History Characters / ThePunisherMAXAllies

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In stark contrast to the cabal of crooked generals who hired him. Col. Howe is depicted as polite, reasonable and surprisingly friendly for a guy who leads a team of elite killers. So much so that even the informant that the Generals sent to go meet with him is surprised at how friendly he is.

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He was a U.S. Army Ranger during his tour of duty in Vietnam, who according to Frank had "set fire to half of Asia long before I had boarded a plane to Da Nang."

Almost forty years later, Howe, now a Colonel in the US Army's elite Delta Force unit is tasked by a cabal of military generals to arrest Castle. Who possesses incriminating evidence on the generals' involvement in Operation Barbarossa.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: It is unusual that despite having served in the Army for over three decades that Howe is still only a Colonel. Thirty years is typically long enough for a real world officer to reach the rank of General. It's possible, however, that Howe was an enlisted man who gained an officer's commission later in his career; this could explain why he does not hold a higher rank.
** One of the crooked Generals reviewing his file says he's noted as having "an independent streak a mile wide", and concludes that's why he isn't a General.

* ManipulativeBastard: A heroic version. It's strongly implied near the end of the ''Valley Forge'' arc, that ''he'' was the one playing the cabal of crooked Generals all along. Not the other way around.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In stark contrast to the cabal of crooked military Generals who hired him. Col Howe is depicted as polite, reasonable, and surprisingly friendly for a guy who leads a team of elite killers. So much so that even the informant that the Generals sent to go meet with him, is surprised at how friendly he is.

A former paratrooper from the Fifth Company of the Spetsnaz’s 103rd Airborne Division, Sgt. Stepanovich was the only survivor of a Mujahideen ambush in Afghanistan. When he learned that the ambush was a result of his former commander, Colonel Pronchenko, selling him out, Val begins a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

* TheAlcoholic: Val coped with his survivor’s guilt by heavily drinking, ultimately leading to a drunk driving accident that resulted in the death of his wife.

* DueToTheDead: [[spoiler: Frank gives Val a soldier’s burial, honors his request [[CruelMercy let the villain live]], and has a drink in his memory.]]

* RussianGuySuffersMost: God yes. The guy is essentially ''crucified'' and forced to witness his squadmates getting ''skinned alive.'' This leads to him hitting the bottle very hard, which culminates in him killing his wife in a drunk driving accident. His sons, blaming him for the death of their mother, refuse to have anything to do with him. And ultimately,[[spoiler: he doesn’t even live long enough to finish his vendetta]]. Even Jenny Cesare would probably be compelled to give the guy a hug.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: By her own admission she's affected when she learns that the Punisher's target killed a cop's nine year old daughter and wife alongside him.

* BrokenBird: She gets cancer, is brutally beaten all the time during her arranged marriage and is finally disposed of, left for dead. Then she [[TookALevelInBadass took a level.]]
* ByronicHero: She bluntly picks up men; however she cannot feel anything, gets upset and beats them to a pulp, then regrets her actions later. She's also vicious enough to creep the Punisher out, but given what was done to her nothing is too reprehensible to be unjustified.
* CosmicPlaything: Given everything done to her its little surprise Jenny [[spoiler:kills herself]] after she gains revenge and finds nothing changes.
* DespairEventHorizon: After finally [[spoiler: getting revenge on the mobster's widows who set her up]], she's overcome with the emptiness she feels inside. Unable to "feel" ''anything'', she [[spoiler: takes her own life]].

* ItsPersonal: Let's just say she took the widows betrayal, ''very personally''. The end of the arc sees her taking The Punisher's clothes and seeking out revenge on the five mob widows who betrayed her.
* LegacyCharacter: She takes on Frank's role and costume when he is bedridden from gunshot wounds for the latter part of the arc. Deconstructed - her entire story is about how anybody who tries to be the Punisher is a deeply, deeply screwed-up individual, and she [[spoiler:shoots herself when her revenge doesn't make her happy.]]

