History ComicBook / ThePunisher

** There was a brief period of time in the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeofComicBooks late nineties]] when Castle was given a supernatural bent for two miniseries (''[[ComicBook/ThePunisherPurgatory Purgatory]]'' and ''Revelation''). He became a divine assassin on behalf of God, using angelic firearms to smite demons in return for a chance to be reunited with his family in heaven. Predictably, this didn't turn out to be a popular development. When Ennis began his run in ''Welcome Back Frank'', he pays lip service to it by acknowledging it before declaring: "''Tried it. Didn't like it. Told them where to stick it.''."

** He will not kill cops as a general rule, even crooked ones. The rare occasions where he does are usually accidental, self-defense, or the guy just REALLY deserved it.

See the [[Franchise/ThePunisher franchise page for more details on the adaptations]].

[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:''Punisher'' comics and stories with their own pages]]
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherCircleOfBlood'' (1986) -- Punisher's very first solo title.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher2099'' (1993-1995) -- A comic set in AlternateContinuity future of ''ComicBook/Marvel2099''.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherSuicideRun'' (1993-1994) -- An eleven-part storyline event that ran through the main ''Punisher'' title, ''The Punisher: War Journal'' and ''The Punisher: War Zone''.
* ''ComicBook/ArchieMeetsThePunisher'' (1994) -- An offbeat IntercontinuityCrossover with ComicBook/ArchieComics.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherKillsTheMarvelUniverse'' (1995) -- A WhatIf comic written by Creator/GarthEnnis years before his more regular work with the character.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherPurgatory'' (1998) -- A miniseries that [[ReTool Re Tooled]] the character into a sort-of agent for heaven.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank'' (2000-2001) -- A limited series storyline which returns the Punisher back into the "regular vigilante who just shoots criminals" mold, written by Garth Ennis.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher2001''
* ''[[ComicBook/ThePunisherBorn Born]]'' (2003) -- A four issue mini series that details Frank's third and final tour of duty in Vietnam, which was later became the starting point for the MAX series. Also written by Creator/GarthEnnis.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'' (2004-2009 and 2010-2012) -- AlternateContinuity series set in the Marvel's DarkerAndEdgier MAX imprint. The page also lists the various oneshots and miniseries set there.
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisherTheEnd'' (June 2004) -- A special one shot featuring an elderly Frank Castle in a post-apocalyptic New York. Yes, it was written by Garth Ennis.
* ''ComicBook/PunisherNoir'' (2009) -- An AlternateContinuity miniseries, where the Punisher does his work in the 1930s New York. Astonishingly ''not'' written by Creator/GarthEnnis.
* ''ComicBook/MarvelUniverseVsThePunisher'' (2010) -- An AlternateContinuity miniseries where Punisher has to fight the heroes and villains of Marvel who have been turned into sadistic cannibals.
* ''ComicBook/SpacePunisher'' (2012) -- An AlternateContinuity miniseries with a version of Frank avenging his family's murder by a galactic crime syndicate led by some very familiar Marvel characters.
* ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' (2012-2014) -- The Punisher was one of the anti-heroes recruited by General Ross (aka ComicBook/RedHulk) for his version of the team.
* ''Webcomic/DoctorStrangePunisherMagicBullets'' (2016) -- an Creator/InfiniteComics webcomic that teams its two stars against a mafia family who've found something magical and powerful in their basement.
* ''ComicBook/DeadpoolVsThePunisher'' (2017) -- A five-issue miniseries that pits the One-Man War on Crime against the Merc with a Mouth.
* ''ComicBook/{{Punisher|2022}}'' (2022) - a series written by Creator/JasonAaron that [[ReTool repositions]] the Punisher as a sword-wielding killer and leader of ninja-clan The Hand.
* ''ComicBook/{{Punisher|2023}}''. (2023) - a 2023 series focusing on a LegacyCharacter who is going through the same thing Frank is.
[[/folder]]

!! The Punisher provides examples of the following tropes:

->''They killed my wife and my baby''
->''With hopes to enslave me''
->''First mistake''
->''Last mistake''
-->'''-- Music/{{Megadeth}}, 'Holy Wars...The Punishment Due''''

The Scourge of the Underworld. The Little Hunter. Mr. [=UnSmiley=]. The Skull Faced Guy. The Franchise/MarvelUniverse's Grim AntiHero.

