurting during their confrontations.
-->'''De Sade:''' Oh this is beautiful Punisher... so sadistic!
* ShoutOut: He is obviously [[InSeriesNickname nicknamed]] after Creator/MarquisDeSade, whose controversial literary works inspired the use of the term "sadism".
* TortureTechnician: His job in the Vietnam conflict was to torture locals for answers.
* WhipItGood: He [[DualWielding dual wields]] two whips in his second and final appearance.
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!! Thorn

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-> '''AKA:''' Salvatore "Sal" Carbone
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher War Zone'' #1 (1992)

--> ''"Cannot rest until the stone-face man dies. Cannot rest until I stand over him. Until I see him breathe his last breath."''

Sal was the younger brother of mob boss Julius Carbone, who was nearly killed when Frank (who was infiltrating the Carbone organization as Johnny Tower) chased him into a frozen lake. He barely survived, but now shows no reaction to pain, and has no memory beyond knowing who tried to kill him.

* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Develops these when he turns into what can be described as a walking corpse.
* FeelNoPain: Sal doesn't register any pain, no matter how often he's shot or hit.
* TheGunslinger: His last appearance shows him easily [[GunsAkimbo wielding dual assault rifles]].
* IdentityAmnesia: He doesn't (initially) know who he is, but he knows whom he's out to get.
* ImplacableMan: After his dip in the lake, Thorn would push through bullets, shark-infested waters, and even more bullets to get his revenge.
* LineOfSightName: When a trucker who is giving him a lift asks about his name, he gives out "Thorn", a word which he saw on a passing road sign.
* MilesToGoBeforeISleep: Thorn refuses to sleep while preying on his targets. This extends to refusing to die from his wounds and exhaustion.
--> '''Thorn:''' I was killed so long ago. But I cannot rest. Not until I have destroyed those who destroyed me.
* TheQuietOne: Speaks only when he has to, the rest is left to InnerMonologue.
* RevengeBeforeReason: He only wants to take revenge on those who left him for dead, nothing else.
* TheStoic: His near-death experience left him devoid of any emotion.
* ThatManIsDead: Even when he learns about his past, he rejects it and continues his quest.
--> '''Thorn:''' Name is Thorn now. Not Sal. Thorn.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After his last encounter with the Punisher, he lands on a moving vehicle which takes him into [[{{Joisey}} Newark]]. Presumably, he is still there.
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!! Rosalie Carbone

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rosaliesuiciderun.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher War Zone'' #2 (1992)

--> ''"You stupid #$%@! Stop #$%@ing around and come kill this #$%@!!"''

Rosalie was the spoiled daughter of Julius Carbone, who had a fling with Frank during his infiltration of her organization. After the death of her father, she swore revenge on the Punisher due to his part in knocking the Carbone family from top of the food chain.

* ArrangedMarriage: She was arranged to marry an Italian Mafioso's son, but the massacre at the Island of the Sleeping Sharks put a stop to that.
* DaddysLittleVillain: Even though she was just a pawn for her father, she still wants to avenge him.
* GenreSavvy: Since she has personal experience with Punisher, she is smart enough not to take part in the skyscraper trap in ''Comicbook/SuicideRun''.
* TheInformant: Frank, as Johnny Tower, used their relationship to get information out of her family's businesses.
* KilledOffForReal: Since Frank [[DependingOnTheWriter sometimes]] has an aversion to killing women, it took a while before she met her end at the hands of Leslie Geraci.
* MafiaPrincess: Was one before Punisher became part of her life.
* MsFanservice: A lot of her appearances had her bathing or in a bikini.
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!!Rapido

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rapidofeariself.jpg]]

-> '''AKA:''' Roussel Dupont
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 2, #65 (1992)

--> ''"Would you look at this. I have seen some terrible things in my day, but this... this is the work of a true master!"''

A former member of the French Foreign Legion turned mercenary-for-hire, with a chain-gun in place of his right arm.

* ArmCannon: What his chain-gun arm basically is. It can also shoot [[GrenadeLauncher grenades]].
* BadassBeard: It started out big and bushy, but he apparently took to better grooming after "Suicide Run".
* TheBusCameBack: After an absence of over a decade following the "Eurohit" reunion story in ''The Punisher Annual'' #7, he reappeared in ''ComicBook/FearItself: ComicBook/BlackWidow'', and ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/IronMan''.
* {{Cyborg}}: The most obvious indication of his status as one being his ArmCannon.
* GatlingGood: His right arm was replaced with a chain-gun.
* HiredGuns: He'll work for whoever is willing to pay him, including the French government, which reluctantly brought him on to help patrol France's border during ''ComicBook/CivilWar''.
* MadeOfIron: During the ''Comicbook/SuicideRun'' arc, Rapido was shot, then blown up when Frank detonated the bombs he had placed at the base of Manhattan Tower, where a cadre of criminals had gathered to trap him. Rapido ''survived this''.
* MoreDakka: If having a minigun[=/=]grenade launcher for an arm wasn't enough, it was later upgraded by A.I.M. to fire lasers.
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!!Roc

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->'''Debut:''' ''The Punisher War Zone'' #8 (1992)

-->''"I'm gonna kill you, Castle. With my bare hands-- like I always kill."''

Roc was one of the six mercenaries hired by Rosalie Carbone to kill the Punisher after he offed her father, and the only one to survive to challenge him for the second time.

