History Characters / ThePunisherTheCharacter

[[redirect:Characters/MarvelComicsFrankCastle]]

[[redirect:Characters/ThePunisherFrankCastle]]

!!The Punisher
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1435806-thepunisher11_2_4349.jpg]]

-> '''AKA:''' Francis David Castiglione/Frank Castle
-> '''Debut:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' Vol. 1, #129 (1974)

--> ''"They laugh at the law. The rich ones who buy it and twist it to their whims. The other ones, who have nothing to lose. Who don't care about themselves, or other people. All the ones who think they're above the law, or outside it, or beyond it. They know all the law is good for is to keep good people in line. And they all laugh. They laugh at the law. But they don't laugh at me."''

A traumatized former Marine turned brutal vigilante, Frank Castle lost his family in the crossfire from a Mafia conflict, and declared his own personal war on the criminal underworld using a vast arsenal of weaponry. He mainly works alone, his relations with the superhero community being strained at best.

* NinetiesAntiHero: The UrExample despite debuting in the '70s.
* AllCrimesAreEqual: For a brief period before he first got his own series in the early 80's, Punisher went off the deep end and decided that all crimes were equal since they'd end up snowballing into rape and murder, so he goes after people for such things as ''littering'' and ''arguing too loud''. In his series proper, this was retconned as the result of being involuntarily drugged, which he sweated off in prison.
* AesopAmnesia: In his first appearances in ''Spider-Man'' comics, he would repeatedly think that Spider-Man is a criminal, only to learn that he truly is a good guy that he says he is at the end of the story. But then again, [[HeroWithBadPublicity this is Spider-Man we're talking about]].
* AntiHero: Varies between an UnscrupulousHero and NominalHero in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. He spends his days on two things: Killing the worst scum on earth and planning to kill the worst scum on earth.
* AxCrazy: DependingOnTheWriter, he's a calculating killing machine or a nut who offs criminals for the sake of it.
* BadassLongcoat: He frequently dons a black trenchcoat.
* BadassNormal: Castle has no superpowers of his own, and typically most of his foes are either just mooks or other badass normals. However, he has gone toe-to-toe with various superheroes and villains in the past.
* BadassesWearBandanas: A bandana was a regular part of his ensemble during the nineties, usually in stories drawn by Creator/JimLee.
* BerserkButton: Hurting kids, for one. Insulting Captain America and the ideal he stands for, for another (just ask Hate-Monger III, who got his throat crushed with a boot for ''daring'' to use a version of Cap's costume to spread racist propaganda).
* BloodKnight: Why does Frank kill? 33% justice, 33% [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge revenge,]] 33% because he likes it, and the other 1% is just plain AxCrazy.
* BrooklynRage: While some men might seek vengeance on those who killed their family, Frank Castle doesn't settle that low. He wants to kill '''every criminal. Every single one.'''
* ByronicHero: Sometimes has moments of this, being an utterly ruthless, brooding and intelligent former Vietnam vet vigilante going on a one man war against crime.
* CelibateHero: Modern characterization; he used to border on ReallyGetsAround, though it was almost always nothing more than a fling, being caught up in the heat of the moment, or simply satiating an annoying biological urge.
* ChestInsignia: The Punisher's iconic skull. Like Franchise/{{Batman}}, it serves as a heavily armored target and in the earlier issues the teeth were spare ammo magazines.
* ColdSniper: Has the persona and was one in Vietnam.
* ColonelKilgore: Even though he was only a Captain in Vietnam, he still fits this trope.
* CombatPragmatist: The following quote from "Welcome Back, Frank" sums it up:
-->'''Frank Castle''': "When you're on your own, behind enemy lines, no artillery, no air strikes, no hope of an evac, you don't fight dirty. You do things that make dirty look good."
* CoolMask: During Edmondson's run, Punisher sported a balaclava with his skull insignia on it.
* CruelMercy: During the second chapter of Greg Rucka's run, the Punisher cornered Liam Malloy, a low level thug who recklessly shot up a wedding reception, and actually let him go. Predictably, Liam immediately went to the nearest BadGuyBar and told his comrades about how he survived an encounter with the Punisher. They saw him as a marked man and refused to offer him asylum, and he was brutally executed by his bosses soon after.
* CrusadingWidower: He seeks vengeance then effects genocide on the American criminal element for the murder of his family during a botched mob hit.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: In some versions, especially the ''MAX'' series, shows that Frank Castle has been around violence and crime his whole life.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Tends to dress in black, aside from the white skull emblem, but wants to protect the innocent from the criminals who prey on them. He just has a very violent way of doing that.
* DeadpanSnarker: Frank occasionally shows a sense of BlackHumor.
* DeathSeeker: It has been suggested more than once that Castle's ultimate goal in life is [[SuicideByCop suicide by gangster]].
* DependingOnTheWriter: He's vacillated between a somewhat reasonable vigilante fully willing to abide by other heroes' no-killing rules during team-ups, to a frothing lunatic who'll murder jaywalkers (retconned into being due to drugs he was exposed to without his knowledge), to being a serial killer who uses his family's deaths as a justification for the endless war he wages to sate his bloodlust.
* DespairEventHorizon: Waking up in the hospital and realizing his entire family was dead destroyed Castle. Only the Punisher remains.
* TheDon: Became briefly one for the Geraci family, a minor crime syndicate in New York, after they rescued him from an electric chair and convinced him that the best way to fight the crime is to control it. As you can imagine, this is almost uniformly ignored today.
* TheDreaded: ''Every'' crook and mobster (and most "street" level supervillains) brown their trousers at the mere mention of Frank.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal
