The Punisher | Allies | The Italian Mafia | Irish Criminals & Associates | The Kingpin's Syndicate | Other Criminals & Psychopaths | Military & Government | Other Characters
Characters with a Military or Government affiliation.
Warning: Unmarked spoilers abound!
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United States Military
United States Army
Col. Nicolas Fury
Col. George Howe
Cpt. Martin Vanheim
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7 #13
"I am Delta Force. The best of the best. I have what it takes and I will do what it takes."
An elite Delta Force operative, who along with Frank was hand picked to participate in "Operation Barbarossa." A covert military operation that involves rescuing a six year girl (whose blood contains an experimental super virus) from Russian captivity.
- The Captain: Before taking part in Operation Barbarossa. He was a Captain in Delta Force.
- Chairman of the Brawl: During a Bar Brawl in a Siberian pub, he can be seen swinging a chair at a pub dweller.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Despite his muscular build, and combat prowess, he gets his ass handed to him on a number of occasions.
- First, against the Mongolian who makes short work of him without even breaking a sweat.
- Ditto for his brief fight with Frank.
- Death Equals Redemption: Zig-Zagged trope. After his little Just Following Orders incident with Frank and Galina, the three manage to escape the missile compound thanks in no small part to Frank’s Batman Gambit, but are now faced with several miles of freezing Siberian wilderness between them and the extraction, and only one winter coat. Frank draws straws to see between the two of them to determine who gets it, and the next panel shows Frank wearing the coat, Galina tucked inside, with Vanheim struggling to keep up before finally falling into the snow, dead.
- Don't Make Me Destroy You: When Frank catches him doing something he really shouldn't be doing. Vanheim shouts at Frank, telling him. "Back Off! Don't make me fuck you up!" Frank just kicks him in the face and knocks half his teeth out.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: He's a Delta Force soldier by way of the 82nd Airborne Division.
- Everyone Has Standards: Averted; the man was about to give a little girl a poison that would kill her and stabilize the supervirus in her blood. Had it not been for Frank, he would have gone through with it. Eventually he settles for helping Frank in his plan to threaten Russia with nuclear war. A few arcs later, his squadmates refuse to believe that he'd go through with it.
- Guns Akimbo: At one point he dual wields a pair of AK's when firing at some hapless guards.
- Heroic Build: The man is over six feet tall, built like a linebacker, and sports a very noticeable Lantern Jaw of Justice. Everything about him just screams Action Hero.
- Hollywood Action Hero: Amusingly this is the reason behind why Frank doesn't like him. As Frank thinks that Vanheim's action star good looks make him stand out too much.
- Hunk: He's six feet tall, blonde, and according to Frank, is built like an "action figure."
- It's Raining Men: In order for him and Frank to covertly make their way into Siberia undetected. They sneak aboard a Commercial Airliner and HALO jump unto their target. Later on, when they have to sneak out, they do so by HALO jumping out of a nuclear missile. What's more, before joining Delta Force, he was once a paratrooper in the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division.
- Just Following Orders: When Frank catches him trying to inject Galina with a lethal poison that will kill her, he tries using this as an excuse for his actions. Naturally Frank isn't having any of it.
- Lantern Jaw of Justice: To go along with his traditional Hollywood good looks.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Had he not preemptively fired at a pair of unsuspecting guards, he and Frank could have easily walked out of the nuclear silo base without a hitch. By killing them he jeopardizes the entire mission, forcing him and Frank to come up with an alternative means of escape.Castle: They were drinking coffee. In these uniforms, we could have walked right past them. Now we're trapped.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: His shapely build doesn't mean much when it comes right down to it. First he gets his ass kicked by the Mongolian who sports a far slimmer build. The second time he gets trounced by the much older Frank.
- Over Shadowed By Awesome: Vanheim is a legitimate badass in his own right, but he is easily overshadowed by his partner Frank. In both skill, and body count.
- Overt Operative: Apparently this is one of the things about him that annoys Frank to no end. In Frank's monologue he talks about how back in his day, the Spec Ops guys did their best to keep a low profile. He chastises Vanheim for looking like a "walking action figure."
- Punch-Clock Villain: Despite having some rather chilling orders, he's not overly antagonistic towards Frank and is willing to abandon those orders when Frank proposes an alternate plan (although the fact that Frank had just proven he could beat him up probably helped), assisting with Frank's plan in the climax.
- Would Hurt a Child: Has no problem trying to injecting a six year old girl with a lethal poison that will almost certainly kill her. That is until Frank stops him.
The Eight Generals
AKA: Generals Bobby van Abst, Bradley Landers, Don Kent, Jake Farmington, Joe Vraciu, John Archer, Kurt Perino, and Paul Vertraeus
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #13
- Armchair Military: Both Frank and Fury note none of them have ever seen combat. This does not stop them from trying to tell Colonel George Howe, who is tasked with capturing Frank, how to do his job.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: They all use their position and contacts to service their own interests, and all have high-paying jobs lined up for them in the private sector after retirement.
- Fat Bastard: Two or three of them.
- Genre Savvy: Downplayed, but most of them are very reluctant about going after Punisher once he has Rawlins tape (and especially about confronting him in person). Perino and Farmington are convinced that they can still beat him though, though and drag the others in after them.
- Hate Sink: They're a group of racist war profiteers with zero empathy toward the people they send to die and all of them combined don't have half of Rawlins' backbone. They are the personification of everything wrong in the U.S army high command.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Cowardly opportunists they may have been, they did have a point when they mentioned that sending a man like The Punisher to a nuclear missile silo isn't conductive to a quiet operation.What the fuck is wrong with you, Fury? What kind of demented asshole puts the Punisher in a missile silo?!
- No Name Given: Their names aren't all that relevant to the story, and only in the tenth arc is the ringleader named; Kurt Perino. The tape Rawlins was forced to make in the fourth arc names the other seven as well; Jake Farmington, Bobby Van Abst, John Archer, Paul Vertraeus, Joe Vraciu, Bradley Landers and Don Kent. All Fictional Counterparts Ennis had a beef with.
- Noodle Incident: One of them was involved in a Blackhawk helicopter crash that they tried to claim as being combat expierenece.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: Invoked with the general personally beaten by Nick Fury. Characters in the story (especially Rawlins) repeatedly bring up his humiliating beating and he reacts predictably in each case (i.e. sniveling).
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Perino refers to Howe after a phone call with him as "He's wonderful, isn't he? Almost white". Later, when Howe already had doubts about the whole operation, calling him a "fucking stupid black fuck" when he reported Frank had escaped was not the best choice.
- Pragmatic Villainy: The two ringleaders have to spell out to the others that despite commanding tens of thousands of men and hundreds of tanks and aircraft, they cannot deploy any of them against Frank on US soil. Nor do any of them have any real combat expierence so taking him on themselves is out of the question.
- Pretty Little Headshots: How they meet their end. Eight bullets for eight targets - Frank does not mess about.
- Smug Snake: A cabal of them.
- War for Fun and Profit: They had Rawlins train a terrorist cell simply for the thoughts of having their own suicide bomber (Rawlins explained that they had no goals ready for them when they tasked him for it, stupidly believing terrorists would stay on standby) and set up operation Barbarossa solely so they have something cool on their resumé for when they join the private sector.
Lt. Wood
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7 #56
Delta Force Soldier: Woody, you admire this son of a bitch or somethin'?
Wood: You ever seen Alien?
Delta: Long time back.
Wood: My kid brother was crazy for it growing up. Line I always remember: "I admire its purity".
A Delta Force officer assigned to the unit that has been tasked with bringing in The Punisher .
- Admiring the Abomination: The above quote references a conversation between him and one of his fellow Delta commandos, where he expresses very obvious admiration for Frank's ruthless vigilante methods.
- Gas Mask Mooks: He and his squad all wear identical gas masks during their first attempted raid on Frank's warehouse.
- Pop-Cultured Badass: Along with being an elite Delta Force operative, he also has an affinity for the cinematic works of Ridley Scott.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: An officer in the Army's highly prestigious Delta Force.
- Hero Antagonist: Although he and the rest of his boys are tasked with taking down Frank Castle, they are all depicted as honest, law abiding soldiers who are deeply loyal to one another (and are only following orders).
- Oh, Crap!: When Frank tosses a grenade in a crate full of flashbangs, he realizes that Frank won't kill them but feels like they are old enough to handle some roughhousing.
- Sherlock Scan: He shows off some serious Sherlock-level detective skills when he is examining the aftermath of one of Frank's attacks, correctly deducing Frank's point of entry, method of attack, and weapons used.
- Shout-Out: He compares Frank to the Alien from Ridley Scott's classic film in a conversation with a fellow soldier.
Lieutenant Gellar
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7 #55
An aide to the eight generals during their final appearance.- Armchair Military: Was served as a staff officer for his whole career, although he claims that it was someone else's choice to pick him for it. He also shows unease about the idea of going into the field after the Punisher. Inexplicably doesn't know what Marine Recon stands for, even as a non-Marine.