* BornInTheWrongCentury: As he's beating the Punisher up, he claims that he should have been a gladiator in the Roman colisseum.
* TheBrute: He's the muscle among the killers hired by Rosalie Carbone, specializing in close combat with his strength and size.
* FeelNoPain: He was born with dead nerve endings, making him unable to register any pain inflicted upon him.
* HiredGuns: He's a mercenary who prefers to kill with his bare hands.
* MadeOfIron: First of all he survived being shot in the head, and during his final fight against Punisher, he keeps on going even after his neck is snapped and has his head is twisted sideways.
* NoKillLikeOverkill: Punisher manages to defeat him [[ImpromptuTracheotomy by ripping out his throat]], but to make sure he stays dead, he puts Roc's body on a barge, fills it with plastic explosives and blows him up.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Before attacking Punisher again directly, he follows him and keeps calling cops to the places he's about to hit to mess with his war.
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!!Recoil

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->'''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 2 #71 (1992)

-->''"[[WesternAnimation/RabbitFire It's wabbit, duck]] and Punisher season."''

Recoil was an enforcer working for a drug pusher calling himself The Master of Crack (MC for short), who was fond of cartoons.

* TheDragon: For his boss MC.
* HornedHairdo: His hair from the sides of his head stands up, giving this impression.
* PerpetualSmiler: He's constantly smiling through carnage and destruction. He stops doing it when he completely loses it while trying to kill the Punisher.
* SinisterShades: He wears a pair of round specs.
* SpikesOfVillainy: He wears a longcoat that has spiked shoulderpads.
* VillainousBreakdown: He treats his encounters with the Punisher as a game until he ends up taking a faceful of his employer's product by force and goes completely out of his mind.
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!! Mondo Pain

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-> '''AKA:''' Edmondo Paina
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 2, #85 (1993)

--> ''"You don't know who I am, do you? They call me Mondo Pain. I like to think there's a reason for that. Go ahead. Pick it up. Of course, if you shoot and miss... well... I'd barely be able to contain my rage. I might hurt you--without thinking about it--and I much prefer to think about it..."''

A demented psycho who was contracted to deal with The Punisher. After Castle humiliated him, Pain forced his way into another group that he knew The Punisher was targeting, in order that he might gain his revenge.

* AlwaysCamp: A bit of a dandy, to the point that he could be perceived as [[AmbiguouslyGay Ambiguously]] CampGay were it not for scenes like the one where he implies that he wants to rape Lynn Michaels.
* AxCrazy: A bloodthirsty sadist with a penchant for inflicting pain, both on himself and others. He at one point chastises a client for hiring him and expecting him to ''not'' kill people should the opportunity to do so present itself.
* CombatSadomasochist: Getting hurt just gets him in the mood for more.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: While laying low, the Punisher had the misfortune of running into Mondo's sister, Viva, who was also an assassin, albeit a far more professional one.
--> '''Viva:''' There's no price for him! He's nobody! When someone pays us to kill him, then we kill him.
--> '''Goose:''' Okay. Yeah, okay. You're right, but your brother would've done him.
--> '''Viva:''' And that's why my brother's [[CurseCutShort a--]]
* KarmaHoudini: He survives his run-ins with the Punisher and the Lady Punisher, and is last shown padding his pockets with the money that he blackmailed Rosalie Carbone into forking over in exchange for a War Journal containing compromising information about her fling with Frank.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: If the info boxes are to be believed, Pain is his actual surname.
* NightmareFace: He likes to psyche out his opponents by displaying [[SlasherSmile a rictus grin]], which coupled with his [[GoodScarsEvilScars scarred face]] is enough to give them a pause. Except for the Punisher, who has seen worse with the likes of Jigsaw and proceeds to simply shoot Mondo.
* PsychoForHire: And sometimes he won't even bother to wait for that pesky "hiring" part, he just walks up to someone and forces himself into their organization.
----

!! Olivier

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ae0a3899b2355819731b3cacd138efe6.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''Marvel Super-Action'' #1 (1976, as Frank Costa); ''The Punisher'' Vol. 4, #1 (1998, as Olivier)

--> ''"The others... the big guys... the devils, they thought I got a little too big for my britches. So they threw me out. Trapped me in a stillborn baby, purged of my memory of Hell, and my ambition... they thought. Mephisto. Satannish. Lucifer. Satan. Murray. I'll bet they thought that was really funny. They didn't count on me being born into a mob family. They didn't count on me killing. They didn't count on the blood giving me back my memory. If I was going to go back, I needed an edge. I needed power. An engine of death and sacrifice. I made you that engine, and all it cost was your family's blood."''

The Prince of the Archangels, Olivier sided with Lucifer in his rebellion against God, and as such was cast down to the netherworld, where he became a [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Hell-lord]]. The other devils, disapproving of Olivier's ambitions and methods, temporarily banded together to banish him to Earth, where he was trapped in the body of the stillborn Frank Costa. After committing murder, Olivier's memories of his previous life returned, and he subsequently used his powers to become the head of the Costa branch of the Maggia, and to manipulate a young Frank Castle into becoming the Punisher as apart of a complex plan that would see Olivier very nearly conquering both Earth and Hell.