** When he was recruited to be an agent for Heaven, he gained an ability to summon weapons from his jacket and make them as lethal as he wanted them to be.
** After his death at the hands of Wolverine's son Daken during the ''Comicbook/DarkReign'' event, he was built into a Franchise/{{Frankenstein}}ian MixAndMatchMan who was physically much stronger in undeath than in life.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Believe it or not, there ARE some lines he will not cross, though note that some of these are DependingOnTheWriter:
** He will not kill cops as a general rule, even [[DirtyCop crooked ones]]. The rare occasions where he does are usually accidental, self-defense, or the guy just REALLY deserved it.
** He's willing to spare people who make their case that they're only committing crime under duress. He's let people go who were being blackmailed or forced into criminal activities, since they convinced Frank they weren't going to be career criminals. The trick, however, is getting him to ease off the trigger long enough to convince him.
** He's also more willing to spare kids and teenagers, under the logic that they're young and will learn from his little visit to not be involved anymore.
** Criminals that are currently being processed by the system (e.g. in court or custody) he leaves alone. He also doesn't go after defendants who have been legitimately cleared by a court of law. Now, if they get off when they're clearly guilty, then they become fair game once more.
** As much as he has a beef with New York's other costumed heroes (most of them really aren't into the whole "killing without trial" thing), any time he goes fisticuffs with them, he will never kill them, only seek to disable them. As much as he thinks they don't do ''enough'' about crime, he respects that they're doing ''something''.
** Part of the reason other costumed heroes are willing to work with him when circumstances demand is that they respect that he doesn’t harm the innocent; Spider-Man noted that he’s heard that the Punisher has vowed to turn himself in if his actions ever cause the direct death of an innocent person.
** He also doesn't look kindly upon those who idolize him, or see him as a role model. In one comic, he encountered a couple of {{Fanboy}} cops (claiming to be part of a larger group) who had a sticker of his skull symbol placed on their car's bumper, and told him, "We believe in you". In response, Frank took off the sticker and ripped it up, at the same time [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calling out]] the officers for idolizing him of all people.
-->'''Frank:''' I'll say this once. We're not the same. You took an oath to uphold the law. You help people. I gave that up a long time ago. You don't do what I do. Nobody does. You boys need a role model? His name is ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, and he'd be happy to have you.
* EvilWearsBlack: He's easily the darkest of Marvel's nominally heroic characters, and his all black costume (military-goth chic, as Franchise/SpiderMan dubs it) is intended to contrast with the brightly colored outfits of the more traditional superheroes.
* ExactWords: Frank is a big fan of this. He said he'd scratch your name off his list if you cooperated with him, he '''never''' said anything about sparing your life.
* {{Expy}}: Of the old pulp character ''The Executioner'', who is basically Frank with a different name.
* EyepatchOfPower: Sported one for most of Greg Rucka's run, after he nearly lost an eye during a battle with the fourth Vulture.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Among the Marvel Universe's more squeaky-clean super hero community, Frank is easily ''the'' most reviled. Even [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]], post [[ComicBook/AvengersVsXmen Phoenix Five]], has a few other heroes that he can call friends. Frank has absolutely no support among the larger hero community because he deems himself JudgeJuryAndExecutioner to virtually every criminal he meets. Even people that are willing to put up with that won't work with him because he point blank refuses to compromise, even for the sake of pragmatism. The only other "[[AntiHero heroes]]" he gets along with are those cut from the [[UnscrupulousHero same]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil cloth]] as [[VigilanteMan himself]]. He usually gets along with guys like ComicBook/{{Blade}}, ComicBook/GhostRider (most of them), ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} (at least when not written by Creator/GarthEnnis), and other people on the side of good that are willing to take things to the limit to stop the bad guys. While he doesn't consider the others like him friends exactly, he usually get along well with them as they all have a decent amount of respect for each other because [[BirdsOfAFeather of their similar backgrounds]]. Interesting, even the more noble heroes will work with Frank when they need to and don't usually hate him if they can, on some level, relate to him. He gets on well with Thor because both of them are warriors and Thor at the least understands that sometimes killing is necessary (Ditto to the other Asgardians because they're all {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s and respect Frank's [[HeroicWillpower resolve]] [[NeverHurtAnInnocent and]] [[WouldNotShootAGoodGuy code]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil of]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold honor]]). Captain America hates Frank's outlook but doesn't hate the man as a fellow soldier, as he understands Frank's outlook and also know that Frank is needed in certain circumstances.
-->'''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}:''' [[Creator/CharlesBronson Chuck Bronson]] called. He wants ''everything he ever did'' back.
** Ironically, the closest he has to a friend in the superhero community is also his worst opponent; ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}. The two have been closely associated since the 80's, and have similar backgrounds. Daredevil desperately wants to stop the Punisher from continuing his crusade, and both hates and sympathizes with him at the same time. Frank has lost track of the amount of times that Matt has kicked the shit out of him and told him that he's a maniac who is just as bad as most of the scum he fights, and Matt has lost track of the amount of times that Frank has caught him off-guard with a lucky hit or sensory overload long enough to incapacitate him and told him that he's an insufferable moral grandstanding hypocrite who needs to stay in his own lane, but at the end of the day, both will grudgingly concede that the other has a point, and while they fight constantly, Frank respects Matt enough to not put a bullet through his head, and Matt respects Frank enough to not snap his spine.
* FriendToAllChildren: While not necessarily good with kids, Frank nonetheless is shown to have a soft spot for them.