- Condescending Compassion: While fairly polite to Colonel Howe, he does have his preconceptions about the Special Forces, and congratulates Howe on rising above them in a way that Gellar himself later reflects sounded stupid and patronizing.
- The Handler: Serves this role for Colonel Howe and Lieutenant Wood, although he later reflects that he wasn't very good at it.
- Punch-Clock Villain: While he is aware of the existence of the incriminating tape Punisher has (although it's vague if he's been told it's exact contents) the worst thing he does onscreen is simply passing down orders to people trying to catch the Punisher, while later giving them a warning that they may be walking into a trap.
- Spotting the Thread: Realizes that Colonel Howe knew the Punisher and owes him while reading through Castle's service record. At that point though, it's too late to do his bosses any good.
John Chadwick
Debut: Born #4
A tank unit commander operating near Valley Forge during the Vietnam War. He was later interviewed for a book about Castle.- A Father to His Men: He took no unnecessary risks with the lives of his men, and worked to keep the ones whose tours of duty were ending especially sheltered.Chadwick: If I'm proud of anything, it's that my men all made it home. That was more Walt Mayne's doing than mine, but of what I did do, I'm proud. Because the war wasn't worth it, you see. Not one life. Not your brother's nor anyone else's. Not ours, not theirs. It wasn't worth a single human life.
- Genre Savvy: Left the army because he felt concerned that the high command were treating war like a business, something that is a recurring theme throughout the series (as personified by the eight generals).
- Humble Hero: By all accounts was a pretty good commander, but he credits his senior N.C.O. Sergeant Mayne with much of his success, and also feels that the safety of his tank (and the NVA's lack of their own tanks) doesn't make him qualified to empathize with infantry troops who fought in close quarters.
- Perpetual Smiler: He's described as a calm and sunny man later in life.
- Retired Badass: He has adjusted well to civilian life, and looks back on his army career a bit ambivalently.
- The Voice: He never properly appears in person. He's briefly heard trying to reach Colonel Ottman over the radio as Valley Forge falls, and later a transcript of his conversation with author Michael Goodwin is shown, although the conversation itself isn't and Chadwick only appears through an old photo.
United States Marine Corps
Cpt. Frank Castle
Pfc. Stephen Albert "Stevie" Goodwin
Debut: Born #1
"I will not die in Vietnam. My name is Stevie Goodwin and I am so short I can taste it. I am down to thirty-nine days and a wake-up, and on that magic day I will step aboard the big freedom bird and leave this place forever. On the great silver craft that carries me home I will sleep the sleep of the just, and beautiful roundeye angels in stewardesses' outfits will smile with joy and bring me cold, cold beer. I will not die here. I will escape these fields of slaughter. I will not re-up and serve a second tour, will not become a combat-junkie like so many of the others — forever jonesing for their next sweet firefight, their lethal speedball of adrenaline and tracer. I will not fall in love with war like Captain Castle."
A young US Marine serving under Frank Castle at Firebase Valley Forge in the final years of the Vietnam War. He eagerly anticipates being able to return home from the war, counting down the days until he is discharged. Stating that he has no wish to experience the terror of combat ever again.
- Bayonet Ya: How he dies. His brother Michael noted that this is probably the most merciful death compared to the other kinds of deaths inflicted in the war.
- Blood Knight: Averted. He quickly realizes that the entire squad is filled with them, but they're practically junkies addicted to war itself rather than heroin. His greatest fear, apart from getting killed, is winding up as one himself.
- Cool Big Bro: Was idolized by his younger brother Michael, who writes a book about Valley Forge to keep his memory alive, decades later.
- Dies Wide Open: How he is depicted in the last panel showing Valley Forge, lying among all the other corpses strewn around the ruined firebase.
- Dying Dream: When he dies, it is depicted with a fantasy sequence where the "big freedom bird" swoops down and takes him away while he is reassured that he made it safe and is given cold beer.
- Go Out with a Smile: He's bayoneted by a burning NVA soldier, but his Dying Dream makes him so happy that he dies with a grin on his face.
- Naïve Newcomer: The newest addition to the Valley Forge Firebase, and he is very well aware of his status as the newcomer to the squad. And tries his best to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.
- Nice Guy: One of the very few kind and idealistic characters in the entire series.
- Peaceful in Death: Stevie's last moment is everything he dreamed of; being on a plane bound for the United States with beautiful stewardesses bringing him cold, cold beer. Even his corpse is shown as having a blissful expression on his face as the Marine reinforcements arrive at the ruins of the firebase.
- Semper Fi: Subverted; he makes it clear that he is an unwilling conscript who wanted nothing to do with the war. And whose only wish is to live long enough to go back home.
- Shout-Out: Possibly; he shares a surname with famous comic publisher Archie Goodwin.
- Sociopathic Soldier: Averted. It's for this reason that he hopes to be discharged and returned home as soon as possible. Out of fear that he will become another "combat junkie, forever jonesing for his next firefight."
- Token Good Teammate: One of the better natured and genuinely likable of all the Marines in the base with a strong moral compass to boot. Unlike the rest of the Marines, he keeps away from heroin.
- Warrior Poet: He doesn't actually write poetry, but he's incredibly eloquent and well-spoken, especially in his narration of the story.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: He's by far the most optimistic and positive of all the Marines. And sincerely believes in the ideals and values that his country was founded on.
Pvt. James "Angel" Morris
- Debut: Born #1
A bitter young Marine, who alongside Stevie Goodwin is stationed at Firebase Valley Forge in the final years of the Vietnam War.
- Boom, Headshot!: While ranting to his friend Stevie, in the middle of an all-out NVA assault on Firebase Valley Forge, about how there will be no cavalry to come and save them , he ends up getting his head completely blown off.
- The Cynic: Angel has a deeply bleak and bitter view on life as a result of his harsh upbringing and experiences in the war.
- Drugs Are Bad: Like half of the other Marines at the base. He has developed a heroin habit much to the chagrin of his friend Stevie.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Throughout the Born miniseries, he is only ever referred to by his nickname. It's only later on in the Valley Forge arc do we learn that his name was James Morris.
- Pet the Dog: After coming back from the patrol where Frank is forced to execute a female enemy soldier, Angel actually tries to give Stevie some advice.Angel: Stevie. The shit wit' the gook, don't let it fuck you up. You think too much, man. Always have. This place got zero slack to give.
- Straw Nihilist: His impoverished upbringing has left him with an extremely bitter and cynical outlook on life. At one point he tells Stevie that the only thing waiting for him back home is "a ghetto full of death."
Col. Ottman
Debut: Born #2
"So... when are we all expected to die?"
The commander of Firebase Valley Forge and Frank's superior officer. A bitter defeatist who appears well aware that the war in Vietnam is already lost and spends most of his time piss drunk.
- The Alcoholic: As stated above, the man spends most of his time drunk off his ass.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: He's very blatantly modeled after actor William H. Macy. The resemblance is so obvious it's surprising that Macy hasn't sued by now.
- The Cynic: In case you couldn't already tell from the quote above. The man has more or less already admitted defeat and is just waiting to be killed or stationed somewhere else. Whichever comes first.
- Driven to Suicide: When the NVA start rushing Valley Forge, they are shown discovering Col. Ottman after he has shot himself.
- Only One Name: His first name is never revealed.
Coltrane
Debut: Born #2
An undisciplined thug stationed at Firebase Valley Forge, and the main heroin smuggler at the base.
- Asshole Victim: No tears are shed for him with Frank murders him with a shovel.
- The Bully: And a drug dealer as well.
- Dirty Coward: He's a nasty thug who threatens Stevie with a razor, but immediately backs away at the sight of Frank.
- Drugs Are Bad: It's stated that the heroin he's smuggled into the firebase is one of the contributing factors behind why the base is in such bad shape.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Shrinks back from threatening Angel and Stevie when he sees Frank nearby, glaring coldly.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He makes no attempt at masking his overt racism. Referring to Angel as a "jungle bunny" and even calling his right-hand man a "spic."
- Revenge Before Reason: Wants revenge on Stevie for knocking him out with the butt of his rifle when he came to get Angel out of Coltrane's drug den. Absolutely nothing will deter him from this... not even hordes of NVA troops overrunning the firebase and killing any Americans they see.
- Semper Fi: Subverted; he's a Marine in name only. Lacking any of the discipline or honor associated with the Corps.
- Shovel Strike: How Frank finishes him off.
Mac Donald
Debut: Born #1
One of Frank's soldiers at Valley Forge, who ends up awakening the vigilante inside of him.- Asshole Victim: He's a vile rapist who collects the scalps of dead enemy soldiers. Needless to say, no one misses him when he sudden disappears (i.e, getting drowned to death by Frank.) Hell, even Stevie's narration suggests that the squad wasn't even sad about losing him.
- Dirty Coward: Quakes in terror while under attack by snipers.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Frank seems to think so, drowning him in a river for being a rapist.