* PetTheDog: An old school friend tries to talk to her. Knowing how damaged she is, Jenny politely tells him he has her confused with someone else, and he shouldn't associate with her.
* ShowerOfAngst: In a flashback, where she describes what a terrifying ordeal it was to live with her monster of a husband. She is seen huddled naked in a shower, blood running down her mouth and nose, and mascara mixed with tears. It's ''[[FanDisservice not, a pretty sight.]]''

* TookALevelInBadass: From mobster wife to the She-Punisher.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Her victims are the wives of the heavy hitters on the East Coast, who not only set her up to be married to a psychopath then tried to kill her when she wanted out, they tried to kill the Punisher, even tried to kill the cop investigating their involvement.

[[caption-width-right:350:''The "Prince of Darkness", in the flesh''.]]

An old-school super spy from the cold war era. He has a long history with Frank, dating back to their tours of duty in Vietnam. He has recently returned in Frank's life to offer him a job that he feels only he can accomplish.

* AdaptationalJerkass: More like Adaptational ''Anti-Heroism''. Although his mainstream counterpart was certainly no dainty maiden, his MAX counterpart is far more shady, willing to go to greater extremes and do whatever it takes to accomplish his mission. So much so that at times he almost veers into VillainProtagonist territory.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: This is how he convinces Castle to take part in Operation Barbarossa. He knows that a guy like Frank has zero interest in working for his government again, so how does Fury change his mind? By offering him the coordinates to every know crime syndicate in the country, that's how.
* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: You'd figure that a man who has been in the military for as long as he has should hold a rank higher than Colonel. At one point he mentions having been the director of SHIELD at some point, when in reality he would have to hold the rank of General to command an organization that large.

* ColonelBadass: Back in Vietnam he was a Colonel in the US Army who led numerous counter offenses against the Viet Cong. That have since become the stuff of legend.

* TheCynic: His years in the spy business has left him with a rather bleak and cynical view of the world. A disposition that has gotten even worse when Frank meets with him again.

* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: He does this to a corrupt military general in ''Mother Russia''. To better elaborate, the general in question had put together a [[spoiler:cell of Middle Eastern terrorists and sent them on a plane, which they were to hijack. The plane was then blown up by the Russians, killing the US funded terrorists and the innocent people aboard]].

** ''Peacemaker'' and ''[[ComicBook/FuryMyWarGoneBy My War Gone By]]'' take this back even further, revealing his origins as an squad leader-turned-OSS commando during WWII.
* EveryoneHasStandards: The man may be a hardened cold war spy with a heart as cold as ice, but even he knows that the cabal of Generals crossed the line with their FalseFlagOperation.

* GoodIsNotNice: One of the few characters who is unambiguously good, but don't let that fool you into thinking he's some sort of AllLovingHero either. The man is a world class cynic, with a barbed wired heart who isn't afraid to cuss out a four-star General.

* JerkWithTheHeartOfAJerk: Make no mistake, although he might be on the side of justice ([[BlackAndGreyMorality by the standards of this series at least]]), he is ''[[GoodIsNotNice not a nice man]]''. Profane, grouchy, volatile, and all around hostile to just about everyone who isn't named Frank Castle. He make's his mainstream counterpart look like a dainty maiden by comparison.
* LivingLegend: Naturally. The man has seen action in just about every armed American conflict in the last 50+ plus years. It would be weird if he ''didn't'' play this trope straight.

* MilitaryMaverick: He is shown constantly telling off the Generals and intimidates those who try and challenge his authority. In his crowing moment, when he discovers [[spoiler:the General behind the horrific FalseFlagOperation. He removes his belt and beats the holy fuck out the General responsible, and threatens anyone who tries to intervene.]] Leaving the General a bloody, snivelling mess.
* MisterExposition: This is more or less his role in the beginning of the ''Mother Russia'' arc. He's there to explain to Frank, and by extension the audience, what the flesh eating super virus that is currently in the hands of the Russians is and why the US military wants there hands on it.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Upon discovering the military General behind the FalseFlagOperation. Fury proceeds to pull off his belt and beat the ever loving shit out of said General. A beatdown so horrific that the other Generals can only look on in horror.
* OfficerAndAGentleman: Very much averted. The man swears like a sailor, and shows no respect to the various "no smoking" rules that try to keep him from enjoying one of his sweet Cuban cigars.