'''''[[TropeCodifier The]]''''' SociopathicHero.

There are two notably different Punisher series: the main Marvel Universe series and a second series created for Marvel's adults-only [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint, originally titled ''The Punisher'' and referred to as ''Punisher MAX'', before changing to ''The Punisher: Frank Castle'' and then ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX''. This latter version, written almost exclusively by Garth Ennis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in "mundane" crime — TheMafia, [[WesternTerrorists Irish terrorist organizations]], [[HumanTraffickers Eastern European sex slavers]], GangBangers and UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror are prominent. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of BlackComedy and {{satire}} here and there. The MAX series is written much more consistently than the mainstream version, due to being almost entirely shaped by Garth Ennis' vision of the character; this series is also notorious for its moral absolutism. The Marvel Universe version may be willing to excuse himself for killing a friend's girlfriend while under the influence of a "hate ray", but the first post-Ennis MAX issue sees Frank on the edge of killing himself after believing that his instinctive shooting had led to an innocent girl's death, declaring to himself that "I must be punished."[[note]]Realizing the possibility of a setup is the only thing that lets him live long enough to exhume the body, which he finds was slain with a bullet of a different caliber from what he had been carrying. Turned out that [[DrivenToSuicide it was a setup]] to get him out of the way of a local crime syndicate.[[/note]]

There are two notably different Punisher series: the main Marvel Universe series and a second series created for Marvel's adults-only [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint, originally titled ''The Punisher'' and referred to as ''Punisher MAX'', before changing to ''The Punisher: Frank Castle'' and then ''ComicBookj/ThePunisherMAX''. This latter version, written almost exclusively by Garth Ennis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in "mundane" crime — TheMafia, [[WesternTerrorists Irish terrorist organizations]], [[HumanTraffickers Eastern European sex slavers]], GangBangers and UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror are prominent. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of BlackComedy and {{satire}} here and there. The MAX series is written much more consistently than the mainstream version, due to being almost entirely shaped by Garth Ennis' vision of the character; this series is also notorious for its moral absolutism. The Marvel Universe version may be willing to excuse himself for killing a friend's girlfriend while under the influence of a "hate ray", but the first post-Ennis MAX issue sees Frank on the edge of killing himself after believing that his instinctive shooting had led to an innocent girl's death, declaring to himself that "I must be punished."[[note]]Realizing the possibility of a setup is the only thing that lets him live long enough to exhume the body, which he finds was slain with a bullet of a different caliber from what he had been carrying. Turned out that [[DrivenToSuicide it was a setup]] to get him out of the way of a local crime syndicate.[[/note]]

There are two notably different Punisher series: the main Marvel Universe series and a second series created for Marvel's adults-only [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint (originally titled ''The Punisher'' and referred to as ''Punisher MAX'', before changing to ''The Punisher: Frank Castle'' and then [=PunisherMAX=]). This latter version, written almost exclusively by Garth Ennis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in "mundane" crime — TheMafia, [[WesternTerrorists Irish terrorist organizations]], [[HumanTraffickers Eastern European sex slavers]], GangBangers and UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror are prominent. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of BlackComedy and {{satire}} here and there. The MAX series is written much more consistently than the mainstream version, due to being almost entirely shaped by Garth Ennis' vision of the character; this series is also notorious for its moral absolutism. The Marvel Universe version may be willing to excuse himself for killing a friend's girlfriend while under the influence of a "hate ray", but the first post-Ennis MAX issue sees Frank on the edge of killing himself after believing that his instinctive shooting had led to an innocent girl's death, declaring to himself that "I must be punished."[[note]]Realizing the possibility of a setup is the only thing that lets him live long enough to exhume the body, which he finds was slain with a bullet of a different caliber from what he had been carrying. Turned out that [[DrivenToSuicide it was a setup]] to get him out of the way of a local crime syndicate.[[/note]]