- Sociopathic Soldier: He rapes a female prisoner, and is said to have a bag of scalps taken from enemy soldiers.
Sgt. Sal Buvoli
Mario Lorenzo Castiglione
Fourth Platoon, Kilo Company, 3/ 26 Marines
Debut: Punisher: The Platoon #1-6
An understrength Marine platoon stationed on Hill 861 near Khe Sanh in Vietnam. During the Tet Offensive, they were placed under Frank Castle's command.
- Blood Knight: It's implied that Corporal Bago and Frank became one as the result of the same battle. Bago enlisted for a second tour shortly afterwards and didn't survive it.
- Communications Officer: Molland works their radio and once hurts his leg during a firefight while trying to get a better signal and summon reinforcements.
- Foil: To the Marines at Firebase Valley Forge. While far from enthusiastic about being in Vietnam, the men of Kilo Four are generally decent and entirely professional in combat. also, while the Valley Forge Marines were a Dwindling Party, not a single one of Fourth Platoon dies, at least not on Frank's watch.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Fish is outright hunky during the Vietnam war, and Capa has a somewhat nice, trim look to him, although by the time their interviewed decades later, Fish is balding, a bit flabby, and wearing thick glasses, while Capa has grown a somewhat scruffy beard and is a bit hunched over.
- Laughing Mad: Gleed, while normally a collected and unremarkable guy, breaks out into nervous giggling in the middle of battle, while feeding ammo to the big machine gun.
- The Medic: Capa is on standby to treat any injured men, although he only has to do so at the end of the arc due to having a leader who usually keeps anyone from being injured. Once he is needed though, he stabilizes an injured Dryden as a knife fight goes on around them.
- The Main Characters Do Everything: for the first 2/3rds of their arc, Sergeant Dryden, Corporal Bago, Molland, Gleed, Fish and Capa, have all of the lines and major scenes, and only five of the others are named, three of them while remaining off-screen.
- Retired Badass: They are fierce fighters whenever they are attacked, but the ones who are still alive to be interviewed forty years later have seemingly adjusted well to civilian life and sometimes show signs of age.
- Seduction-Proof Marriage: Or rather engagement. Dryden has a fiancee back home and strives to avoid the red light district whenever their on leave, although he implies that he's tempted.
- Sergeant Rock: Dryden is a veteran noncom who cares about his men, is hard to surprise, and is a capable advisor to Lieutenant Castle.
Pvt. Tedrow
Debut: Born #1
One of Frank's men at Valley Forge.- Blood Knight: Not to the extent of people like MacDonald (or Frank himself) but Stevie claims that he volunteers for patrols because he likes throwing grenades at people, and he does get a Pre-Mortem One-Liner before hurling a grenade at a fleeing soldier.Tedrow: Hey Charlie! Go Long!
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Shot by a sniper in his second appearance, with little characterization or page time to his name.
General Padden
Debut: Born #1
A general who inspects Valley Forge, with the intention of shutting it down.- Disproportionate Retribution: Threatens to dishonorably discharge the entire base due to not enough of the Marines saluting him.
- General Ripper: Shows shades of this in his overall personality, but largely subverts this, as he wants to close the base down.
- Genre Savvy: He does make some good points about the isolated and unprepared nature of the base making it vulnerable, as well as how the war is coming to a close.
- Jerkass: Incredibly abrasive towards Castle and his men.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He's a miserable bastard, but he's not exactly wrong for wanting to shut Valley Forge down, as it's in incredibly poor shape.
- Unfriendly Fire: In a sense. He is killed by Vietnamese Snipers, but only after Castle tricked him into walking into no man's land.
Sergeant O'Donald
Debut: Punisher: The Platoon #1-6
A quartermaster who deals with Castle during his first tour of duty.- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Introduced pleasently giving Castle a tour, and is always polite and respectful with him, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a greedy racketeer.
- Corrupt Quartermaster: Always interested in acquiring enemy weapons to sell for his own benefit, and eventually graduates to selling supplies like radio parts that the men take into the field. It’s also hinted that he might be involved in moving drugs (although Castle might have just been using him as a messenger).
- Professional Butt-Kisser: is deferential towards superiors and others who can benefit him.
- Unfriendly Fire: After his dealings nearly get Castle's platoon killed, he volunteers for active duty (whether out of a desire to redeem himself or because Castle threatened his life if he didn't is left vague). After a while he apparently tried to steal some of his men's back pay, and he woke up one night with a grenade lying next to him, and the pin pulled out.
Bill Torrance
Debut: Born #4
A soldier who was sent to reinforce Valley Forge, and found Castle in the aftermath. Later interviewed for a book about Castle.
- The Alcoholic: Becomes one after the war.
- Badass Family: His father was a World War II hero, whose idealized experiences caused Torrance to enlist in Vietnam, and become rapidly disillusioned.
- A Father to His Men: Reenlisted to try to keep more of them safe, with limited success.
- Sergeant Rock: Describes himself as trying to fill this role under various Ensign Newbie's.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: The war absolutely broke him and he has had very little success in trying to live a normal life.
Central Intelligence Agency
Robert Bethell
Debut: The Punisher Vol, 7 #1
"I need a killer, Castle — I need someone to do the job they gave me, and you are it — And anyone gets in the way of that, I will fucking liquidate them"
A corrupt CIA officer in charge of a black ops unit charged with assassinations. He has a peculiar interest in recruiting operatives of "questionable" character. Among them is a certain individual who he hopes to recruit to his special unit. That individual is Frank Castle.
- Death by Irony: He made a career out of performing countless covert operations throughout the years, soo it's only fitting that he would meet his end when a pair of Homeland Security agents execute him under orders from the very same government he pledged allegiance to. And just to rub it in, no one will ever know the truth behind it.
- Drugs Are Bad: He had absolutely zero qualms about using smuggled heroin to fund his illegal operations. Once this information becomes public, it eventually dooms him, his squad, and Microchip.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: Not only is he a CIA operative, but he also took part in numerous illegal black ops as part of the elite US Army Grey Fox unit
- Informed Ability: Frank is told by Microchip that Bethell is actually a highly trained CIA operative with years of experience; he was even a member of the highly secretive US Army unit, Gray Fox. However, we never get to see his combat skills in action. He can man a turret gun though.
- Underestimating Badassery: He really should've heeded Kathryn's advice when she tried warning him that Frank Castle is not a man to be fucked with. Instead he arrogantly dismisses her warning and writes Castle off as just another "super grunt".
- Villainous Breakdown: Like many other villains in the series. Whatever cool, collective demeanor he has at the beginning is all but lost near the end of the arc.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Judging from his cavalier demeanor that borders on arrogance, he appears to be under the impression that he's the star of some sort of Tom Clancy action thriller. He is in an action thriller... Just, not the one he has in mind.
Kathryn O'Brien
Microchip
Aka: David L. Lieberman
Debut: The Punisher Vol, 7 #1
"I know how he operates I know his routine. In as much as he has one. I can take him. When the time comes I can put him down like a rabid dog. I'm his only friend in all the world."
One of Frank's old partner's and presumedly, his only friend in the world. He has returned to Frank's life in an attempt to recruit him into a CIA Black ops unit.
- Badass Boast: When Roth makes the mistake of badmouthing him. Microchip responds by (quite literally) grabbing him by the balls and telling him this:Micro: I think you've gotten the wrong idea about me, Roth. First of all, I'm not what I look like. But that must be all too apparent right now. Second of all, my name is Micro. Not Fat Boy. The third thing is that I worked with Frank Castle for ten years. I helped him kill over eight hundred people. Anyone who knows him better than I do is long dead. I hacked computers to help find him targets. I customized his guns and ammunition. I put him in the right place at the right time to kill the maximum number of people: Without me the body count for all those years would be a third of what it is. I turned a lone gunman into a killing machine that runs at optimum efficiency. Because of me, what he does can truly be defined as war.
- Boom, Headshot!: How Castle disposes of him
◊. Given the context, it's also a case of You Have Failed Me. - Everyone Has Standards: This is the reason why he forbids his CIA colleagues from ambushing Frank during his visit in the graveyard. He feels that doing so would be "indecent."
- Face Death with Dignity: Even though he was brutally killed off by his former ally. At the very least, he had one of the more dignified deaths in the series.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Staying to help Frank against Nicky Cavella rather than taking advantage of the head start Frank offers ultimately turns out to be a bad idea.
- Noodle Incident: Whatever it is that caused him and the Punisher's relationship to turn sour, leading Micro to fake his own death, and Frank to become willing to kill him on sight.
- Oh, Crap!: The look on his face when he realizes that Frank is serious about killing him for being a willing accomplice in the CIA's illegal schemes.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: Wears a pair of thick rims, and is one of the smarter characters in the series.
- Sudden Name Change: His real name is changed from "Linus Lieberman" to "David L. Lieberman".
- True Companions: Averted. He seems to believe that he and Frank are this, even going so far as to call himself Frank's "only friend in the world." He finds out the hard way that the feeling isn't mutual.