* GoodIsNotNice: He isn't a very pleasant individual, but he nonetheless hunts down the worst of the criminals.
* GracefulLoser: After a fight between and Daredevil in the latter's 2019 run. After another ideological clash, Matt beats Frank down and boasts that if he were a killer like Frank, the death toll Punisher leaves is nothing compared to what Daredevil would, and Frank would be dead. Frank doesn't deny it and admits Matt killing him would be worth it, since he knew Matt would carry on Frank's war against crime better than he ever could.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Skirts the line of MoralEventHorizon here a ''lot''. Frank himself freely admits that he's a monster that hunts other monsters.
* HeroicSacrifice: Frank doesn't say much but he isn't a dumb brute. He's actually extremely complex ([[DependingOnTheWriter when written well]]). Deep down he is a decent and good man but also has to contend with the blood lust that was awakened inside of him when he went to war. When his family died the good man inside lost the strength to keep the demons at bay, all he could do was choose the target. While he does have DeathSeeker tendences and when it comes to his past self believes ThatManIsDead, Frank has expressed ([[ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms to a goddess no less!]]) that he does what he does and becomes the monster so that the right things get done. He's willing to be the monster all of the other heroes despise ([[ShadowArchetype and are secretly terrified of]]) and do terrible things so long as people are saved and bad guys can't get away with the evil they've done. Frank is willing to damn himself if it will help other people in the end.
--> '''Punisher:''' So I thought "it's fine". It doesn't matter what you have to do or what you have to become. So long as you do the right thing and the right thing gets done. Be a monster if you have to. It's fine.
* IAmWhatIAm: Frank makes no allusions or pretensions to what he does. He point blank calls himself a monster that just hunts other monsters and he really doesn't care what other people think nor does he feel the need to debate them. It's not that he feels he's justified in what he does as he doesn't need any justification. He just kills bad guys period.
* IWorkAlone: Repeatedly discussed. In his opinion, "no one should be like me."
* IconicItem: His skull T-shirt. It was originally a kevlar suit, and is sometimes a bulletproof vest.
* ImmuneToMindControl: Once [[NoSell No-Selled]] a sexuality-based mind control power from two villainesses who ordered Spider-Man to attack him ([[{{technobabble}} something about his using his reptilian brain more than other brain functions]]).
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Frank's a big fan of this.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He may be a violent, deranged borderline sociopath and a jerk to almost everyone he meets but it's shown that Frank does genuinely care about the people he saves and his few friends.
* KarmicThief: He swipes the cash that he finds on his raids to finance his war on crime.
* KnightInSourArmor: DependingOnTheWriter he is this. Sometimes he is very brutal, fully self-aware yet very tragic. Other times he acts the opposite.
* KnightTemplar: At his most brutal, he's this. He's still on the side of good, but his methods are ''way'' beyond what most people find acceptable and his [[TautologicalTemplar moral absolutist]] tendencies generally don't help sway anyone.
* LightningBruiser: What he lacks in straight heroic based powers (super speed, durability, strength, etc.), he makes up for in highly trained reflexes, sheer determination, and the upmost brutality he brings to the table in any bouts.
* MadeOfIron: Frank can take ridiculous amounts of punishment and damage with seemingly no ill effect. No matter how hurt or messed up, none of his injuries ever seem permanent. While he has died and come back a few times, it never made any lasting change on him.
** While Creator/GarthEnnis established Frank as having made a deal with/been chosen by Death itself in the Max series, it was very much a case of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. Here in the main 616 universe, he has been heavily implied by the lady herself that he's one of her chosen knights and avatars like Thanos or Deadpool.
--->'''Death:''' Once I have chosen a being to be my living instrument on the mortal plane, I'm afraid their path is set in stone. And I choose...'''many''' children, Francis Castle.
* {{Mentor}}: To Rachel Cole-Alves. Might qualify as an EvilMentor depending on how you want to look at it.
* MightyGlacier: As Franken-Castle, he was much stronger and tougher than in life but since he lacked the muscle memory of his old self, he was much slower and more cumbersome in combat.
* MilitarySuperhero: A key part of his backstory is that he was soldier who fought in a war.
* MoreDakka: His solution to most problems.
* NeverHurtAnInnocent: One of the reasons why the Punisher is an Anti ''Hero''. Well, he won't ''kill'' innocents, and he probably won't give them any ''permanent'' injuries.
* NoSell: One of ComicBook/GhostRider's most powerful techniques is the Penance Stare, which causes anyone with an ounce of remorse for what they've done to experience the pain that they've inflicted on others. When he tried to do this on Frank during a LetsYouAndHimFight, nothing happened, because Frank has no regrets about his brutal war on crime.