* BigBad: Of ''[[Comicbook/ThePunisherPurgatory The Punisher: Purgatory]]'' miniseries.
* TheCameo: His only appearance subsequent to ''Purgatory'' was as an attendee to the Devil's Advocacy during ''ComicBook/FearItself'', though he and a bunch of other high-level demons were apparently working behind the scenes in the ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} storyline "The Devil Inside".
* CanonWelding: It's not too difficult to fit together ''Purgatory'' and ''Born'' from the [[Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX MAX series]].
* GreaterScopeVillain: For the franchise in general, being the one who created the Punisher. [[ComicBook/MoonKnight Khonshu]] implies that the two are still connected, in spite of their attempts to sever ties in ''Purgatory''.
----

!!Revelation

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/revelationpun.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''Wolverine/Punisher: Revelation'' #1 (1999)

-->''"I'll reach paradise. Somehow. And then I can see my parents again, in Heaven. I can finally tell them I'm sorry."''

The second major threat during the Punisher's "angelic" phase, Revelation was a Morlock[[note]](In Marvel universe, Morlocks are mutants who live underneath cities)[[/note]], who was put into cryogenic sleep some time ago due to her mutant power that slowly caused everyone close to her to die. After she is accidentally woken up, she starts making her way to the surface without realizing that her mutant power is still causing people to get sick.

* BigBad: Of ''Wolverine/Punisher: Revelation'' crossover miniseries, though not out of malice.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Due to her Christian upbringing, she started to hallucinate her time being cryogenically frozen as being in Hell. Once she is freed, the hallucinations continue and she sees the underground surroundings around her as being Hell as well, and she thinks that her journey to surface is one to Heaven. Because of that, she also sees any living creature in her way as a demon trying to stop her.
* TyphoidMary: After being woken up from her cryogenical sleep, she starts making her way up to "Heaven" (actually the regular surface) through "Hell" (the underground tunnels), without realizing that the death field around her is still hurting living beings.
----

!! Ma Gnucci

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c3786ac70369c7d4bbfb9e4f2fc12163.jpg]]

-> '''AKA:''' Isabella Carmela Magdalena Gnucci
-> '''Debut:''' ''[[Comicbook/WelcomeBackFrank The Punisher]]'' [[Comicbook/WelcomeBackFrank Vol. 5]], #4 (2000)

--> ''"You scum! You vicious, evil scum! You're no better than I am, Punisher! You think you're better, you think you're on the side of justice, but you're wrong! You're a serial killer, Punisher! You're insane! It's mass murder, whatever you want to call it! It's genocide! What'll you do, keep going 'til we're all dead? Will that make you happy, you sick, twisted creep?! You should put a bullet in your own head, Punisher! That's the only way you'll get any peace! And you know, it too! You're a dead man walking, Punisher! You are damned!"''

The cantankerous head of the Gnucci crime family, which rivaled the Maggia, Ma and her organization became the Punisher's primary targets when he returned to combating mundane crime following the events of ''Purgatory'' and ''Revelation''. After eliminating her three sons and her brother, the Punisher sicced a sleuth of zoo polar bears on Ma, but she survived (sans her limbs and scalp) and pooled all of her resources into taking down Castle.

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Years after her fiery death at the hands of the Punisher, Ma supposedly came back from the dead seeking revenge, but this turned out to merely be [[ScoobyDooHoax an elaborate hoax]] orchestrated by the second Elite]].
* BadBoss: She's pretty nasty to her employees. After her cousin offends her by asking how she's doing after she loses her limbs. She orders one of her henchmen to shoot him. When he refuses, she tells another mook to shoot them both. When ''he'' refuses, she finally gets another goon to kill all three of them. She also makes of her men throw up up after he sees her without her wig, purely for the fun of it.
* {{Determinator}}: She vows that no matter how long it takes or how much money it costs, one day she'll walk again. That picture you see is of her throwing herself out of her burning house, and then trying to attack Frank by biting his ankle.
* EvilCripple: Lost all of her limbs to polar bears, but that didn't stop her from running her organization.
* EvilMatriarch: Being an old woman didn't stop her from becoming an utterly ruthless crime boss.
* OnOneCondition: She left everything to her nephew, but a clause in her will meant that he could only claim the inheritance in the event of the Punisher's death. SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}} gets wind of this, and convinces the nephew to hire him to rub out Frank. Hilarity predictably ensues.
----

!! The Russian

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/punruss.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''[[Comicbook/WelcomeBackFrank The Punisher]]'' [[Comicbook/WelcomeBackFrank Vol. 5]], #8 (2000)

--> ''"Dosvidanja, Big Boy! The Russian really has to hand it to you!!"''

A hulking giant from Smolensk with clear, if undisclosed, superhuman powers, the relentlessly cheerful Russian exists to mock Frank Castle's ability to kill people. Initially hired by Ma Gnucci, the Russian has clashed with the Punisher on several occasions, and despite seemingly dying a number of times, always comes back.