William Roth
Debut: The Punisher vol. 7 #1
A surly and uncouth CIA agent who is a member of a covert task force, dedicated to taking the Punisher into custody.
- Butt-Monkey: Just about all of his appearances end with him being somebody's proverbial punching bag. Either verbally or physically.
- Cowardly Lion: He may be a CIA operative but he's got a cowardly streak that runs a mile long.
- Heroic BSoD: Suffered one after being castrated by Pittsy, apparently calling his congressman, the police and newspapers trying to find out what happened to his severed testicles.
- Humiliation Conga: Oh dear lord does he ever. The guy may have been a bit of a jerk, but he still didn't deserve half the crap that happened to him.
- Jerkass: He starts off as one towards Microchip, but wisely mellows out after a "humbling experience" with Micro causes him to reconsider his dickish ways.
- Killed Offscreen: We never see him die on panel, but when Kathryn discovers his body, it appears that his neck was snapped by Rawlins.
- The Men in Black: Subverted. Although he is a CIA agent in a black ops unit, he doesn't fit the image of this trope at all.
- Neck Snap: His body seems to have a broken neck when O'Brien shows up.
- Too Dumb to Live: Despite O'Brien warning him about Rawlins he falls for Rawlins pleading him to at least escort him to the bathroom. It doesn't end well for him.
William Rawlins
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #13
"You tell that Ruskie son-of-a-bitch. Rawlins is my fucking name."
An exceptionally vile and morally depraved CIA operative, who has participated in countless amounts of horrific covert operations throughout the years. He is without conscience, and will take any job as long as there's something in it for him.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: True to his cowardly streak, he doesn't hesitate to beg for his life whenever he finds himself in a tight spot.
- Asshole Victim: Quite possibly the greatest example in the series. He suffers a ludicrous amount of punishment throughout the various story arcs but he's such a scum bag that he practically brings it upon himself.
- Ax-Crazy: A rampant sadist whose depravity seems to know no bounds, and despite being a Dirty Coward, he has no qualms about indulging his homicidal streak and sadism when he's not cornered.
- Badass Longcoat: Played with; although the coat he wears is badass. Himself however? Not so much. He manages to be a very effective and skilled CIA operative, however.
- Bait the Dog: Uses an extremely obvious one on Frank in Up is Down, Black is White, while Frank is gunning for Nicolas Cavella. Fortunately for him, Frank is half-mad with rage by that point, so it almost works.
- Beard of Evil: Just in case you need to be reminded that he's a bad guy.
- Big Bad: One of the most recurring enemies the Punisher faces during the MAX imprint.
- Boomerang Bigot: He uses racial slurs when discussing Arabs and other Middle Easterners despite being half-Arab on his mother's side.
- Catchphrase: "Rawlins. Rawlins is my fucking name." Unfortunately, this bites him in the ass hard when he tells this to General Zakharov.
- Chekhov's Gunman: A relatively minor character in Mother Russia, his subsequent appearances shapes a lot of the remaining story; complicating things for Nicky Cavella, getting O'Brien and Roth killed, getting General Zakharov interested in Frank, leaving the taped confession that helps bring down the Generals, and inadvertently bringing Frank and O'Brien together resulting in the one-night stand that conceived their daughter.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He has this bad. He'll fuck over anyone he's working with (or sleeping with) to get ahead or save his own ass.
- Cornered Rattlesnake: He can get his hands dirty when his back is against the wall, he is not afraid to pitifully beg for his life just to slit the person's throat and taunt him the next moment.
- Cowardly Lion: Downplayed Trope. For the most part, he's a plain Dirty Coward, but he's at least willing in getting his hands dirty, unlike Cavella and the Eight Generals.
- Cower Power: He may act like a smugly arrogant prick but the moment he is in the presence of someone like the Punisher or General Nikolai Zakharov, he immediately breaks down and starts pleading for his life.
- Depraved Bisexual: He uses sex as a means of furthering his own agendas, be it with a man or woman.
- Dirty Coward: Catch him with his guard down and he becomes nothing but a sniveling, pathetic coward who'd sell out his own mother to lengthen his own life a few more minutes.
- Eyepatch of Power: After having his eye ripped out by the Punisher. He begins wearing an eyepatch not unlike the one worn by Nick Fury.
- Eye Scream: Frank cut out his eye while torturing him for information about Project Barbarossa.
- Genre Savvy: By his second arc, he is fully aware of how tactically dangerous the Punisher is, and terrified of his ex-wife's capabilities. His warnings regarding both are disregarded, which ultimately gets everyone in the mission but Rawlins killed.
- Greed: The definitive reason behind nearly all of his actions. He doesn't give a damn about morals or laws, so long as what he does benefits him in some way. He will gladly do it.
- Groin Attack: The Man Of Stone arc, sees him suffering multiple attacks to his groin area. Given that he's such a bastard, its kinda hard to feel sorry for him.
- Hate Sink: Easily one of the most hated Punisher villains. Some of the other villains can be Laughably Evil, have Pet the Dog moments or have Freudian Excuses. All we see of Rawlins is a greedy, cowardly, backstabbing and sadistic asshole. Even the Eight Generals kind of divvy the hate between them as a kind of demented camaraderie of loyalty; Rawlins' only loyalty is to himself.
- It's All About Me: See Greed above.
- Jerkass: Loud, obnoxious, and insulting to everyone he meets, even if they're his bosses.
- Jerkass Has a Point: As vile and hateful as he is, he's sometimes right. In "Up is Down and Black is White", the Eight Generals brings up the failure of Operation Barbarossa, but Rawlins points out that he had nothing to do with it and that he did his part exactly as he was meant to. He also sees through Cavella as the Big Bad Wannabe as he is and is the only major villain to survive that episode because he took The Punisher seriously enough. He also points out to Zakharov his Russian officer rethoric is a lie as he isn't reporting any of his plans to Moscow.
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: After being held captive by Zakharov, he endures a never ending series of Cold-Blooded Torture. Such as nearly getting castrated, requiring stitches on his balls, getting kneed in his balls, etc. He certainly deserves it, though.
- Kick the Dog: He intentionally left O'Brien stranded in Afghanistan during a CIA operation years ago. Worse yet, they were married at the time. She was routinely raped and abused by her Taliban captors before escaping. In the present day, Rawlins actually mocks O'Brien for her experiences as a prisoner, referring to her as the "bukkake queen of Kabul."
- Killed Offscreen: Frank corners him in a bathroom at Kabul International Airport and cuts off half of his right arm. The very last panel of the story is of Rawlins bleeding on the floor and very afraid of what Frank has in store for him. We're never shown or told how Frank actually finished him off, but knowing some of Frank's other kills and Rawlins being high on his list, it was no doubt a very, VERY brutal death. Let's not forget that in the MAX continuity, Frank manages to be exceptionally brutal with particularly unpleasant villains.
- Lack of Empathy: Everyone around him is just a means for him to get what he wants. The moment they're no longer useful, he throws them to the wolves.
- Nothing Personal: This is his go-to excuse whenever he wants something from someone with a grudge against him. He tries to make Zakharov ignore his role in the Moscow terrorist attacks by saying this.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: He's a cowardly sniveling wretch, but underestimate or let your guard down around him and he will kill you.
- Oh, Crap!: The look on his face when he realizes he just mouthed off to General Zakharov.
- Likewise the look on his face in the bathroom at Kabul International, after Frank has cut off half of his right arm. Which is also the last time he is ever seen in Punisher MAX.
- One Last Job: According to the Cabal of Generals, sending a group of homegrown terrorists to hijack a commercial airliner was meant to be his last job. Turns out that wasn't the case.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: In order for us to get a glimpse of just how depraved he is, his first appearance has him dropping all sorts of of vile racial epithets directed at Arabs. Referring to them as "towelheads, sand niggers, and camel jockeys"... despite himself being Arab on his mother's side.
- Pragmatic Villainy: When sent to whack the Punisher, he very sensibly tries to snipe him, rather than try and go one-on one; it would have worked but then his ex-wife (who's still understandably pissed at him for kicking her out of a helicopter into the hands of the Taliban) shows up...
- Shadow Archetype: To Nick Fury. Rawlins is an experienced covert operative with absolutely uncanny skill in intelligence work and utterly lethal when pressed; among his accomplishments were subverting a Middle Eastern terrorist cell to carry out a Suicide Attack on demand and killing a Spetznaz and a Russian Army general — at the same time — with nothing but a pocketknife. Despite his myriad flaws and crimes, no-one would count "incompetence" as one of them. Cemented at the end of Up Is Down when Frank takes his left eye.
- Slashed Throat: How he finishes off Zakharov's right hand man. He tries (emphasis on tries) doing the same thing to the Punisher, but predictably fails.
- Smug Snake: So much so that he can't help but crack wise even as Frank rips out his eye. It would almost be badass if he wasn't such a pathetic coward otherwise.