* OneManArmy: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] depending on the circumstances. Frank is only human but he has near peak level physical ability, is an expert in weapons and warfare, a cunning tactician, basically psychopathic levels of pain endurance, and TheGift when it comes to fighting and killing. He's unstoppable among rank and file human criminals and can even hold his own against other BadassNormal and otherwise "street level" heroes like Daredevil. How well he does against the superpower set is based on the arms he has available. If he's not expecting to fight someone with superpowers and he isn't equipped for it then he will get his ass kicked and barely survive. If he's going after super people and he is appropriately armed (like hunting frost giants with Asgardian weapons) then he is still a one man army.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: For a decade, The Punisher was never referred to by his real name, even when he stood trial in ''The Spectacular Spider-Man''. It took until 1985 for his actual name to be established as Frank Castle (born Castiglione).
* PapaWolf: The catalyst for his continuous RoaringRampageOfRevenge against criminals everywhere is his family being killed.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: This trope defines him. He brutally guns down criminals. How this is received depends on where in the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism the comic he's appearing in is. But one thing's for sure. If he has you on his list, he will kick you when you are down. And shoot you. And throw a grenade on you. And push you in front of a moving subway train. And pull out all your teeth while you're tied to a dentist's chair. And run you over with his car, then back up and run you over again. And hook your balls up to a car battery, turn the ignition key until you've shit all over yourself, and then turn the key some more. If you're on his list, you deserve everything he does to you. So don't get on Frank's list.
* PermaStubble: Quite regularly.
* PerpetualFrowner: Frank's default expression.
* PhraseCatcher: When Frank enters a room, the response is usually some variation of...
-->'''Mobster''': [[OhCrap Holy shit]]! It's the [[TheDreaded fucking Punisher]]!
* PoweredArmor: He had to resort to using this against the Reavers, a pair of thugs hopped up on a kind of "[[PsychoSerum super-PCP]]" and the ComicBook/RedHulk. He later wears a set of War Machine armor for a while.
* PragmaticHero: While not a hero in the conventional sense as he is a anti-hero. When written in a lighter story, he kills less but still shows no mercy, and does whatever it takes in the task at hand.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: While Frank Castle hunts down, kills, and tortures every criminal he comes across, he has an extra hatred towards rapists and reserves the ''worst'' form of torture he can think of for them (particularly sex traffickers and child rapists).
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Focus on "what HE thinks is right", which unfortunately isn't shared by his more heroic contemporaries who'd rather he not turn New York into a worse war zone than it already is.
* SemperFi: Frank was a marine.
* SerialKillerKiller: Considering who Frank is, he brutally kills murderers.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Frank definitely fits the bill. After three brutal tours of duty in The Vietnam War, Frank Castle lost his wife and children to Mafia thugs and now wages a one-man war on crime. Various authors have toyed with Frank's mental state, and Creator/GarthEnnis has suggested that in Vietnam, Frank started to [[BloodKnight love combat and killing people]], with the death of his family possibly being only the final straw that caused his killing sprees.
* SociopathicHero: The comic book mascot of this trope. He was, by far, the most popular costumed "superhero" to kill his enemies rather than putting them to jail. And he's been doing it way before UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: In ''Punisher: War Machine'', Frank gets to borrow a set of ComicBook/WarMachine armor to complete a dangerous "off the books" mission for ComicBook/NickFury. Recognizing its [[DiscOneNuke potential]] as a weapon in his one man war on crime, he decides to keep it for himself.
-->'''Fury:''' Remember, when this mission is over, that suit goes right back to me.
-->'''Frank:''' Fuck that.
* TheStoic: Frank is either calm, detached, and homicidal, or (much more rarely) [[TranquilFury pissed off and homicidal]]. That's it. To quote the 2005 video game (written by Garth Ennis):
-->''*after blasting Bushwacker through a wall*'' I don't smile much. Don't smile ever. But if I did, [[SlasherSmile this would be one]].
* TerrorHero: BIG TIME! Frank was a trained special forces soldier and even among his peers was considered TheAce. This means that he has no problem with lethal force, JustShootHim, ColdBloodedTorture, and being a CombatPragmatist. The bad guys know that Spider-Man or Captain America will just beat them up and give them to the cops. Frank on the other hand will put them in a grave. He's also this to other heroes because try as they might to dismiss him as an AxCrazy VigilanteMan, they know he and they are the same Like most of the other heroes, Frank has a strong moral code and will always prioritize saving innocent people over killing the bad guy. He will never harm innocent people and will make sure there's no collateral damage in the form of civilian lives. He is also the TheDeterminator and has as much willpower as any of them. Frank is feared by other heroes because he represents what they [[HeWhoFightsMonsters could become if they go too far]].
* ThatManIsDead: A favorite saying of his; Frank Castle died with his family. He's the Punisher.
* TooDumbToLive: In his IdiotBall moments, Frank is prone to [[BullyingADragon picking fights with characters well beyond his weight class]]. Worst cases include;
** He had a run with a large green man who was very obviously the '''[[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk HULK]]''', a being who the US army has been trying to kill for years with no success. [[ShootingSuperman Frank can't scratch him]], and his first reaction was that the giant green man must be wearing body armor, rather than it was, you know, '''THE HULK'''.
** When teaming up with [[Comicbook/{{Venom}} Anti-Venom]] in an attack on a Mexican crime syndicate. After realizig Anti-Venom is Eddie Brock under a new alias, Frank shoots him in the head and nearly shoots Eddie's MoralityPet when she's used as a HumanShield. Anti-Venom's HealingFactor meant he regenerating and nearly killed Punisher. Despite him sparring Frank, he still kept trying to kill Eddie. On top of having powers, Anti-Venom is AntiHero who thinks nothing of killing his enemies and has at times also eaten them, so Frank is lucky he didn't join Eddie's long list of victims.
** When ComicBook/NormanOsborn, another superpowered villain who was at the time had his own suit of PoweredArmor designed by [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] was the head of SHIELD and the leader of his own supervillain team the ComicBook/DarkAvengers, which included ComicBook/TheSentry as his personal attack dog, Frank tried to assassinate him. This was predictable thwarted by the Sentry, and led to Norman sending ComicBook/{{Daken}} after Frank who sliced him into pieces.
* TortureTechnician: Push one of his {{Berserk Button}}s, and you'll wish he was just using the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique.
