The Punisher (Frank Castle) is an antihero appearing in various Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. Frank Castle was a former U.S. Marine who served in multiple tours of duty. One day, Castle's family was caught in the crossfire of a mob hit. They were all killed, and Castle was the only survivor. This event left Castle traumatized and angry. He vowed to avenge the deaths of his family and became a vigilante, using his military training and skills to hunt down and kill criminals. He is known for his ruthlessness and his willingness to kill anyone who gets in his way. He is also known for his signature skull logo, which he wears on his chest and on his weapons.
Main Comics
- The Punisher Vol 1 (1986) — Also known as The Punisher: Circle of Blood, Punisher's very first solo title.
- The Punisher Vol 2 (1987–2018)
- Punisher Vol 3 (1995–1997)
- The Punisher Vol 4 (1998–1999) — Also known as The Punisher: Purgatory, a miniseries that Re Tooled the character into a sort-of agent for heaven.
- The Punisher Vol 5 (2000–2001) — Also known as The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank, a limited series storyline which returns the Punisher back into the "regular vigilante who just shoots criminals" mold, written by Garth Ennis.
- The Punisher Vol 6 (2001–2004)
- Punisher Vol 8 (2009–2010)
- The Punisher Vol 9 (2011–2012)
- The Punisher Vol 10 (2014–2015)
- The Punisher Vol 11 (2016–2017)
- The Punisher Vol 12 (2018–2019)
- Punisher Vol 13 (2022–2023) — A series written by Jason Aaron that repositions the Punisher as a sword-wielding killer and leader of ninja-clan The Hand.
- Punisher Vol 14 (2023) — A series written by David Pepose that follows Joe Garrison, a former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who (unintentionally) takes up the Punisher mantle on his quest for vengeance.
Spin-Offs
- The Punisher War Journal Vol 1 (1988–1995)
- The Punisher War Zone Vol 1 (1992–1995)
- Punisher War Journal Vol 2 (2006–2009)
- Punisher War Zone Vol 2 (2009)
- Punisher War Zone Vol 3 (2012–2013)
Limited Series
- The Punisher Armory Vol 1 (1990)
- Punisher POV Vol 1 (1991)
- The Punisher Summer Special Vol 1 (1991–1994)
- The Punisher Back To School Special Vol 1 (1992–1994)
- The Punisher Holiday Special Vol 1 (1993–1995)
- Punisher The Ghosts Of Innocents Vol 1 (1993)
- The Punisher The Origin Micro Chip Vol 1 (1993)
- The Punisher Year One Vol 1 (1994–1995)
- Franken Castle Vol 1 (2010)
- Punisher In The Blood Vol 1 (2011)
- Punisher Nightmare Vol 1 (2013)
- The Trial Of The Punisher Vol 1 (2013)
- War Of The Realms The Punisher Vol 1 (2019)
- Punisher Kill Krew Vol 1 (2019–2020)
Storylines
- The Punisher: Suicide Run (1993-1994) — An eleven-part storyline event that ran through the main Punisher title, The Punisher: War Journal and The Punisher: War Zone.
Alternate Realities
- The Punisher 2099 (1993-1995) — A comic set in Alternate Continuity future of Marvel 2099.
- The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe (1995) — A What If? comic written by Garth Ennis years before his more regular work with the character.
- 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 Garth Ennis.
- The Punisher MAX (2004-2009 and 2010-2012) — A Alternate Continuity series set in the Marvel's Darker and Edgier MAX imprint. The page also lists the various oneshots and miniseries set there.
- The Punisher: The End (June 2004) — A special one shot featuring an elderly Frank Castle in a post-apocalyptic New York. Yes, it was written by Garth Ennis.
- Punisher Noir (2009) — An Alternate Continuity miniseries, where the Punisher does his work in the 1930s New York. Astonishingly not written by Garth Ennis.
- Marvel Universe vs. the Punisher (2010) — An Alternate Continuity miniseries where Punisher has to fight the heroes and villains of Marvel who have been turned into sadistic cannibals.
- Space: Punisher (2012) — An Alternate Continuity miniseries with a version of Frank avenging his family's murder by a galactic crime syndicate led by some very familiar Marvel characters.
- Punisher: The Platoon (2017) — Written by Garth Ennis as a prequel to his earlier Born. The story is about Frank's first tour of duty in Vietnam as told by the men who served under him.
Team-Ups
- Doctor Strange / Punisher: Magic Bullets (2016) — an Infinite Comics webcomic that teams its two stars against a mafia family who've found something magical and powerful in their basement.
- Deadpool vs. The Punisher (2017) — A five-issue miniseries that pits the One-Man War on Crime against the Merc with a Mouth.
- Thunderbolts (2012-2014) — The Punisher was one of the anti-heroes recruited by General Ross (aka Red Hulk) for his version of the team.
Crossovers
- Archie Meets the Punisher (1994) — An offbeat Intercontinuity Crossover with Archie Comics.
- The Punisher (1989) — Starring Dolph Lundgren.
- ThePunisher (2004) — Starring Thomas Jane.
- Punisher: War Zone (2008) — Starring Ray Stevenson.
- Dirty Laundry (2012) — An unofficial short film which stars Thomas Jane.
- Marvel Cinematic Universe (2016 — present), played by Jon Bernthal (page):
- Daredevil Season 2 (2016)
- The Punisher (2017)
- The Punisher (1990) — A Rail Shooter for NES.
- The Punisher (1990) — A Top-Down View action game for computers.
- The Punisher (1993) — A Beat 'em Up from Capcom, which also features Nick Fury as a playable character.
- The Punisher (2005) — A Third-Person Shooter action game from THQ, which is rife with The Joys of Torturing Mooks.
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance (2012) — Punisher is one of the recruitable heroes.
- Marvel: Contest of Champions (2015) — Available as a Champion exclusively through Arena Crystals.
- Marvel Heroes (2013) — He is one of the Starter Heroes.
- Marvel Puzzle Quest
- Marvel Future Fight (2015-Present)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019)
- Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) — voiced by John Beck
- The Superhero Squad Show (2009) — hilarious one-episode cameo reprised by Ray Stevenson
- Avengers Assemble (2013)