- The Sociopath: A classic example. In addition to being completely without empathy or scruples, O'Brien remembers him also being quite charming and adept at manipulating others. When that doesn't work, he switches to backstabbing them without batting an eye, such as kicking his own wife out of a stricken helicopter, rather than dumping its illegal payload.
- Stealth Insult: At one point he refers to Nicky's henchmen as his "Elite Republican Guard", knowing that the reference would fly right over their heads.
- Would Hurt a Child: After cutting the throat of one of Zakharov's men, he steals his wallet and notices a picture of the man's son. He tells him that he'll look up his family and then rape and murder the young man For the Evulz. It's possible that this was simply a malicious taunt, but given Rawlins's track record, it's not entirely out of the question for him. Thankfully, Rawlins never makes it out of Afghanistan.
- Villains Want Mercy: When Frank finally caught up to him and cuts his right hand off with a kukri, Rawlins begs to have O'Brien here to possibly vouch him, which almost certainly wouldn't have worked as he abandoned her. Frank simply replies that O'Brien is dead.
Brent, Cochran and Severn
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 7
A trio of corrupt CIA agents who dealt with Frank Castle and Nick Fury in 1970, during the Vietnam War.
- Awesome by Analysis: Subverted; Cochran claims that an analysis of General Le Trong Giap has shown that he's been increasing the overall effectiveness of the North Vietnamese Army by a large and precise percentage. Later, Fury angrily notes that he should have realized how unlikely it was that they would have the data to know something like that, and that Cochran just said it because it sounded good to justify the mission.
- Bald of Evil: Severn is bald and throughly corrupt and unpleasant.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: They initially come across as somewhat well-meaning.
- Casanova Wannabe: Shiela implies Severn tries hard to be a ladies man.
- CIA Evil, FBI Good: Like Rawlins and Bethell a generation later, they are CIA officials who use a war as a pretext for smuggling heroin. When an NVA general finds out about what they're doing, they send Fury and Castle to kill him under the pretext of the war effort.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: The bespectacled Cochran is a selfish, calculating crook.
- Killed Offscreen: After the mission is over, they end up dead outside a brothel, likely at the hands of either Fury or Castle.
- Leave No Witnesses: After Giap captures Fury and Castle, they order his headquarters bombed, and clearly have this fate in mind for Castle and Fury.
- Suit with Vested Interests: All three of them, although Severn doesn't actually wear a suit.
George Hatherly
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 1
Fury's main subordinate during the cold war.- Break the Cutie: Subtle, but by the end of his life (of natural causes) he feels that all he did was for nothing, and hurt the world more than it helped it.
- Friendly Sniper: An ace rifle shot and a humble, loyal man.
- Happily Married: In his later appearances he and his wife are implied to be very close.
- New Meat: He's a rookie CIA agent not ready for such cynicism.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Resigns from his job after seeing the horror and corruption in Nicaragua.
- Sidekick: Serves as one to Fury, with hints of being a Foil due to his greater idealism.
- Undying Loyalty: As different as they are, he always does everything he can to be there for Fury.
Elgen
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 5
A radioman who accompanies Fury and Hatherly during the Bay of Pigs Operation.- Communications Officer: He's combat trained radioman.
- Happily Married: Has a wife back home who he claims is a Military Brat with no illusions about how dangerous what he does is.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: After a shark the Cubans lured in bites off both of his arms he begs for a Mercy Kill.
- Nerves of Steel: After being captured, he offers to take the blame for taking a shot at Fidel Castro in order to save Hatherly, and remains reserved and defiant through most of what the Cubans put them through.
FBI
Agent Lockhart
Debut: The Punisher Presents Barracuda #1
An FBI Agent after Chris Angeleone, and indirectly Barracuda.- CIA Evil, FBI Good: He's portrayed as having more sympathetic motives than his colleagues, just desiring to bring down a drug-dealing crime boss.
- Cynical Mentor: Lockhar plays some of this towards Bobby.
- Genre Savvy: He is smart enough to know that government officials peripherally attached to the story don't fare well against One-Man Army's like Barracuda, or actual armies like Luna's forces, and when his colleagues all go charging into the fray in a helicopter, he stays behind and cautiously hovers away from the battle in a second helicopter.
- Mr. Exposition: His primary role in the story is to describe the origins and motivations of the various factions Barracuda is dealing with.
- Not So Above It All: He reveals that he didn't sign his own name on the proposal for the plan and is prepared to let someone else take the fall now that it's screwed up.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He dislikes the CIA, NSA and DEA agents attached to the case.
Bobby
Debut: The Punisher Presents Barracuda #1
Lockhart's assistant.
- Naïve Newcomer: He is a well-mannered rookie, not quite prepared for a case with such brutal parties.
- The Scapegoat: Possibly. It's implied that Lockhart might have put his name on the proposal for the joint task force, as when Bobby asks whose name he did put, he says that knowing Bobby as well as he does, he can safely say that he'd never guess (although that may have also meant one of the other agents who was killed in the climatic fight).
- Vomiting Cop: Bobby pukes when he sees pictures of Barracuda's past murders.
- The Watson: Most of his screen time has Lockhart explaining to him what's happening, and what everyones motives are.
Politicians
Senator Pug McCuskey
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 1
A US congressman, later senator, who deals with Fury throughout the Cold War.- Betrayal by Inaction: When Brent and his CIA partners try to bomb General Giap's NVA camp while Fury and Castle are being held their prisoner, Pug's wife and Hatherly both plead for him to stop this. He promises to do so, and is then seen just sitting back in his chair, whistling merrily and making no move to call anyone.
- Corrupt Politician: Heavily implied to be involved in drugs with the likes of Barracuda and Agent Brent over the years.
- Dirty Coward: He runs out from some angry anti-Castro leaders, leaving his wife to try and calm them down. One of them nearly rapes her.
- Fat Bastard: A hefty man who's arguably the Big Bad of the miniseries.
- Last-Name Basis: Fury always calls him by his last name instead of 'Pug' or 'Senator,' to the point it's a Running Gag.
- Red Scare: He's a major pusher of the Cold War and mentioned as an associate of Joseph McCarthy.
- Smug Snake: He oozes with excessive self-confidence and selfishness.
The Mayor Of New York
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #23
The Mayor of New York City and a man with strong, yet mixed, emotions about the impact the Punisher has on New York.- Berserk Button: He gets his angriest upon hearing someone compare the Punisher's rampage to terrorism and finding out that the press might be using that phrase, although whether this is a 9/11 reference or merely due to how bad it will reflect on him is unclear.
- Death Glare: He doesn't hesitate to glare at anyone who says something he finds stupid.
- No Name Given: His name isn't mentioned, and he isn't meant to be an Anonymous Ringer for then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He more closely resembles David Dinkins, the first, and, at the time of publication, only African-American mayor in New York City history.
- Realpolitik: He isn't especially unsympathetic to the Punisher but feels that they can't afford to do nothing in the face of his escalated killing spree.
- Sophisticated as Hell: The mayor feels like swearing in response to the Punisher's rampage and chews out an aide who cautions him about it.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Downplayed. His staff does display some competence during the meeting but several of them also show signs of being are overly concerned with public approval, afraid of contradicting the mayor or a tendency to bicker with each other.
NYPD
The Police Commissioner
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #23
The Police commissioner of New York.- The Chains of Commanding: He points out that he could send his men after the Punisher, but that the City Hall officials (one of whom is somewhat hypocritically lecturing him for this) don't want that either.
- Large and in Charge: A hefty man who seems fairly good at his job and who isn't afraid to reiterate the problems with Punisher.
- Morton's Fork: He is very well aware that while there are downsides to leaving Punisher on the street, simply going out of the way to arrest him might raise a big stink and make criminals feel safer itself, and that once they send him to prison, he'd just start killing fellow prisoners.
- No Name Given: Like his boss, his name isn't mentioned.
- Only Sane Man: He seems to be the most blunt, and aware of the mayor's staff.
- Sophisticated as Hell: Slips into this a few times during the meeting of the Mayor's staff, such as when points out the possibilities of Punisher and Cavella's inevitable showdown;The Commissioner: Three, they kill each other. And we open the goddamn champagne bottles.
- Xanatos Gambit: He suggests that releasing Castle's families bodies and setting him on a collision course with Nicky Cavella has this potential. If Castle kills Cavella then it's business as usual, if Cavella kills Castle (something he doubts will happen) then he's confident the NYPD can bring him down, and if they kill each other, then multiple problems are solved.
Officers Russ Parker and Marcie Miller
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #25
Cops who become caught up in the "Slavers" arc.- Alliterative Name: Marcie Miller.
- Ambiguous Situation: Marcie wonders if Russ is using the situation to try and get promoted to detective, and his response is ambiguous. Likewise, after the case is over, a brief shot shows Russ unravelling crime scene tape, looking disgruntled, but its vague as to whether he was Reassigned to Antarctica or simply had his status unchanged.
- Do with Him as You Will: Russ and Marcie ultimately decide this about the human traffickers (something which troubles Marcie), but refuse to let Frank kill Westin.