* TragicHero: Despite gunning down organized crime as fast as he can, it never ceases to exist, which condemns him to do it until the day he dies.
* UngratefulBastard: Rare 'heroic' version. If you aid the Punisher, even save his life repeatedly, don't expect him to show much gratitude if you're on his 'bad' list. Or his 'good' list either, as Yorkie has found out.
* UnwittingPawn: One of the more hated parts of ''ComicBook/ThePunisherPurgatory'' was the retcon that Frank was really one of these for the demon Olivier (who once he regained his memories of his true self after being reborn as gangster Frank Costa decided to arrange the death of Frank's family so he could have an avatar to build an army for him out of those Frank killed).
* TheVietnamVet: This guy's history as a Vietnam veteran was a key part of his backstory, and some have suggested it's part of why his response to his family's murder was to wage a one-man war on crime. In 2019, it's no longer the case as ''History of the Marvel Universe'' issue 2 retconned a war with the FictionalCountry of Siancong and moved Frank's history to that conflict.
* VigilanteMan: One of the ultimate examples in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse
* VillainProtagonist: Sometimes, most notably in Greg Rucka's 2009 ''War Zone'' miniseries when he goes up against the Avengers.
* VillainousUnderdog: Given how underpowered he is compared to most superheroes, any story in which he's the bad guy is likely to make him this. Notable examples include his early ''Comicbook/SpiderMan'' and ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' appearances, and especially ''War Zone'' (2009) miniseries where he goes up against Comicbook/TheAvengers with nothing but his guns and his tactical acumen.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: When Frank was still an antagonist in his early appearances, he had a pronounced widow's peak.
* VitriolicBestBuds: a DownplayedTrope with Frank because he doesn't like to work with or get close to anyone which is stated by Frank to Joan, an old neighbor of his, who suggested that the reason is because of losing his family and him responding, "If I can, I try to make sure to not like them" when he does have to work with others, but Frank has a few people he can call close acquaintances if not friends.
** While he's clashed with Wolverine a few times, they're often portrayed as working together and understanding each other (except when written by Garth Ennis who hates Wolverine). Frank's come to James' rescue before and in turn he's helped out Frank like when the avengers decided to bring the punisher in.
** Thor and the Asgardians tend to think well of him as they are all ProudWarriorRace people and, like Frank, believe in punishing the wicked severely. The only issue Thor has with Frank is he believes Frank goes too far at times and can get drunk on "warrior's madness" (I.E. consumed by bloodlust to the point of crossing the line due to the thrill of battle). Surprisingly, Thor's mom Freyja thinks the world of Frank after he helped and supported her during war of the realms.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He does almost whatever it takes, no matter how gritty and dark it gets to kill criminals. Yet he never kills innocents or those working on the side of the law.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets a constant stream of this from other heroes, not just because of his lethal methods, but also because of his willingness to execute beaten opponents, mutilate, steal, commit arson, and pretty much do things that would make him a supervillain in any other context.
* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: Frank has a number of sympathizers like Microchip who have access to modern military-grade hardware and [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture technology that's even more advanced]]. Some of the more violent superheroes actually like the guy and are willing to throw him something really special for some of his tougher missions (Black Widow and the Winter Soldier gave him special ammo that can go through the Mandarin's force field, while Red Hulk got him gamma-modified body armor for his days as a Thunderbolt). He still has contacts with officers from different military units around the world that he's able to get guns and information from, either through bribing them or appealing to their sympathies. And of course, he's happy to steal money and weapons from criminal organizations.
* WifeBasherBasher: Frank is generally depicted as ''especially'' cruel to abusers. One issue had him tailing a pair of cops, one of them a crook, the other an alcoholic. Frank disapproves of his drinking problem, but decides he'll let him go... until the cop's wife comes into the room and he starts beating her.
* WorthyOpponent: His relationship with a few heroes, most notably Daredevil. Matt thinks that he's a psychopathic maniac whose methods go well beyond what could even be argued to be justifiable, while Frank thinks that Matt is a self-congratulating moralist who needs to stay the fuck out of his way. Their encounters typically end with either Matt beating the hell out of Frank or Frank incapacitating Matt for long enough to give him a "mind you own goddamn business" lecture, but while both parties have had countless opportunities to kill or cripple one another over the years, the fact that they haven't indicates some kind of grudging respect.
* WouldHitAGirl: Castle has no problems killing female villains.
* WouldNotShootAGoodGuy: He'll never use lethal force against clean cops. Nor will he do so against superheroes, unless he knows said super can survive it.
----