* OvertOperative: For being a master spy whose been in the game for as long as he has. He doesn't do a terribly good job at keeping a low profile. The eyepatch alone is practically a dead giveaway.
* OverrankedSoldier: Inverted and justified. By the time ''Punisher MAX'' starts Fury has spent over sixty years in the military and is a living legend yet he is ''only'' a Colonel, but it's shown that he shares a mutual hatred with a highly influential cabal of corrupt generals and is an uncontrollable maverick who freely violates protocol and has no tolerance for the politicking that goes on among the top brass. Him beating the shit out of a general makes his low ranking crystal clear.

* PerpetualFrowner: Much like Frank. Fury's facial expression, never changes from his default pissed off scowl.

* SeenItAll: The man has seen action in Second World War, the Korean War, the First Indochina War, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Vietnam War and the Nicaraguan Revolution. Worked for the CIA before moving on to S.H.I.E.L.D. and has been through paratrooper, demolition, Army Ranger and Special Forces training. So yeah, I guess you can say he's seen some things.

* ShellshockedVeteran: This incarnation portray him as this, disillusioned with Iraq, looking after a young boy who he wants to mercy kill, drinking heavily, sleeping with multiple hookers, and beating the crap out of US generals when they resort to terrorism.
* SirSwearsALot: Even in old age, the man still possess a colorful vocabulary that makes the rest of the characters look like choir boys by comparison.
* TheSpymaster: Much like his mainstream incarnation. However here its presented in a less fantastical and more realistic fashion. In order to better suit the more grounded tone of the series.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: He flatly tells the Generals that the only reason he agreed to help them in their covert operation to steal the biochemical agent from the Russians, is that he believes that handing it over to the US military is the "lesser of several evil." Naturally the Generals don't take this remark very well.

-->'''Fury:''' Well reassure me, General. Don't say "sample". Say ''six year old girl''.

* TheVietnamVet: Much like Yorkie, he to served alongside Frank in the Vietnam War.

** To better elaborate. When he and Frank need to deal with the [[TheIrishMob Westies.]] They carefully arrange a false meeting between them and several other outlaw groups aboard a decommissioned warship. When the Westies arrive in force, he and Frank, armed to the teeth and waiting for them in hidden vantage spots, proceed to massacre them. In what has to be the largest gunfight in the entire series. Well... it wasn't really much of a gunfight to begin with. More like he and Frank re-enacting the climax of ''First Blood: Part 2''.

* TheCynic: Much like the other characters in the cast. As a result of his years of service in the military and various other government organizations. The man has developed a very cynical disposition.

* HannibalLecture: The man is the master of these, in fact he'd probably have the TropeNamer weeping for forgiveness after a few minutes alone with him.

* MoreDakka: When he and Frank are preparing an ambush for a gang of Irish hoods, he brings along a M60 to help "weed" them out.
* OldFriend: Subverted. He makes it clear early on that although he and Frank may be former associates. They aren't exactly "friends".
* {{Retirony}}: [[spoiler:Quite possibly one of the cruelest examples in fiction. In ''Man Of Stone'' he tells Frank that he plans on retiring from the military and settling down with his wife, who has just inherited a commercial airline. ''Then'', at the very beginning of ''Long Cold Dark'', we see him bleeding to death in his living room, with his aforementioned dearly beloved wife laying dead not to far from him. And ''[[AxCrazy Barracuda]]'' standing over them both, with a sneering SlasherSmile and a loaded [=M1911=]...]]
* TheVietnamVet: Much like Frank he to took part in the Vietnam War. Which is where he first met him, back when they were apart of a cross-training exercise with the Australian SAS. And at one point he even saved Frank from being burned alive by the Viet Cong.
* WouldHitAGirl: He has absolutely no hesitation in executing O'Brien when he's ordered to (although he changes his mind when Frank asks him to spare her). When one of his men expresses misgivings about killing a woman in cold blood he responds that the fact that O'Brien is a woman doesn't change the fact that she's a hardened killer like the rest of them who doesn't deserve any special mercy.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In stark contrast to the cabal of crooked military Generals who hired him. Col Howe, is depicted as polite, reasonable, and surprisingly friendly for a guy who leads a team of elite killers. So much so that even the informant that the Generals sent to go meet with him, is surprised at how friendly he is.