There are two notably different Punisher series: the main Marvel Universe series and a second series created for Marvel's adults-only [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint (originally titled ''The Punisher'' and referred to as ''Punisher MAX'', before changing to ''The Punisher: Frank Castle'' and then [=PunisherMAX=]). This latter version, written almost exclusively by Garth Ennis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in "mundane" crime — TheMafia, [[WesternTerrorists Irish terrorist organizations]], [[HumanTraffickers Eastern European sex slavers]], GangBangers and TheWarOnTerror are prominent. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of black humor here and there. The MAX series is written much more consistently than the mainstream version, due to being almost entirely shaped by Garth Ennis' vision of the character; this series is also notorious for its moral absolutism. The Marvel Universe version may be willing to excuse himself for killing a friend's girlfriend while under the influence of a "hate ray", but the first post-Ennis MAX issue sees Frank on the edge of killing himself after believing that his instinctive shooting had led to an innocent girl's death, declaring to himself that "I must be punished."[[note]]Realizing the possibility of a setup is the only thing that lets him live long enough to exhume the body, which he finds was slain with a bullet of a different caliber from what he had been carrying. Turned out that [[DrivenToSuicide it was a setup]] to get him out of the way of a local crime syndicate.[[/note]]

There are two notably different Punisher series: the main Marvel Universe series and a second series created for Marvel's adults-only [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint (originally titled ''The Punisher'' and referred to as ''Punisher MAX'', before changing to ''The Punisher: Frank Castle'' and then [=PunisherMAX=]). This latter version, written almost exclusively by Garth Ennis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in "mundane" crime -- TheMafia, Irish terrorist cells, Eastern European sex slavers, gangsters and real-life wars are prominent. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of black humor here and there. The MAX series is written much more consistently than the mainstream version, due to being almost entirely shaped by Garth Ennis' vision of the character; this series is also notorious for its moral absolutism. The Marvel Universe version may be willing to excuse himself for killing a friend's girlfriend while under the influence of a "hate ray", but the first post-Ennis MAX issue sees Frank on the edge of killing himself after believing that his instinctive shooting had led to an innocent girl's death, declaring to himself that "I must be punished."[[note]]Realizing the possibility of a setup is the only thing that lets him live long enough to exhume the body, which he finds was slain with a bullet of a different caliber from what he had been carrying. Turned out that [[DrivenToSuicide it was a setup]] to get him out of the way of a local crime syndicate.[[/note]]

** His first hit in ''Comicbook/ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank'' features a firefight in a morgue, where a mook lifts up a corpse and tries to use it as a shield. Frank's comment as he shoots both is that you should not hide behind a skinny corpse.

** In ''Comicbook/ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank'', Frank goes to a lot of trouble to rescue a Don being held hostage from a South American rebel camp. The UngratefulBastard betrays Frank and returns to New York, where he calls a meeting of the Mafia to deal with the Punisher once and for all. Frank calls him at that moment to ask him ''why'' he'd been rescued, if not as the best way to put a lot of high-ranking Mafia goons in the same room. Then shows up with an M-60.

* InvincibleHero: Even if Frank has no powers per se (only being in peak physical condition and knowing all about fighting and using weapons), he manages to hold himself pretty well against actual Marvel superheroes - there isn't a one-shot called ''ComicBook/ThePunisherKillsTheMarvelUniverse'' for nothing. This is taken up to eleven once the Punisher got the Comicbook/WarMachine's armor in 2017, meaning a squad led by Captain Marvel went to take him down and Frank still managed to run away.

* OneManArmy: In the side materials to ''Comicbook/{{Secret War|2004}}'', ComicBook/NickFury compares the Punisher's destructive capabilities to that of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk's''.

** Creator/GregRucka indicated, when starting his 2011 series, it was all a matter of viewpoint. The other superheroes are far better equipped to deal with major threats like Comicbook/{{Galactus}}, Comicbook/NormanOsborn, and [[Comicbook/DoctorStrange Dormammu]], but ''someone'' has to pay attention to the drug pushers and mobsters.

* WorfHadTheFlu: During a time when authorities were seriously breathing down on Punisher's neck, the SuperSoldier Comicbook/CaptainAmerica agrees to take him down. But since he is sick at the time (with a ClueFromEd urging readers to find out why in Cap's own book), Punisher is able to elude capture.

** Naturally, he avoids lethal force against superheroes as well, with the exception of the {{Elseworld}} issue ''Comicbook/ThePunisherKillsTheMarvelUniverse'' as well as heroes [[GoodThingYouCanHeal who can heal off typically dangerous injuries]].