* KnifeNut: If Frank uses a close combat weapon, it'll be a knife.

* BadassBeard: On occasion when it goes beyond his usual PermaStubble. He sported one for most of Creator/GregRucka's run.

* TerrorHero: BIG TIME! Frank was a trained special forces soldier and even among his peers was considered TheAce. This means that he has no problem with lethal force, JustShootHim, ColdBloodedTorture, and being a CombatPragmatist. The bad guys know that Spider-Man or Captain America will just beat them up and give them to the cops. Frank on the other hand will put them in a grave. He's also this to other heroes because try as they might to dismiss him as an AxCrazy VigilanteMan, they know he and they are NotSoDifferent. Like most of the other heroes, Frank has a strong moral code and will always prioritize saving innocent people over killing the bad guy. He will never harm innocent people and will make sure there's no collateral damage in the form of civilian lives. He is also the TheDeterminator and has as much willpower as any of them. Frank is feared by other heroes because he represents what they [[HeWhoFightsMonsters could become if they go too far]].

* TheDon: Became briefly one for the Geracis, a minor crime family in New York, after they rescued him from an electric chair and convinced him that the best way to fight the crime is to control it. As you can imagine, this is almost uniformly ignored today.

* GracefulLoser: After a fight between and Daredevil in the latter's 2019 run. After another idealogical clash, Matt beats Frank down and boasts that if he were a killer like Frank, the death toll Punisher leaves is nothing compared to what Daredevil would, and Frank would be dead. Frank doesn't deny it and admits Matt killing him would be worth it, since he knew Matt would carry on Frank's war against crime better than he ever could.