A former paratrooper from the Fifth Company of the Spetsnaz’s 103rd Airborne Division, Sgt. Stepanovich was the only survivor of a Mujahideen ambush in Afghanistan. When he learned that the ambush was a result of his former commander selling him out, Val begins a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

* TheAlcoholic: Val’s coped with his survivor’s guilt by heavily drinking, ultimately leading to a drunk driving accident that resulted in the death of his wife.

* RussianGuySuffersMost: God yes. The guy is essentially ''crucified'', and forced to witness his squadmates getting ''skinned alive.'' This leads to him hitting the bottle very hard, which culminates in him killing his wife in a drunk driving accident. His sons, blaming him for the death of their mother, refuse to have anything to do with him. And ultimately,[[spoiler: he doesn’t even live long enough to finish his vendetta]]. Even Jenny Cesare would probably be compelled to give the guy a hug.

-->'''Val:''' They screamed all night and into the morning. God knows how they lasted that long, but they did. I heard them when I woke up in the hospital. I heard them when my mother kissed me at the airport. I heard them when I held my firstborn son. I hear them now. And then we went home and no one gave a shit.

* RussianGuySuffersMost: God yes. Scarred by war to the point that a normal life was impossible for him. This leads to him hitting the bottle very hard, which culminates in him killing his wife in a drunk driving accident. His sons, blaming him for the death of their mother, refuse to have anything to do with him. And ultimately,[[spoiler: he doesn’t even live long enough to finish his vendetta]]. Even Jenny Cesare would probably be compelled to give the guy a hug.

* FireForgedFriendship: Frank Castle has few friends, but Val ultimately turns out to be the kind of guy that Frank would have a beer with ([[TheTeetotaler if he did drink]].

* RussianGuySuffersMost: God yes. Scarred by war to the point that a normal life was impossible for him. This leads to him hitting the bottle very hard, which culminates in him killing his wife in a drunk driving accident. His sons, blaming him for the death of their mother, refuse to have anything to do with him. And ultimately,[[spoiler: he doesn’t even live long enough to finish his vendetta]].

* FireForgedFriendship: Frank Castle has few friends, but Val ultimately turns out to be the kind of guy that Frank would have a beer with ([[TheTeeotaler if he did drink]].

'''Castle:''' It had been a while since I had trusted anyone in combat. But he'd gone in first. Never even tried to get behind me.

[[folder:Vette]]

A HighClassCallGirl who the Punisher recruited to get at a target.

* BadassGrandpa: He's around the same age as Frank, but that hasn't stopped him from being any less of a capable field agent.

* BadassGrandpa: The man looks like he's pushing eighty, but that hasn't stopped him from living up to his reputation as the most badass super-spy that has ever lived.

A stern, no-nonsense British MI6 agent who first met Frank in 1971, back when he was serving in the Australian Special Air Service Regiment during the Vietnam War. Since then he has remained in touch with Frank. Using his connections in the MI6 to aid Frank with his war on crime.

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He's an MI6 agent, by way of the SAS, by way of the Parachute Regiment.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGirl: By her own admission she's affected when she learns that the Punisher's target killed a cop's nine year old daughter and wife alongside him.
* OddFriendship: With the Punisher. She's a HighClassCallGirl who looks down on others. He's the Punisher. And yet they manage to hit it off.

[[/folder]]

* {{CIA}}: She's initially introduced as a CIA operative who is assigned to a top secret black ops unit, tasked with bringing in the Punisher.

--> '''Fury:''' Check the small print General, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny nothing in there about us sucking each other's balls.]]