* {{Adorkable}}: A ''rare'' evil example. Affectionate towards his allies/friends, wants to get "lots of Levis and CD's" with a million dollar reward, and is openly a fan of GOOD superheroes (Mighty Thor Good Communist, with that Big Hammer of his!).
* AffablyEvil: Murderous, violent and psychopathic. He is, nonetheless, incredibly friendly to his enemies, actively complimenting and joking with them mid-fight.
* AscendedFanboy: He is a huge fan of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Spider-Man, and is the president of his local chapter of the ''Daredevil: Man Without Fear'' Fan Club.
* BloodKnight: He went to Afghanistan ''for a vacation'' and is described as taking jobs for money or for fun.
* BoisterousBruiser
* TheBrute
* CameBackWrong: The resurrection process gave him [[GagBoobs ridiculously huge breasts]], but he's the only one not to care. In fact, he likes them.
* DirtyCommies: Expresses some Communist sentiments, though he's also a big fan of capitalism and consumer society.
* DumbMuscle
* {{Foil}}: The always happy Russian makes for an effective comedic foil to the grim and serious Punisher.
* GoOutWithASmile: Was last scene hanging onto an ICBM, laughing and waving as it detonated.
* HuskyRusskie: Eight feet tall, five hundred pounds, and hailing from Smolensk, Russia.
* ImmuneToBullets: Doesn't react at all when shot.
* JokerImmunity: He's been stabbed, shot, beaten, burned, decapitated, and nuked. Only the last one seems to have taken, and even that may be temporary.
* KickTheDog: Upon noticing the Punisher's neighbors, he exclaims, "Ah! These are your little friends, yes? When the Russian gets through with you, imagine the terrible things that will happen to them!"
* MadeOfIron: May actually stray into MadeOfTitanium territory, if it is a superpower.
* NukeEm: His most recent exit was at the hands of an atomic missile.
* OffWithHisHead: How he died the first time.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: He's never called anything other than "The Russian", and he always refers to himself as such.
* SuperStrength: The Russian's strength crosses into the metahuman. He can punch through walls, ripped a toilet out of the floor and swung it like a club, and once crushed a man while trying to hug him.
* {{Supervillain}}: Possess superhuman strength and durability.
* TheresNoKillLikeOverkill: It took being chained to a dropped atomic bomb to kill him for good. Maybe.
----

!! Medallion

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%%[[caption-width-right:311:some caption text]]

->'''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' vol. 6 #9 (2002)

-->''"I shall embark upon nothing less than a thorough cleansing... an organized, self-escalating campaign... a war of the taxicabs! Drivers killing drivers! Passengers in the crossfire! Big weapons giving way to bigger! Body counts climbing! Valor! Cowardice! Women in mourning! Orphans in the street! And songs! Great songs!"''

An oddball criminal mastermind who has a tendency of coming up with various bizarre [[EvilPlan evil plans]] against the populace of New York before even finishing the previous one. He gets Punisher's attention when he is amidst of making taxicab drivers wage a war against each other.

* CloudCuckoolander: He insists on being nude while scheming with his cohorts. He also habitually abandons said schemes when he comes up with a crazier one.
* {{Expy}}: His face is similar to Film/{{Goldfinger}} from the ''Film/JamesBond'' movie of the same name. To hammer this in, he even has a butler who serves mint juleps and a mook refers to him as a person "who thinks he's Goldfinger".
* FatBastard: He's very fat, and unfortunately insists upon being in little clothing as possible most of the time.
* OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: He clearly has great amounts of wealth to sink into pointless schemes, but it is never revealed where it comes from.
----

!! Man Down Below

[[quoteright:297:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mdbpun.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 6, #24 (2003)

-->''"You bring me people like you and I give you lots of money. And then you can buy stuff, like clothes to wear and food to eat. Then the strong ones can stay with you... and the weak ones can stay with me...."''

An unnamed man who had homeless people bring him corpses so that he could hide under them.

* FreudianExcuse: Because he was trapped for days under his grossly overweight mother's corpse when she died from a heart attack as a child, he developed a fixation of lying under corpses so that he can be reminded of her.
* KingOfTheHomeless: By paying the homeless of New York, he orders them around to kill and collect the weaker members among themselves to provide corpses to the pile he likes to be under of. He is discovered when one of them attacks a social worker who is then rescued by the Punisher, who then finds about his operation.
* MommasBoy: He was heavily doted by his mother as a child, and after her death, he started become sickly depended to their last moments together.
* NoNameGiven: He and his mother are never named.
* OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: No real explanation is given for where he's getting the resources (especially the money) that he uses to keep his minions content, especially since it's insinuated that he spends all of his time lounging around in his mountain of festering carcasses.
* PsychopathicManchild: It's noted that he talks and sounds like "a little boy or something".

----

!! Lady Gorgon

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gorgon_frankencastle.jpg]]

-> '''AKA:''' Tanya Adrian
-> '''Debut:''' ''Punisher War Journal'' Vol. 2, #20 (2008)

--> ''"Stubborn little soul. You hold too tightly--oblivious to the inevitable conclusion. You can't run from a telepath, Frank. You shouldn't run at all. Death is but the first step and once through you will be more powerful than you can imagine. You needn't be afraid. I'm going to show you, Frank. Show you how glorious the release will be. It's so easy, Frank. Swimming in the Land of the Dead will liberate you of all you were or ever will be. Return to me. Accept me as your Jonin. You will rise from the darkness. You will carry my mark and serve the holy cause of the Hand."''

An assassin for the ninja organization The Hand.