** Going after the '''[[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk HULK]]''', a being who the US army has been trying to kill for years with no success. [[ShootingSuperman Frank can't scratch]], but luckily the Hulk just knocks him out.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Among the Marvel Universe's more squeaky-clean super hero community, Frank is easily ''the'' most reviled. Even [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]], post [[ComicBook/AvengersVsXmen Phoenix Five]], has a few other heroes that he can call friends. Frank has absolutely no support among the larger hero community because he deems himself JudgeJuryAndExecutioner to virtually every criminal he meets. Even people that are willing to put up with that won't work with him because he point blank refuses to compromise, even for the sake of pragmatism. The only other "[[AntiHero heroes]]" he gets along with are those cut from the [[UnscrupulousHero same]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil cloth]] as [[VigilanteMan himself]]. He usually gets along with guys like ComicBook/{{Blade}}, ComicBook/GhostRider (most of them), ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} (at least when not written by Creator/GarthEnnis), and other people on the side of good that are willing to take things to the limit to stop the bad guys. While he doesn't consider the others like him friends exactly, he usually get along well with them as they all have a decent amount of respect for each other because [[BirdsOfAFeather of their similar backgrounds]]. Interesting, even the more noble heroes will work with Frank when they need to and don't usually hate him if they can, on some level, relate to him. He gets on well with Thor because both of them are warriors and Thor at the least understands that sometimes killing is necessary (Ditto to the other Asgardians because they're all {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s and respect Frank's [[HeroicWillpower resolve]] [[WouldNotHurtAnInnocent and]] [[WouldNotHurtAGoodGuy code]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil of]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold honor]]). Captain America hates Frank's outlook but doesn't hate the man as a fellow soldier, as he understands Frank's outlook and also know that Frank is needed in certain circumstances.

* DependingOnTheWriter: He's vacillated between a somewhat reasonable vigilante fully willing to abide by other heroes no-killing rules during team-ups, to an frothing lunatic who'll murder jaywalkers (retconned into being due to drugs he was exposed to without his knowledge), to being a serial killer who uses his family's deaths as a justification for the endless war he wages to sate his bloodlust.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Among the Marvel more squeeky clean super hero community Frank is easily ''the'' most reviled. Even [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]], post [[ComicBook/AvengersVsXmen Phoenix Five]], has a few other heroes that he can call friend. Frank has absolutely no support among the larger hero community because he deems himself JudgeJuryAndExecutioner to virtually every criminal he meets. Even people that are willing to put up with that won't work with him because he point blank refuses to compromise, even for the sake of pragmatism. The only other [[AntiHero "heroes"]] he gets along with are those cut from the [[UnscrupulousHero same]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil cloth]] as [[VigilanteMan himself.]] He usually gets along with guys ComicBook/{{Blade}}, ComicBook/GhostRider (most of them), ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} (at least when not written by Creator/GarthEnnis), and other people on the side of good that are willing to take things to the limit to stop the bad guys. While he doesn't consider the others like him friends exactly, he usually get along well with them as they all have a decent amount of respect for each other because [[BirdsOfAFeather of their similar backgrounds.]] Interesting, even the more noble heroes will work with Frank when they need to and don't usually hate him if they can, on some level, relate to him. He gets on well with Thor because both of them are warriors and Thor at the least understands that sometimes killing is necessary (Ditto to the other Asgardians because they're all {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s and respect Frank's [[HeroicWillpower resolve]] [[WouldNotHurtAnInnocent and]] [[WouldNotHurtAGoodGuy code]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil of]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold honor]]). Captain America hates Frank's outlook but doesn't hate the man as a fellow soldier, as he understands Frank's outlook and also know that Frank is needed in certain circumstances.

* HeroicSacrifice: Frank doesn't say much be he isn't a dumb brute. He's actually extremely complex ([[DependingOnTheWriter when written well]]). Deep down he is a decent and good man but also has to contend with the blood lust that was awakened inside of him when he went to war. When his family died the good man inside lost the strength to keep the demons at bay, all he could do was choose the target. While he does have DeathSeeker tendences and when it comes to his past self believes ThatManIsDead, Frank has expressed ([[ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms to a goddess no less!]]) that he does what he does and becomes the monster so that the right things get done. He's willing to be the monster all of the other heroes despise ([[ShadowArchetype and are secretly terrified of]]) and do terrible things so long as people are saved and bad guys can't get away with the evil they've done. Frank is willing to damn himself if it will help other people in the end.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He may be a violent, deranged sociopath and a jerk to almost everyone he meets but it's shown that Frank does genuinely care about the people he saves and his few friends.

** While GarthEnnis established Frank as having made a deal with/been chosen by Death itself in the Max series, it was very much a case of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane. Here in the main 616 universe, he has been heavily implied by the lady herself that he's one of her chosen knights and avatars like Thanos or Deadpool.

* MightyGlacier: As Franken-Castle, he was much stronger than in life but since he lacked the muscle memory of his old self, he was much slower and cumbersome in combat.