- The Lad-ette: Marcie, who isn't afraid to get into fights, and drink with the guys.
- Those Two Guys: A rare male and female example, nearly always appearing together and having a fair amount of banter.
- Turn in Your Badge: Marcie quits at the end of the arc to becomes a social worker.
- Twofer Token Minority: Russ is black and gay, and suffers a lot of discrimination for it.
- We Used to Be Friends: Their friendship and partnership has already been tested by the time they first appear and ultimately ends over their involvement with the Punisher.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Their forced to act like they were several injured by the Punisher in order to justify recourses being expended against him.
Officer Ernest "Ernie" Mosstow
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #26
Another cop involved in the Slaver's Arc.- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He initially appears to be just another, good-natured cop being forced to badmouth Punisher but turns out to be an associate of the corrupt Westin, who tips him off to Russ and Marcie investigating (although it is unclear as to whether he has any idea about Westin's corruption).
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: Does odd jobs for Westin in exchange for money to pay gambling debts.
Detective Stu Westin
Captain Tom Price
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #25
A precinct Captain.- Da Chief: A somewhat political authority figure who demands the obedience of his officers.
- Unwitting Pawn: Westin convinces him that the Punisher is a menace who everyone really wants gone, and enlists him in a plot to frame the Punisher for assaulting policemen in an attempt to erase public sympathy for him. Price agrees, not realizing that Westin is a Dirty Cop trying to discredit Frank on behalf of a human trafficking ring.
Peters
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #27
A racist police colleague of Russ and Marcie.- Butt-Monkey: Was the first to be knocked out during the fight with Miller and Parker and apparently, during his very first bust Peters failed to properly tighten the cuffs on the perp. Said perp naturally took advantage and used the cuffs as a knuckduster to knock Peters out cold, and even added insult to injury by taking his badge and taking a shit on it before escaping.Miller: "He looked at you and he saw a toilet."
- Bigot with a Badge: He's a highly racist and homophobic police officer who doesn't appear to be dirty, only a total asshole.
- Hate Sink: He doesn't seem to be a Dirty Cop but is a raging Jerkass, homophobe and racist who enjoys belittling people and picking fights.
Dean
Debut: The Punisher Vol.7 #7 (mentioned)
An NYPD bomb expert who briefly served on a joint task force in England and saw IRA bombs.- Bearer of Bad News: He was the one to tell his boss that the restaurant bomb looks like an IRA one, something they take poorly (although they do believe him, averting his becoming an Ignored Expert).
- Demolitions Expert: Albeit one who identifies bombs rather than setting them off.
- The Gambler: Implied to be one, given an off-hand reference that he bet half a G the bomb would turn out to be an IRA one like he claimed.
- The Ghost: He conducts his investigation off-screen and is only mentioned as Punisher eavesdrops on his two superiors.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He never even appears on screen and is only mentioned over the course of about one page, but it was his identification of the bomb as an IRA one that helps send Punisher after the Hell's Kitchen gangs.
- The Smart Guy: Implied to serve as one to the NYPD based on his job, his correct diagnosis, and the dialogue of the detectives on the scene.
Paul Budiansky
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #44
A hard lined NYPD cop who gained notoriety when he responded to a school shooting.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: The man bears a striking resemblance to actor Samuel L. Jackson.
- Cowboy Cop: Deconstructed to hell and back. He disobeys orders and kills a teenaged school shooter to save a gym full of kids, but while the media loves it, the department does their best to punish him for it, sending him to therapy where a condescending therapist implies that he sees himself as this trope, which he denies. He feels no remorse for what he did and wonders if that makes him similar to the Punisher. Near the end of the story, his wife is grievously wounded and he tries to take the law into his own hands, but rather than being a badass vigilante he is simply acting out of rage and helplessness. In the end, a brief encounter with Frank proves to him that they are nothing alike.
- Not So Similar: By the end of his story arc, Budiansky realizes he's not some trigger-happy nutcase utterly consumed by rage like the Punisher. Castle himself recognizes this.
- The Stoic: His first act of notoriety was walking into an active school shooting against his superior's orders, killing the teen shooter, and feeling very little guilt about it. He says he'll have nightmares, but has no doubt he did the right thing.
- Not So Stoic: Justifiably becomes unraveled after his wife is shot by a gangbanger trying to kill him for his investigations. Funnily enough, a short conversation with The Punisher reminds him that he's a good man after all.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: He has a very strong independent streak, backed up by cold hard logic, a razor-sharp investigative mind, and steel-solid sense of conscience. When his bosses want to stop him out of caution, petty spite, or racism, he decides to do the right thing anyway.
- Theres No Kill Like Over Kill: When the wives send an assassin to kill Budiansky, his wife Gina ends up getting shot, Budiansky shoots and kills the assassin, according to the news report, shooting him with all but one of the bullets in his gun.
- Would Hurt a Child: Played with. Although he did kill a teen killer to stop him from harming other children, he doesn't feel the least bit bad about it, and regrets nothing. During a therapy session his therapist tries to guilt him for this only for him to rebuff her with this: "That wasn't a child. He might have been when he woke up that morning, but the first time he pulled the trigger he grew up goddamn fast".
Russian Military
Man of Stone
AKA: General Nikolai Alexandrovich Zakharov
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #15
"After all these years, the Cold War may yet be turning hot."
A brutal Russian Army general who participated in the Soviet-Afghan war and was responsible for numerous atrocities. These ranged from genocide of civilians and pillaging villages to even infant homicide. These atrocities earned him the nickname "Man of Stone," due to the lack of emotion he expressed when committing these heinous acts. However, thanks to his connections in the Russian government, he was able to escape being jailed, and his actions where quickly covered up.
Recently he has been assigned by the Russian government to prevent the theft of a secret super virus they have been concocting.
- Bait the Dog: In his first appearance, while there's some whispering of his reputation and he does use the We Have Reserves trope (though he WAS trying to dislodge terrorists from a nuclear silo), Zakharov in the end did stop a nuclear confrontation and showed way more patience with The Starscream than he had a right to. Later, when we see him again, we find out just how he fought in in Afghanistan.
- Bald of Evil: Much like another famed Punisher villain.
- Big Bad: Of the volumes Mother Russia and Man of Stone. While most other examples end up being tough talking weaklings who pose no real threat to the Punisher, Zakharov is one of the rare enemies who Frank takes seriously. It helps that unlike the vast majority of Punisher villains, Zakharov as a military man sees Frank as exactly what he is, and plans accordingly.
- Blood Knight: He's as addicted to war as Frank and Nick Fury, and while he doesn't want to face nuclear annihilation he does want to expose the American involvement in the events of "Mother Russia" as a means to go to war again.
- Combat Pragmatist: Solves the problem of mujahedeen hiding from helicopter attacks by throwing their wives and children off a cliff, then standing still to let them shoot him, leaving them open to the helicopters.
- Death by Irony: "The Man of Stone" is killed when Castle crushes his head with a rock.
- The Dreaded: Even to his own people. Perfectly demonstrated in his introductory appearance, when a high-ranking Russian Military Officer is practically shitting himself at the sight of him.
- Disproportionate Retribution: In Man Of Stone, he ends up executing a war journalist. Not because the journalist planned on having him tried for his wartime atrocities, but because he wrote an unflattering book about him.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He may be an evil war criminal, but even he thinks that Rawlins is the scum of the earth.
- Expy: He's basically The Kingpin meets Col. Kurtz.
- Face Death with Dignity: One of the very few villains who plays this trope perfectly straight.
- A Father to His Men: A rare villainous example. Remorseless killers they may have been, he does seem to genuinely care about their well-being.
- Four-Star Badass: An evil general, but a badass nonetheless. He fought head-on in Afghanistan and his MO was putting himself in harm's way to expose his enemies.
- Frontline General: He's demonstrated in his past and present military service that he prefers getting up close and personal with the enemy. As the unfortunate Mujahideen can attest to.
- General Ripper The man practically wrote the book on this trope. He was at his worst during the Soviet-Afghan War, where his monstrous actions earned him the nickname "The Man Of Stone". His various atrocities include gathering up entire villages and forcing them off the ledge of a cliff, and callously murdering an infant while her mother screams in horror. In fact his actions were so bad that the Soviets had him fired for his actions.Major Yeremin: Zakharov was in Kabul throughout the eighties. He did things that — Well, suffice it to say that if he'd been left to his own devices, we'd still have Afghanistan. It's just that there wouldn't be much of Afghanistan worth having.
- High-Altitude Interrogation: After a confrontation with the SAS leaves several of his men dead, he uses this on Rawlins. He had zero intentions of letting the latter live anyway unless Rawlins came up with an epic plan under fear of death. It works.
- I Did What I Had to Do: How he rationalizes the numerous atrocities he committed in Afghanistan. He felt that only by resorting to the brutal methods that he did could the war be won and the people of Afghanistan could live in peace as a Communist nation.