* AnotherMansTerror: She has PsychicPowers that allow her to project a dying person's thoughts into someone else's mind. She uses this to give herself an upper hand in combat.
* FangsAreEvil: Her teeth are all razor sharp.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: [[spoiler:The ''In the Blood'' miniseries has her pretending to be Frank's wife, whom he had torched some time ago when she was brough back from the dead by Comicbook/TheHood, to mess with him psychologically.]]
----

!! Robert Hellsgaard

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b93328ace794d73be56e495f81a40813.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 8, #12 (2010)

--> ''"His brutal kind massacred my family. So I hunted and killed his. Though gruesome, our families died for a reason: To set us on our crusades. With their lives torn away--we are left empty. And only a man who is wholly vacant can effectively wage war."''

A monster hunter who was the Punisher's first major villain during his days as Franken-Castle.

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Despite his genius in engineering, he just wanted to live happily with his family doing common work. Then he was forced to kill werewolves that were attacking his village, including his [[StakingTheLovedOne now-transformed family]]. After being recruited by Ulysses Bloodstone, he dedicated his craft to coming up with effective ways to slay monsters.
* EvilCounterpart: Much like the then-current incarnation of Frank, he is an undead guy who is kept alive artificially. However, he is evil because he wants kill '''all'' monsters, while Frank seeks to protect them.
--> '''Henry:''' Figures since his family was killed by monsters he's within his rights to kill whoever he sees as a... um... anyway...
* EyepatchOfPower: He lost his right eye during his days with Ulysses Bloodstone, and covered it with an eyepatch.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Happened to him twofold when he first donned his trademark battle-suit; first he was fried by the suit's internal workings when Dracula cut off the tubes that protected him from that, and then he was thrown into the dimension that he had intended to use to get rid of unkillable monsters.
* RememberTheNewGuy: His former partner Ulysses Bloodstone has appeared in Marvel titles since the seventies; Hellsgaard's contributions to his work weren't mentioned until his appearance in ''The Punisher''.
* VanHelsingHateCrimes: He hunts all monsters, even the sapient and docile ones that are no danger to anyone. Henry also mentions that he's begun targeting mutants and baseline humans who just happen to be physically abnormal in some way.
----

!! Doctor Stephanie Gerard

[[quoteright:269:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2149876-punisher_v_8__5_9831.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 9, #2 (2011)

--> ''"If you want attention, feel free to dust off your costumes and go back to being beaten bloody by the likes of the Avengers. I'm sure A.I.M. or Hydra or even Hive will be glad to have you back. [[WeHaveReserves They're always looking for fresh cannon fodder]]. Meeting is adjourned. Happy Thanksgiving."''

A former AIM scientist, Stephanie Gerard left her parent organization to set up a new criminal organization, the Exchange. Wearing civilian clothes instead of spandex, she and her allies recruit former AIM and Hydra personnel in the interests of creating a new force in the underworld.

* AntiVillain: At least when compared to most of the Punisher's other foes. Stephanie has no interest in hurting innocent people (executing the sole surviving one of her thugs who shot up Rachel's wedding), tries to run her organization with a minimum of casualties, and in general tries to get things accomplished with a minimum of bloodshed and fuss.
* BigBad: Of Greg Rucka's sixteen issue run.
* TheChessmaster
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Is friends with Chris Poulsen, and may be starting to return his crush by the end.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Reads the henchmen who shot up Rachel Cole-Alves' wedding the riot act before executing him for his sloppiness.
* EvilGenius
* FourEyesZeroSoul
* HotScientist: Just look at her picture.
* MadScientist: She used to be.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: She's "Doctor" Gerard, used to work for AIM, and is now going into organized crime.
* NonActionBigBad: Stephanie's not a fighter, which is why she keeps [[{{Badass}}Chris Poulsen]] on the payroll.
* PragmaticVillainy: Gerard wants to get things done as efficiently as possible, with no unnecessary violence. The reason she left AIM was because she felt that status as borderline {{Card Carrying Villain}}s was preventing them from accomplishing anything.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Despite all her plans, one group of trigger happy Henchmen leads to the Punisher and Cole-Alves gunning for her.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: [[spoiler: Gerard was so confident of her technology and superior planning, she let Cole-Alves (posing as a weapons dealer) right into her office despite knowing who she was and who she was working with. She even shoots down Poulsen's warnings and orders him to stay in his office while she decides to gloat at Cole-Alves. This leads to her getting garroted.]]
* VillainousFriendship: Type I with Chris Poulsen.
----

!! Christian "Chris" Poulsen

[[quoteright:191:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chris_poulsen_4018.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 9, #2 (2011)

--> ''"I know you saw that, Frank... you and your girlfriend, you saw that and you couldn't do anything about it. I called the police, you know, right after you killed Stephanie... called the N.Y.P.D. and told them you were in the building, that you were murdering all these people... they're coming in any second, now, coming with gas and guns to put you down like the rabid dog you are... you killed her, Frank. She never looked at me until twice today, but I loved her, and you killed her... and when you did that, you killed me, too. So we'll all die together. You and me and the missus... all us like the bastards we are... like we deserve..."''

A one-time operative for SHIELD, Chris Poulsen is Stephanie Gerard's partner, confidante, and muscle. He handles the wet work for the Exchange, and has a massive crush on Stephanie.

