History WMG / ThePunisher

* Martin Soap, first as the SympatheticInspectorAntagonist then a FriendOnTheForce.

* The Russian will be Jigsaw's [[TheBrute hired muscle]].

* Harry Heck

* The Russian will be Jigsaw's hired muscle.

* Olivier/Frank Costa will be the BiggerBad.

* Mickey Fondozzi is one of Jigsaw's henchmen, until he gets fed up with his abuse and [[HeelFaceTurn willingly helps]] Punisher take him down (but not before Punisher [[TortureForFunAndInformation persuade]] him).

* Mickey Fondozzi is Jigsaw's henchman, until he gets fed up with his abuse and [[HeelFaceTurn willingly helps]] Punisher take him down (but not before Punisher [[TortureForFunAndInformation persuade]] him).

* Mickey Fondozzi is Jigsaw's henchman, until he gets fed up with his abuse and [[HeelFaceTurn willingly helps]] Punisher take him down (with a little [[TortureForFunAndInformation persuasion]]).

* Martin Soap, first as the SympatheticInspectorAntagonist then as a FriendToTheForce.

* Mickey Fondozzi is Jigsaw's henchman, until he gets fed up with his abuse and [[HeelFaceTurn willingly helps]] Punisher take him down (with a little [[TortureForFunAndInformation persuasion]]).

!!Jigsaw is descended from Ladd Russo

!!The Punisher doesn't kill Kingpin, because of lingering mental controls.

!!The Russian ([[Film/ThePunisher2004 movie version]]) was the result of a Soviet effort to duplicate the Super Soldier Serum

For which he was a partial success: it gave him extraordinary strength, reflexes, and durability... but also gave him significant psychological problems.

!!Ares is the voice in Castle's head
During ''The Punisher: Born'', a voice in Frank's head keeps confronting him about his feelings toward the war that he enjoys coming to an end, and goads him toward making a deal that would ensure a never ending war for Frank to fight in. When asked who or what it is, it just mentions that it is in the same kind of work as Castle. A lot seem to believe it is death talking but I think it is but Ares, the Greek god of war, who in the Marvel Universe happens to be the only character aside from The Punisher to wear a uniform featuring a white skull on a black background on his chest.
* That actually makes a lot of sense. If Frank is indeed Ares unwitting "champion" it would certainly explain how he's been able to survive multiple decades of crimefighting, let alone continue to do so at 60+ years of age.
* Frank Castle is the reason Ares exists. Think about it. The Norse gods, but not the Greek or Roman gods exist on earth. Yet bam, there's Ares. I think Frank Castle embodied Ares on earth so perfectly (a one man engine of death and destruction, locked in unending war) that Ares returned to existence. Which explains why Ares and Frank Castle share a lot of traits. Ares' appearance is based on Frank Castle.
** Nope, the Greco-Roman pantheon exists. There's Ares, Ares' kid son Phobos, Hercules, Hera, and Athena as major players right now (the Hindu and Egyptian gods also exist, but they seem to like just hanging out, keeping quiet and watching people ooh and ah over their artifacts). Ares has been around for awhile (until the end of Siege, anyways) because there's always war ''somewhere.'' Plus, a lot of the stuff the Punisher does is very sadistic. Ares, despite being the God of War, Murder, and Killing, is very, ''very'' forceful about the fact that he is "NOT! [the god] OF! SADISM!" so even he might get a little sick at what Frank does sometimes. The uniform is oddly similar, though.
*** We're talking about the MAX version, though, who generally eschews sadism in favor of thoroughly wiping out the enemy. The Slavers is the exception, not the rule.
** Pertaining to the 616 version: It is hinted by Khonshu in'' MoonKnight vol. 4 #9'' that the Punisher is an avatar/servant of either Ares or Death.

!!The voice in Castle's head is the personification of the military-industrial complex.

!!MAX Punisher did not escape again between ''The Cell'' and ''The End''

These were two one-shot issues set apart from the normal timeline. It was never stated when The Cell took place. Admittedly, Punisher looks relatively young in that special, but beyond that it would fit perfectly, as the last thing he says in that special is that he's waiting for "the end".
** That's...actually a really neat idea. However I recall that ''In the Beginning'' starts off with Frank saying "the old man from the park is long since dead. So are his soldiers. So's the shooter" or words to that effect, which I always took to mean the Cell was before, when Frank was in his late 30s or 40s.

!!Punisher: The End is the canon end of the MAX universe.

It was set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture and published in 2004, so it could work as long as Marvel ends the line relatively soon.

!!The Russian ( movie version ) was the result of a Soviet effort to duplicate the Super Soldier Serum