- Kick the Dog: Everything he did, he did in the name of the glory of Russia... except behead that journalist who wrote an unflattering book about him, that was personal.
- Last Request: He asks Frank to find and kill Rawlins because he would continue to make the world worse "this way and forever." Though Rawlins threatening to look up Dolnovich's family and rape his son to death might have also been a factor.
- Meaningful Name: His "Man of Stone" nickname came about when he stood on a cliff while Afghan resistance fighters were hidden on the other side. He rounded up the civilians and had them killed, even throwing a baby over the cliff. The Afghans lost it and started shooting at him, letting the Soviet helicopters move in and eliminate them. Zakharov didn't budge an inch while they were shooting.
- Mercy Kill: After Rawlins throws him out of a helicopter, paralyzing him, Frank bashes his head in with a stone.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: The country HE wants though, not what Russia eventually became.
- Mother Russia Makes You Strong: The man is living proof of this, and he refers to Frank as a Russian who just happened to be born American.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Every atrocity that he commits is never for personal profit or out of some sadistic complex, but because he is trying to protect his country. Just remember that he has committed atrocities, and they are just about the worst, most evil things possible in this series, and that is saying a lot.
- Pet the Dog: A very minor one, but he comforts a dying Dolnovitch (who is slowly bleeding to death on account of Rawlins slashing his throat) when Frank shows up to finish him off.Zakharov: Be strong, Captain. What is there to be afraid of? He is only Death.
- Reassignedto Antarctica: After the debacle at Suhdek, he is stationed out of the way in Afghanistan with a handful of men.
- Renegade Russian: A low-key example. Its unlikely he'd ever openly move against the Russian government, but he despises The New Russia and its government, considering them traitors who threw away the sacrifices made for the Soviet Union and whored out the country for profit.
- Semper Fi: Similar to Frank Castle, he too is a part of his country's Marine branch. Albeit the Black Sea Marines.
- The Unfettered: They call him "The Man of Stone" for a reason.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: He claimed that the atrocities he committed during the Soviet-Afghan War were done in an attempt to end the war and instill peace in the country. By carrying out such horrific acts, the enemy would become demoralized and surrender, thus ensuring that Afghanistan could become a prosperous Communist country.
- Villainous Valor: The man willingly served as bait to flush Afghan freedom fighters out of hiding.
- We Have Reserves: In Mother Russia he doesn't hesitate to send out wave after wave of Russian conscripts to their likely deaths in an effort to try and prevent a group of would-be terrorists from taking off with an experimental super virus. It's later revealed that he never expected any of the conscripts to be successful in taking down the trespassers. All he needed them for was to sneak in his right-hand man to get the job done.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He views himself as this. He justifies his crossing of the
Moral Event Horizon in Afghanistan by claiming it would have brought peace sooner if the Mujaheddin could accept that the territory was now Soviet. - Worthy Opponent: His attitude towards Frank Castle.Nikolai: That was no American. It was a Russian who was born there by mistake.
- In fact, he seems to view the Americans as a whole this way. Describing them as "clever, tenacious and enormously imaginative ".
Zakharov: Americans are the most cunning enemies that our country has ever faced. One thing these men cannot disguise is just how good they are. - Would Hurt a Child: During the Soviet-Afghan War, he personally threw a baby off a cliff.
- Why We're Bummed Communism Fell: He makes no secret about his loathing for the New Russia and its government. Occasionally going off on a tangent about the "glory days" of the Soviet Union.Russian General: Sounds like somebody misses the Cold War.Zakharov: I miss executing people out of hand, General.
The Mongolian
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #15
General Zakharov's personal aid-de-camp. A mysterious and lethal military officer with combat prowess to rival the Punisher.
- Blood-Splattered Warrior: He ends up getting covered in gore after crawling through the mountain of corpses the Punisher left behind.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: The guy single-handedly took down both a Delta Force operative and The Punisher in hand-to-hand combat within a matter of seconds and without breaking a sweat.
- The Dragon: A brutal fighter who has Kakharov's back for much of Mother Russia.
- Inexplicably Awesome: Of all the characters in the series, he gets zero backstory, name, or any sort of explanation behind how he and Zakharov met or how he became his henchmen. Nor how this diminutive super agent possess immense fighting prowess, great enough to thrash both a Delta Force operative and The Punisher.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He's only known as The Mongolian.
- The Voiceless: Never once utters a single word throughout all his appearances.
- Would Hurt a Child: Has no qualms about slapping a six year girl. Which ends up being his biggest mistake...
Col. Semyon Lugansky
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #15
A Russian military colonel with a dry sense of humor, responsible for overlooking the Nuclear Missile Base in Siberia.
- Colonel Badass: Averted. Although he certainly isn't a wimp, he's more or less an average Russian military officer.
- Deadpan Snarker: His most identifiable trait is his infamous sense of humor. Not that this endears him to Zakharov.
Major Yeremin
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #15
Lugansky's second in command.
- Mr. Exposition: He is fully aware of Zakharov's reputation and unsuccessfully warns Lugansky not to cross him.
- Only Sane Man: Compared to We Have Reserves Zakharov, and Lugansky, who butts heads with Zakharov over his (correct) insistence that this is an American False Flag Operation that won't risk setting off a real nuclear explosion. Yeremin gives proper consideration to Zakharov's theory (or at least makes sure not to voice opposition out loud) while focusing on trying to dislodge the silo's invaders.
Cpt. Viktor Dolnovich
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #37
General Zakharov's right hand man and second in command. A fierce Black Sea Marine Captain who saw action during the Soviet-Afghan war.
- The Captain: Holds the rank of captain and possess the tenacity one would expect from a Black Sea Marine.
- The Dragon: To General Zakharov and by far his most loyal comrade.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: After having his throat slashed by Rawlins, his killer decides to take the time to taunt him by digging into his wallet and pulling out a photo of his wife and child. All the while telling him that he plans on paying his family a "visit".
- Genre Savvy: Due to some cousins who immigrated to America, he is aware of The Punisher's reputation and tells Zakharov that trying to hunt him down on his home turf would be impossible.
- Groin Attack: Delivers a swift knee to Rawlins' groin after he gave him an unflattering nickname, which just so happened to re-open the stitches he received from the time Dolnovich came close to castrating him.
- Machete Mayhem: Puts one to good use when he decapitates an intrusive reporter.
- Off with His Head!: Although we don't get to see the messy aftermath, its strongly implied that he cut the head off the British reporter when he sliced him with his machete.
- Perpetual Frowner: Pretty much all of the time.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Refers to Rawlins as a "faggot" on at least two separate occasions.
- Slashed Throat: Ends up getting his throat sliced by Rawlins and is left bleeding to death believing that his only son is going to be raped to death by his killer.
- Sole Survivor: The only member of Zakharov's hit team (besides Rawlins) to escape the shootout with the SAS soldiers who capture Kathryn O'Brien right as they make a move on her.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Rawlins.
Vietnamese Military
Le Trong Giap
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 7
A Vietnamese General who clashed with Punisher twice during the Vietnam War.
- Anti-Villain: He can be ruthless against his enemies, but is a true patriot who bears them little real malice, and wants to end the war as fast as possible to save lives on both sides.
- The Atoner: He becomes one after the war when he sees how flawed and corrupt the communist society was, and how many sacrifices he made trying to sustain it.
- Cool Old Guy: Survives the war, and becomes a philosophic old man ruminating on the consequences of war.
- Dirty Business: Combined with Off Stage Villainy, as he once discusses the My Lai Massacre with Ly Quang, solemnly calling it brutal, sloppy and disorganized, before ending with this line.Giap: But I have ordered worse.
- Dissonant Serenity: Giap is self-controlled man who tends to be calm, and still capable of smiling in the face of danger and heavy casualties, although it's largely an act.
- Four-Star Badass: He's a general who is very good at what he does.
- The Mole: Together with his partner, Sergeant Tin, infiltrated and brought down the French Foreign Legion base of Son Chau from within after the fall of Dien Bien Phu, near the end of the First Indochina War.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He is patient and understanding with his subordinates, and is willing to negotiate with a captured Fury and Castle, and reveal the truth to them in the hope of securing their cooperation. Unfortunately, the two are a Blood Knight pair who kind of want the war to last longer and refuse to take that lying down.
- Sole Survivor: Ironically, Giap the only survivor of his base when it is attacked by Castle and Fury, and then bombed.
- Unknown Rival: To Castle's first platoon; he commanded the forces they clashed with without either him or Castle ever knowing it.
Ly Quang
Debut: Punisher The Platoon Vol. 1 #1
A Viet Cong sniper and field leader who clashes with Castle during his first command.- Action Girl: She is a trusted subordinate of Giap, who leads forces into the field.
- Anti-Villain: She's willing to lie to call in reinforcements to wipe out Castle and his command, but only because Castle called in an airstrike on her unit, killing several of her friends. Otherwise, she fights a fairly clean war, and seems to learn well under Giap's tutelage.