* {{Antivillain}}: There was nothing particularly nasty about Poulsen, at least prior to his VillainousBreakdown.
* AxeCrazy: By the end.
* {{Badass}}: Takes on Castle, Cole-Alves, and half the police force during his last appearance.
** BadassInANiceSuit
** BadassLongcoat: Usually wore a trench coat over his suit.
** BadassMoustache
* TheBadGuyWins: Chris' killing spree in issue fifteen gets him everything he wanted, leaving the Punisher and Cole-Alves on the run from the police, their relationship with law enforcement apparently ruined.
* BerserkButton: Hurting Stephanie. When Alves kills her, Chris goes on a rampage that results in a double-digit body count.
* BodyguardCrush: On Stephanie
* TheCoatsAreOff: Ditches his BadassLongcoat and his suit during his last battle with Castle and Cole-Alves.
* CopKiller: Guns down two police officers, and, as a bonus, sets up the events that result in Rachel Cole-Alves killing Detective Walter Bolt.
* TheDragon: To Stephanie, whom he allows to take the lead in most of their operations, while serving as her muscle.
** DragonAscendant: Following Stephanie's death, Chris goes on a massive rampage that caps off the arc, and kicks off the events of ''War Zone''.
** DragonTheirFeet: He was absent during Gerard's last confrontation with Castle and Cole-Alves, and as such he blames himself for her death.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His crush on Gerard.
* FrameUp: Calls the police, claims Castle and Cole-Alves are attacking his office building, then proceeds to slaughter them all himself. The resulting shootout leaves sixteen dead, including Poulsen and three cops, and sees Castle and Cole-Alves hunted for murder (though Cole-Alves really did kill Detective Walter Bolt).
* HandCannon: His modified nine millimeter, with which he's able to hit police officers on the street from several stories up in an office building.
* HandicappedBadass: He's walking with a leg brace during his final confrontation with Castle and Cole-Alves, courtesy of injures from their first clash, and the subsequent torture he endured at the hands of Black Spectre. It doesn't slow him down much.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Goes on a killing spree after Dr. Gerard is killed, ending with his own death.
* SanitySlippage: After Stephanie Gerard's death.
* SuicideByCop: Suicide by Frank Castle. With Stephanie dead, Chris doesn't have much to live for.
* TakingYouWithMe: The purpose of his final rampage. He rants to The Punisher that he, Frank, and Cole-Alves are "going to die together. Like the bastards we are."
* UnstoppableRage: When Gerard dies, he ''flips out'' and goes on a rampage. The only thing ceasing it being his death.
* VillainousBreakdown: Undergoes a massive one when Stephanie dies.
* VillainousFriendship: Type I with Stephanie Gerard.
* WeHaveReserves: Baits a trap for Castle with The Exchange's less competent henchmen.
----

!! Red Vulture
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/red_vulture.jpg]]
-> '''AKA:''' James "Jimmy" Natale
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #592 (2009)

--> ''"You'll tire out before I do... and then I'll feast off your bones."''

Originally a Spider-Man villain, the fourth Vulture, Jimmy "The Fixer" Natale, was a freak science experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong. Contracted by The Exchange to put Frank Castle out of their misery, Jimmy was killed in aerial combat with The Punisher above the streets of New York.

* AxCrazy: He doesn't have much in terms of sanity, if at all.
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: To the point of punching through Kevlar.
* BeastMan: Incredibly bestial, and barely capable of speech.
* CharacterDeath: Castle inflicted a mortal wound on him with his knife, which caused him to plummet to the streets and his untimely death.
* EyeScream: Deals a nasty injury to one of Castle's eyes, which remains bandaged for the remainder of the arc.
* {{Flight}}: Thanks to his wings.
* HiredGuns: Worked for The Exchange as one.
* ObviouslyEvil: A slavering, [[RedEyesTakeWarning red-eyed]] beastman dressed all in black and red and drooling acid? Pretty obviously evil.
* PsychoForHire: A cannibalistic monster hired to take out Frank Castle.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: A Spider-Man villain who was hired to deal with the Punisher.
* SuperSpit: Acidic spit to be precise.
* {{Supervillain}}: One of the few bonafide supervillains Castle has clashed with.
----

!!Johnny Nightmare

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%%[[caption-width-right:300:some caption text]]

->'''AKA:''' Jake Niman
->'''Debut:''' ''Punisher: Nightmare'' #1 (2013)

-->''"I'm Johnny Nightmare... and everybody is my enemy."''

Niman was a special forces soldier whose family was gunned down in Central Park, much like with Punisher's family. As Punisher works with him to avenge them, he learns that Niman was part of a goverment project to create [[SuperSoldier super soldiers]], which is turning him into an unstoppable monster.