* SeenItAll: The man has seen action in Second World War, the Korean War, the First Indochina War, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Vietnam War and the Nicaraguan Revolution. Worked for the CIA before moving on to S.H.I.E.L.D. and has been through paratrooper, demolition, Army Ranger and Special Forces training. So yeah, I guess you can say [[{{Understatement}} he's seen some things]].

An old-school super spy from the cold war era. He has a long history with Frank, dating back to they're tours of duty in Vietnam. He has recently returned in Frank's life to offer him a job that he feels only he can accomplish.

* UnwittingPawn: In ''Mother Russia'', although he tried keeping a watchful eye on the cabal of Generals, at the end of the day it wasn't enough, as the Generals still managed to use him as a pawn in they're false flag operation.

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He's an M16 agent, by way of the SAS, by way of the Parachute Regiment.

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He's a commando in the Parachute Regiment.

* HandicappedBadass: You see that eyepatch he's got? He's had it for nearly ''[[ScarsAreForever fifty years]]'' Hasn't slowed him down at all though.

* SeenItAll: The man has seen action in the First Indochina War, Bay of Pigs Invasion, The Vietnam War and the Contra War in Nicaragua. Worked for the CIA before moving on to S.H.I.E.L.D. and has been through paratrooper, demolition, Army Ranger and Special Forces training. So yeah, I guess you can say [[{{Understatement}} he's seen some things]].
* SergeantRock: He started off as own of these during the first Indochina War, before moving on to being a ColonelBadass.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: ''Oh yes.'' A Colonel in the US ARMY, and by far the most badass character in the series. Second only to Frank.

* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: He does this to a corrupt military general in ''Mother Russia''. To better elaborate, the general in question had put together a [[spoiler:cell of middle eastern terrorists and sent them on a plane, which they were to hijack. The plane was then blown up by the Russians, killing the US funded terrorists and the innocent people aboard]].

* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: He was a US ARMY Ranger during his tour of duty in Vietnam, who according to Frank had "set fire to half of Asia long before I had boarded a plane to Da Nang."

[[center: [- [[Characters/ThePunisherMAX Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXThePunisher The Punisher]] | '''Allies''' | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXMajorAntagonist Major Antagonist]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXTheItalianMafia The Italian Mafia]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXIrishCriminalsAssociates Irish Criminals & Associates]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXTheFiskCrimeRing The Kingpin's Syndicate]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXOtherCriminalsPsychopaths Other Criminals & Psychopaths]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXUnitedStatesMilitaryGovernment US Military & Government]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXOtherCharacters Other Characters]]]]-]

* AdaptationalVillainy: More like Adaptational ''Anti-Heroism''. Although his mainstream counterpart was certainly no dainty maiden, his MAX counterpart is far more shady, willing to go to greater extremes and do whatever it takes to accomplish his mission. So much so that at times he almost veers into VillainProtagonist territory.

* AdaptationalVillainy: More like Adaptational ''Anti-Heroism''. Although his mainstream counterpart was certainly no dainty maiden. His MAX counterpart is far more shady, willing to go to greater extremes and do whatever it takes to accomplish his mission. So much so that at times he almost veers into VillainProtagonist territory.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: You'd figure that a man who has been in the military for as long as he has, he should hold a rank higher than Colonel. At one point he mentions having been the director of SHIELD at some point, when in reality he would have to hold the rank of General to command an organization that large.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Admit it. A guy with a name like ''Fury'' just sounds impossibly badass.

A tough as nails CIA agent. Who is apart of a covert task force, dedicated to taking the Punisher into custody. She shows a very evident attraction towards Frank, which she admits to with no shame.

[[center: [- [[Characters/ThePunisherMAX Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXThePunisher The Punisher]] | '''Allies''' | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXMajorAntagonist Major Antagonist]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXTheItalianMafia The Italian Mafia]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXIrishCriminalsAssociates Irish Criminals & Associates]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXTheFiskCrimeRing The Kingpin's Syndicate]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXOtherCriminalsPsychopaths Other Criminals & Psychopaths]] | [[Characters/ThePunisherMAXUnitedStatesMilitaryGovernment US Military & Government]]|[[Characters/ThePunisherMAXOtherCharacters Other Characters]]]]-]