- Badass Boast: Holds up several dogtags when asked what happened to the rest of an American unit when she presents a prisoner to Giap.
- Cold Sniper: When she has to be, she's a steely markswoman.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Her family and villagers were killed by American soldiers shortly after she joined the Viet Cong.
- Distaff Counterpart: To the Punisher, in some ways, only she focuses her wrath and energy into the war.
Nguyen Van Cuong
Debut: Punisher The Platoon Vol. 1 #1
Giap's aide, and the son of an NVA general.- Damned by Faint Praise: Cuong is second in command of a frontline military unit, and when asked what his good points are, Giap merely says that Cuong loyally follows his orders and that Cuong's father is a general.
- Ensign Newbie: He's a young man, promoted above his level of competence due to Nepotism.
- Perpetual Frowner: Frequently nervous or angry, towards Quang or the Americans.
- Scrub: He's obsessed with infantry and resents the Americans as cowards for using their air force so much, although he is briefly chagrined and promises to think on it when Giap asks if he'd keep from using such an Air Force if they had one.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He bickers with Ly Quang and shows some indecisiveness throughout the arc, but when left in charge of Giap's command post in one scene, he does choose to trust Ly Quang's word that there is a large American force that his intelligence has missed. Although slightly skeptical, he feels that Ly Quang has done a good job of proving Giap's trust in her so far, and sends her all the reinforcements that she requests.
- The Unfavorite: Giap clearly prefers to confide in Ly Quang to him, and shows much more concern for her during the climax. Whenever Giap wants him out of the way, he sends him off on one errand or another, with Cuong being none the wiser.
British Military
Yorkie Mitchell
Andy Lorimer
Johnny
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #37
One of Yorkie's men in Afghanistan.
- Cool Shades: He constantly wears a pair of aviator sunglasses.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: He won't kill an unarmed female prisoner, even though she kneed him in the groin and is believed to be a dangerous assassin.
Gaz
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #38
Another of Yorkie's SAS troops.
- Blood Knight: Zulu Three predicts that in 20 years, Gaz will be just like Frank, and it's hard to tell if he was joking or not.
- The Cynic: He displays sardonic frustration about the war in the Middle East and how they're taking orders from American interests.
- Locked Out of the Loop: He doesn't know who the Punisher is, and shows some minor frustration about Yorkie having a meeting with him.
- Spiky Hair: let's just say his hair could use a little combing.
Zulu Three
Debut: The Punisher Vol. 7, #38
One of Yorkie's men during the Man of Stone arc.
- Consummate Professional: He's mindful of avoiding civilian casualties, and formidable in his bodyguard duties.
- Cool Shades: He's an affable and seemingly fearless gunman who is never without impressive sunglasses.
- The Lancer: He seems to be Yorkie's second in command in Afghanistan, based on how he's the one to report in the results of a firefight.
- No Name Given: He's only known by his radio callsign.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: He delivers one to a wounded Russian still trying to lift up a gun at them.Ah-Ah-Ah. Don't be a cunt, Mate.
- Scary Black Man: He's an imposing black man who effortlessly guns down several Russian Marines.
French Foreign Legion
Major Lallement
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 1
A major in the French Airborne and veteran of WW2 in command of the small outpost of Son Chau in 1954 in what was (at the time) French Indochina. Like Fury he understands the French situation in Indochina is untenable, but intends on fighting every step of the way.
- A Father to His Men: Praises Fury for sending Hatherly out of the line of fire and says he wishes he could have done the same for his own aide.
- Anti-Hero: He's a gallant man and effective officer who is also supporting a brutal and unpopular colonial regime.
- An Arm and a Leg: Gets his arm blown off by a Viet Minh suicide bomber, and is last seen alive desperately trying to tourniquet the stump with his belt.
- Artistic License – Military: A minor one regarding his rank. In France "Major" is actually a non-commissioned rank, with the actual equivalent to Anglophone "Major" being Commandant. However, this could just be a case of translating for the reader.
- Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys: Ennis, being a history buff, averts this with gusto. Lallement and the French soldiers under his command are extremely brave and effective fighters hamstrung by lack of equipment and incompetent leadership back home.
- Determined Defeatist: He makes no bones about the French military failures in Indochina, but is also set to discharge his duty to the very end.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: Belongs to the ''1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine'', an early Airborne Commando division first formed during WW2.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Allows a Nazi war criminal to remain unpunished and in his service because he needs the man to whip his indigenous troops into shape if they are to have any hope of standing against the Viet Minh surrounding their base at Son Chau. That being said, he doesn't make a move to intervene as he watches Fury get into a fight with the man.
- Knight in Sour Armor: Though he is always impeccably civil and polite when in Fury and Hatherly's presence, he gives hints of being this over the impossible mission he has been given, and clearly feels ire toward the incompetence of his superiors, as demonstrated by his frank assessment of the location of Son Chau (below the highest hills, thereby giving the Viet Minh an excellent position to bombard the base) and the quality of the local Vietnamese troops under his command.Fury: Hell of a place to have to defend...Lallement: Indeed. Below the highest hills instead of on one. A man points at a map and says - "Here we will have a fort." He gives the matter no more thought. He will never have to serve there.Hatherly: How many men do you have here, Major?Lallement: A hundred of our own, the same again in local troops. Who are worse than useless, by the way. Anyone fighting a war in this country would do well to recruit the opposition.
- Legion of Lost Souls: Commands one.
- Majorly Awesome: A brave and stoic man.
- Officer and a Gentleman: Comes from a prominent Parisian family. Brave and dignified, even having the respect of Captain Giap.
- Off with His Head!: Like the rest of his command at Son Chau, he's decapitated and the head staked along the roadside as a Viet Minh terror tactic.
- Rugged Scar: Has a distinctive scar right under his temple, seemingly from a glancing bullet strike.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He's killed after three issues, but it was his (somewhat misguided) belief that keeping Vietnam in French hands would prevent the spread of communism (and his imparting that view on Fury, as well as dying fighting alongside him) that makes Fury into such a Knight Templar during the Cold War.
Sergent-Chef Steinhoff
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 1
An ex-Nazi - specifically, a hauptsturmführer (equivalent to a captain) in the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich - who fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. Serves as a legionnaire under Major Lallement during the First Indochina War.
- Affably Evil: Makes an effort to befriend Fury and Hatherly even as he cheerfully explains that he didn't work in the concentration camps, but just had Jews dig their own graves and then gunned them down as his unit advanced across the Eastern Front.
- All Germans Are Nazis: Well, this German most definitely was. Prior to joining the French Foreign Legion, he was an SS commander who personally committed numerous atrocities against innocent Jews and shows no remorse for any of it.
- Blood Knight: He isn't fighting out of loyalty for the French, or a desire to regain his honor, but simply because he loves war, and the war in Indochina was the most accessible one.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: The reason why France doesn’t have him arrested for the atrocities he committed while serving in the SS is that he’s a genuinely talented soldier who is good at maintaining discipline and is a skilled combatant. The Foreign Legion needs more men like him and they don’t particularly care what his past is so long as he delivers as a soldier.
- Decapitation Presentation: After falling to the Viet Minh.
- Defiant to the End: See Eye Scream below.
- Eye Scream: He was blinded at some point in the final battle - likely by shrapnel - but goes down fighting.
- I Regret Nothing: Doesn't see his actions as being anything to feel guilty over.
- Karma Houdini: He dies, painfully and messily, but he dies on the battlefield, surrounded by people loyal to him, which was just what he wanted.
- Karmic Death: On the other hand, he dies at the hands of the Vietnamese "Untermenschen," towards whom he had earlier expressed scorn and contempt.
- Sergeant Rock: For all of his scumminess, he does a good job of whipping his men into shape and fighting alongside him. Lallement even refers to him as "Son Chau's secret weapon."
- Those Wacky Nazis: A former SS commander who murdered many innocent people. He’s also quite boisterous and seems to genuinely love war and fighting. The reason why he isn’t put on trial and jailed for the terrible things he did is that he’s an asset to the Foreign Legion.
- Villain Respect: After Fury and Hatherly get into a brawl with Steinhoff over his Nazi past, he jovially compliments them on their courage and spirit.
Lieutenant Delfino
Debut: Fury: My War Gone By Vol. 1 # 1
Lallement's aide.- Bearer of Bad News: Winds up being this to Major Lallement when the latter arrives to take command of Son Chau, as the previous C.O., Colonel Pouyer, had left the previous day without even waiting to be relieved. He reports to the Major that since his visit the previous month, Son Chau has suffered over a dozen dead and almost two dozen wounded, and they are critically short of everything from small arms ammunition to medical supplies, further emphasizing the desperate state they are in.
- Ensign Newbie: He's a young, slightly excitable man who hovers around Lallement and displays some courage and loyalty.
- Satellite Character: Gets very little dialogue or depth, and practically his entire role is as an extension of Lallement.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Doesn’t receive much characterization before he is unceremoniously killed off in the final Viet Minh attack.