* AxeCrazy: His wartime experiences have eroded his sanity to the point that by the end of it, only a sociopathic madman was left.
* AdaptiveAbility: Every time he is killed, he comes back stronger.
* BigBad: Of the ''Nightmare'' miniseries.
* BloodKnight: While he was fighting in Afghanistan, he started to enjoy fighting little too much. Scared of this development, Niman eventually got himself discharged so he wouldn't completely become a bloodthirsty monster. Unfortunately, he and his family being gunned down eventually brings this mindset back, and as he turns more monstrous both figuratively and literally, Punisher has to stop him.
* CameBackStrong: Thanks to the experiments done to him, his body can regenerate, and become physically bigger and stronger each time he comes back from death.
* EvilCounterpart: Both him and Punisher were soldiers in a war that turned them into hardened killers, but who still managed to hold on to some shred of their humanity afterwards. The deaths of their respective families however drove them over the edge, and now they both kill people, albeit for different reasons: Nightmare is a monster waging a war against everyone for its own sake while Punisher is an anti-hero vigilante who thinks himself as a monster while shooting bad guys.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: The people behind the super soldier project that gave Niman his regenerative powers tried to have him assassinated so he wouldn't become a hard-to-kill murder monster. The opposite happens.
* HealingFactor: He can heal back from fatal wounds, like headshots and falls from skyscrapers, and become stronger each time.
* LaughingMad: As the picture shows quite nicely.
* NoKillLikeOverkill: Since normal firearms are not enough to kill Nightmare permanently, Punisher uses trickery to place nine bricks of C4 on Nightmare's back, which upon exploding leave nothing left of him to regenerate from.
* PsychoSerum: The result of yet another attempt at recreating the [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Super Soldier Serum]] (incidentally, Frank had previously fought another botched SSS exposé in ''The Punisher P.O.V.'')
* SplitPersonalityTakeover: In Afghanistan, he developed two personalities: J., a soldier who tries his best to win local populace over, and Johnny, a SociopathicSoldier who relishes in killing the enemy, and eventually, the innocent. Jake tried to get rid of his "Johnny" side for the sake of his family, but the loss of them and the fatal wounds he received in the process eventually brought that side of him back big time, and took over him mentally.
* ThatManIsDead: Upon being shot in the head, the little humanity that Jake Niman had left was gone and "Johnny" took over him mentally.
-->'''Nightmare:''' Jake and me were two guys. But Jake's dead, I'm alive.
* VigilanteMan: He joins Punisher to avenge the deaths of his family; one death and return from it later and he's an enemy to every man.
----

!!Condor
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/condor_8.png]]
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 11 #3 (2016)

-->''"I know [[BreadAndCircuses an overworked workforce is a sloppy workforce]], but could I trouble you to take some time out of your busy schedule to kill the Punisher?"''

Condor is a PrivateMilitaryContractor that has [[FromCamouflageToCriminal recently graduated into drug trafficking]]. The Punisher targets his organization when he starts selling [[PsychoSerum EMC]], a performance enhancing drug based on a flawed version of the serum that created Captain America.

* BaldOfEvil
* BenevolentBoss: Seems to have an open door policy with his men. This is fortunate because his CoDragons [[TeethClenchedTeamwork really hate each other]].
* BigBad: Shaping up to be one for the Cloonan/Dillon run, at least for the "On the Road" and "Into the Wild" storylines.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Runs a group of PrivateMilitaryContractors who [[TheCartel sell drugs]] on the side.
* EvilOldFolks: Looks a bit like [[Film/ReservoirDogs Joe Cabot]].
* LightIsNotGood: Wears white suits. Not a good guy.
* TheMobBossIsScarier: He's not afraid of the Punisher taking him down, he's afraid of what his clients will do to him if the Punisher keeps screwing up his operations.
* PragmaticVillainy: The EMC trafficking plot was not his idea, and he will pull the plug on it if it starts giving him more trouble than it's worth.

----
!! Olaf

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/olafpun.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 11 #1 (2016)

--> ''"A gun this old, seen as much action as this one, [[TheyDontMakeThemLikeTheyUsedTo if it’s still around, there’s only one thing you know for sure: it works]]. So treat it with a little respect, [[ImpliedDeathThreat or you might find yourself on the wrong end of it]].''"

A Marine who served alongside Frank, Olaf now works for Condor, providing security for his drug trafficking operation.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Was with Condor's PMC since they started, but he has reached the glass ceiling, as younger, more ruthless associates have eclipsed him.
* GenreSavvy: Knows Frank's tactics, always has an escape plan, and eerily capable of appealing to what little humanity Frank has left.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: After witnessing Frank singlehandedly take out two amped-up mooks, he decides to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere cut his losses and leave]].
* LeaveBehindAPistol: Does this to a Condor associate on the Punisher's hitlist, telling her that it's [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled the only surefire way]] to avert a CruelAndUnusualDeath.
* PermaStubble: Adds to his grizzled look.
* PunchClockVillain: Is not a particularly evil man, he's working for Condor mainly just to pay the bills.
* StillWearingTheOldColors: Still wears his Marine Corps dog tags, and, as quoted above, still swears by his old M9 Service pistol.

----
!! Face

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/facepun.jpg]]

-> '''Debut:''' ''The Punisher'' Vol. 11, #1 (2016)

--> ''"This time, Castle, [[SummonBiggerFish I came prepared]]. And now, you're dead."''

The Face is Condor's second-in-command. He is also a "grade A psycho", infamous for the CreepySouvenir he takes from each of his kills.

* AxCrazy: He collects faces for a living and also is described as such.
* BadassInANiceSuit
* CoolCar: A ''Film/MadMax'' inspired AwesomePersonnelCarrier that he uses in a HighSpeedBattle with the Punisher's Battle Van.
* TheDragon: To Condor.
* {{Expy}}: Somewhat reminiscent of Durant from ''Film/{{Darkman}}'', with a few elements of the New52 Dollmaker thrown in.
* MeaningfulName: He is introduced as TheFace of his organization, and cuts the faces off of his victims.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler: When he takes the EMC drug]].
* ScaryBlackMan: He was one BEFORE he took a PsychoSerum that made him strong enough to NoSell the Punisher. [[UpToEleven After that...]]
* SlasherSmile: Very fond of these.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: He and Olaf do not get along very well.