* OneManArmy: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] depending on the circumstances. Frank is only human but he has near peak level physical ability, is an expert in weapons and warfare, a cunning tactician, basically psychopathic levels of pain endurance, and TheGift when it comes to fighting and killing. He's unstoppable among rank and file human criminals and can even hold his own against other BadassNormal heroes like Daredevil. How well he does against the superpower set is based on the arms he has available. If he's not expecting to fight someone with superpowers and he isn't equipped for it then he will get his ass kicked and barely survive. If he's going after super people and he is appropriately armed (like hunting frost giants with Asgardian weapons) then he is still a one man army.

* PapaWolf: The catalyst for his continuous RoaringRampageOfRevenge against criminals everywhere is his family being killed.

* TheStoic: Frank is either calm, detached, and homicidal, or (much more rarely) [[TranquilFury pissed off and homicidal.]] That's it. To quote the 2005 videogame (written by Garth Ennis):
-->''*after blasting Bushwacker through a wall*'' I don't smile much. Don't smile ever. But if I did, [[SlasherSmile this would be one.]]
* TerrorHero: BIG TIME! Frank was a trained special forces soldier and even among his peers was considered TheAce. This means that he has no problem with lethal force, JustShootHim, ColdBloodedTorture, and being a CombatPragmatist. The bad guys know that Spider-Man or Captain America will just beat them up and give them to the cops. Frank on the other hand will put them in a grave. He's also this to other heroes because try as they might to dismiss him as an AxCrazy VigilanteMan, they know he and they are NotSoDifferent. Like most of the other heroes, Frank has a strong moral code and will always prioritize saving innocent people over killing the bad guy. He will never harm innocent people and will make sure there's no collateral damage in the form of civilian lives. He is also the TheDeterminator and has as much willpower as any of them. Frank is feared by other heroes because he represents what they [[HeWhoFightsMonsters could become if they go too far.]]

** Thor and the Asgardians tend to think well of him as they are all ProudWarriorRace people and, like Frank, believe in punishing the wicked severely. The only issue Thor has with Frank is he believes Frank goes too far at times and can get drunk on "warrior's madness"(I.E. consumed by blood lust to the point of crossing the line due to the thrill of battle). Surprisingly, Thor's mom Freyja thinks the world of Frank after he helped and supported her during war of the realms.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He does almost whatever it takes, no matter how gritty and dark it gets to kill criminals. Yet he never kills innocents and those working on the side of the law.

* TheVietnamVet: This guy's history as a Vietnam veteran as a key part of his backstory, and some have suggested it's part of why his response to his family's murder was to wage a one-man war on crime.

* ImmuneToMindControl: Once [[NoSell No-Selled]] a sexuality-based mind control power from two villainesses who ordered Spider-Man to attack him ([[TechnoBabble something about his using his reptilian brain more than other brain functions]]).

* KarmicThief: He swipes the cash that he finds on his raids to finance the war.

* LightningBruiser: What he lacks in straight heroic based powers (Super Speed, durability, strength), he makes up for in highly trained reflexes, sheer determination, and the upmost brutality he brings to the table in any bouts.
* MadeOfIron: Frank can take rediculous amounts of punishment and damage with seemingly no ill efect. No matter how hurt or messed up, none of his injurys ever seem permanent. While he has died and come back a few times, it never made any lasting change on him.

* PoweredArmor: He had to resort to using this against the Reavers, a pair of thugs hopped up on a kind of "[[PsychoSerum super-PCP]]" and the ComicBook/RedHulk. He later wears a set of War Machine armor for a while.

* TerrorHero: BIG TIME! Frank was a trained special forces soldier and even among his peers was considered TheAce. This means that he has no problem with lethal force, JustShootHim, ColdBloodedTorture, and being a CombatPragmatist. The bad guys know that Spider-Man or Captain America will just beat them up and give them to the cops. Frank on the other hand will put them in a grave. He's also this to other heroes because try as they might to dismiss him as an AxCrazy VigilanteMan, they know he and they are NotSoDifferent. Like most of the other heroes, Frank has a strong moral code and will always prioritize saving innocent people over killing the bad guy. He will never harm innocent people and will make sure there's no collateral damage in the form of civilian lives. He is also the TheDeterminator and has as much willpower as any of them. Frank is feared by other heroes because he represents what they [[HeWhoFightsMonsters could become if they go too far.]]

* TortureTechnician: Push one of his {{Berserk Button}}s, and you'll wish he was just using the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique.

* ImmuneToMindControl: Once {{NoSell}}ed a sexuality-based mind control power from two villainesses who ordered Spider-Man to attack him ([[TechnoBabble something about his using his reptilian brain more than other brain functions]]).

* ImmuneToMindControl: Once {{No Sell}}ed a sexuality-based mind control power from two villainesses who ordered Spider-Man to attack him ([[TechnoBabble something about his using his reptilian brain more than other brain functions]]).