[[/folder]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: This trope defines him

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: His fatal flaw is his difficulty in accepting this.

* BrokenPedestal: During ''Secret Invasion'' he discovered that the Punisher, while under the influence of the Hate Monger, killed his girlfriend. His partnership with Frank immediately dissolved, along with most of his sanity.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: Inverted as he had his own company and he turned to crime as it failed. At the same time, also played somewhat straight in that he could have sold his company to Tony Stark, but refused because he didn't want to sell his soul to big business.

* VillainTeamUp: Led his own team during his early career. Teamed up with The Hood during ''Secret Invasion'' and became one half of [[BigBadDuumverate The Jigsaw Brothers]] in ''In The Blood''.

--> ''"If you want attention, feel free to dust off your costumes and go back to being beaten bloody by the likes of the Avengers. I'm sure A.I.M. or Hydra or even Hive will be glad to have you back. They're always looking for fresh cannon fodder. Meeting is adjourned. Happy Thanksgiving."''

* KarmaHoudini: He survives his run-ins with the Punisher and the Lady Punisher, is last shown padding his pockets with the money that he blackmailed Rosalie Carbone into forking over in exchange for one of Frank's War Journals.

Condor is a PrivateMilitaryContractor that has recently graduated into drug trafficking. The Punisher targets his organization when he starts selling [[PsychoSerum EMC]], a performance enhancing drug based on a flawed version of the serum that created Captain America.

* AxCrazy: A bloodthirsty sadist with a penchant for inflicting pain, both on himself and others.

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Despite his genius in engineeering, he just wanted to live happily with his family doing common work. Then he was forced to kill werewolves that were attacking his village, including his [[StakingTheLovedOne now-transformed family]]. After being recruited by Ulysses Bloodstone, he dedicated his craft to coming up with effective ways to slay monsters.

* EnemyWithout: In Afghanistan, he developed two sides: J., a soldier who tries his best to win local populace over, and Johnny, a SociopathicSoldier who relishes in killing the enemy, and eventually, the innocent. Jake tried to get rid of his "Johnny" side for the sake of his family, but the loss of them and the fatal wounds he received in the process eventually brought that side of him back big time, and took over him mentally.

* ShadowArchetype: Both him and Punisher were soldiers in a war that turned them into hardened killers, but who still managed to hold on to some shred of their humanity afterwards. The deaths of their respective families however drove them over the edge, and now they both kill people, albeit for different reasons: Nightmare is a monster waging a war against everyone for its own sake while Punisher is an anti-hero vigilante who thinks himself as a monster while shooting bad guys.

-->''"I know an overworked workforce is a sloppy workforce, but could I trouble you to take some time out of your busy schedule to kill the Punisher?"''

Condor is PrivateMilitaryContractor that has recently graduated into drug trafficking. The Punisher targets his organization when he starts selling [[PsychoSerum EMC]], a performance enhancing drug based on a flawed version of the serum that created Captain America.

A Marine who served alongside Frank, Olaf now works for the Condor, providing security for his drug trafficking operation.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Was with Condor since they started, but he has reached the glass ceiling, as younger, more ruthless associates have eclipsed him.

A Marine who served alongside Frank, Olaf now works for the Condor mercenary unit, providing security for their drug trafficking operation.

* EyepatchOfPower: Sported one for most of Greg Rucka's run, after he nearly lost an eye during a battle with the sixth Vulture.

!! Vulture IV

Originally a Spider-Man villain, the fourth Vulture, Jimmy Natale, was a freak science experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong. Contracted by The Exchange to put Frank Castle out of their misery, Jimmy was killed in aerial combat with The Punisher above the streets of New York.

* EyeScream: Deals a nasty injury to one of Frank's eyes, which remains bandaged for the remainder of the arc.

* ObviouslyEvil: A slavering beastman dressed all in black and red and drooling acid? Pretty obviously evil.

* ScaryBlackMan: If the TrophyRoom wasn't enough of an indicator, then the SlasherSmile when he's ordered to go after Frank seals the deal.

--> ''"A gun this old, seen as much action as this one, [[TheyDontMakeEmLikeTheyUsedTo if it’s still around, there’s only one thing you know for sure: it works]]. So treat it with a little respect, [[ImpliedDeathThreat or you might find yourself on the wrong end of it]].''"

--> ''"A gun this old, seen as much action as this one, if it’s still around, there’s only one thing you know for sure: it works. So treat it with a little respect, or you might find yourself on the wrong end of it.''"

* HimeCut

--> ''"A gun this old, seen as much action as this one, if it’s still around, there’s only one thing you know for sure: it works.''"

* AntiHero: Varies between an UnscrupulousHero and NominalHero in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse.

* {{Badass}}: He spends his days on two things: Killing the worst scum on earth and planning to kill the worst scum on earth.

%%* CrusadingWidower

%%* SociopathicHero

* IWorkAlone: Repeatedly discussed. In his opinion "no one should be like me."

* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Frank's a big fan of this

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: While Frank Castle hunts down, kill, and torture every criminal he comes across, he has an extra hatred towards rapists and reserves the ''worst'' form of torture he can think of for them (particularly sex traffickers and child rapists).