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* ShovelStrike: Just as Coltrane tries to get payback on Stevie for disrupting his drug business, Castle knocks him out with a shovel.
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* ShovelStrike: ShovelStrike:
** Just as Coltrane tries to get payback on Stevie for disrupting his drug business, Castle knocks him out with ashovel.shovel.
** When Castle runs out of ammo during the final battle, this is how he starts defending himself. With lethal effects.
** Just as Coltrane tries to get payback on Stevie for disrupting his drug business, Castle knocks him out with a
** When Castle runs out of ammo during the final battle, this is how he starts defending himself. With lethal effects.
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* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: At the end of the story, the NVA has completely overruled the defenses of the Valley Forge Fire Base and only Castle and Goodwin are still standing. When all seems lost, an F-4 Phantom suddenly roars over Goodwin, releasing napalm on the attackers. Other American planes follow the first one and, for a brief moment Goodwin thinks that they have been saved as nothing could have survived the air attack. Then, a Vietnamese infantryman charges towards him through the flames, with a bayonet nested on the rifle]].
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* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: At the end of the story, the NVA has completely overruled overwhelmed the defenses of the Valley Forge Fire Base and only Castle and Goodwin are still standing. When all seems lost, an F-4 Phantom suddenly roars over Goodwin, releasing napalm on the attackers. Other American planes follow the first one and, for a brief moment moment, Goodwin thinks that they have been saved as nothing could have survived the air attack. Then, a Vietnamese infantryman charges towards him through the flames, with a bayonet nested on the rifle]].
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* AnyoneCanDie: Like most works of military fiction, anyone not named Frank Castle is more or less fair game. As the initial platoon gets smaller and smaller with each passing issue.
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* AnyoneCanDie: Like most works of military fiction, anyone not named Frank Castle is more or less fair game. As the The initial platoon gets smaller and smaller with each passing issue.
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* BandOfBrothers: Averted; they may be squadmates in a tight situation, but it is made abundantly clear that the Marines of Valley Forge are ''far'' from friends. Let alone "brothers in arms".
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* BandOfBrothers: Averted; they may be squadmates squad mates in a tight situation, but it is made abundantly clear that the Marines of Valley Forge are ''far'' from friends. Let alone "brothers in arms".
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* DealWithTheDevil: One of the possible explanations for the mysterious voice that Frank hears in his head throughout the series. Frank refuses to accept that the US is withdrawing from Vietnam and does everything he can to postpone shutting down his camp. [[spoiler:The NVA finally assault the base during a storm while the US army air support is cut off, killing everyone. Frank is the last American alive, and the voice makes him an offer. Eternal war, in exchange for something. Frank accepts and survives when the US air strike finally arrives. Frank comes back home and meets his family at the airport, and the voice returns to claim the price for his eternal war: Frank's family]].
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* DealWithTheDevil: One of the possible explanations for the mysterious voice that Frank hears in his head throughout the series. Frank refuses to accept that the US is withdrawing from Vietnam and does everything he can to postpone shutting down his camp. [[spoiler:The NVA finally assault assaults the base during a storm while the US army air support is cut off, killing everyone. Frank is the last American alive, and the voice makes him an offer. Eternal war, in exchange for something. Frank accepts and survives when the US air strike finally arrives. Frank comes back home and meets his family at the airport, and the voice returns to claim the price for his eternal war: Frank's family]].
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: At the end of the story, the NVA has completely overruled the defenses of the Valley Forge Fire Base and only Castle and Goodwin are still standing. When all seems lost, an F-4 Phantom suddenly roars over Goodwin, releasing napalm on the attackers. Other American planes follow the first one and, for a brief moment Goodwin thinks that they have been saved as nothing could have survived the air attack. Then, a Vietnamese infantryman charges towards him through the flames, with a bayonet nested on the rifle]].
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* SerialKiller: This is arguably the story that goes the farthest in showing the Punisher as nothing more than a brutal murderer. Not only it depicts Castle as a SociopathicSoldier in love with war to the point of not being able to cope with the fact that the American involvement in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar is coming to an end. [[spoiler:It also reveals that Castle was committing (more or less) random murders way before his family's massacre.]] Oh, and if you believe that the voices Frank hears in his head are just Castle's InnerMonologue, he is also borderline psycothic.
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* SerialKiller: This is arguably the story that goes the farthest in showing the Punisher as nothing more than a brutal murderer. Not only it depicts Castle as a SociopathicSoldier in love with war to the point of not being able to cope with the fact that the American involvement in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar is coming to an end. [[spoiler:It also reveals that Castle was committing (more or less) random murders way before his family's massacre.]] Oh, and if you believe that the voices Frank hears in his head are just Castle's his own InnerMonologue, he is also borderline psycothic.
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* SerialKiller: This is arguably the story that goes the farthest in showing the Punisher as nothing more than a brutal murderer. Not only it depicts Castle as a SociopathicSoldier in love with war to the point of not being able to cope with the fact that the American involvement in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar is coming to an end. It also reveals that Castle was committing more or less random murders way before his family's massacre. Oh, and if you believe that the voices Frank hears in his head are just Castle's InnerMonologue, he is also borderline psycothic.
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* SerialKiller: This is arguably the story that goes the farthest in showing the Punisher as nothing more than a brutal murderer. Not only it depicts Castle as a SociopathicSoldier in love with war to the point of not being able to cope with the fact that the American involvement in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar is coming to an end. It [[spoiler:It also reveals that Castle was committing more (more or less less) random murders way before his family's massacre. massacre.]] Oh, and if you believe that the voices Frank hears in his head are just Castle's InnerMonologue, he is also borderline psycothic.
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* DealWithTheDevil: Throughout the series, Frank appears to talk with a mysterious voice in his head. Frank refuses to accept that the US is withdrawing from Vietnam and does everything he can to postpone shutting down his camp. [[spoiler:The NVA finally assault the base during a storm while the US army air support is cut off, killing everyone. Frank is the last American alive, and the voice makes him an offer. Eternal war, in exchange for something. Frank accepts and survives when the US air strike finally arrives. Frank comes back home and meets his family at the airport, and the voice returns to claim the price for his eternal war: Frank's family]].
to:
* DealWithTheDevil: Throughout One of the series, Frank appears to talk with a possible explanations for the mysterious voice that Frank hears in his head.head throughout the series. Frank refuses to accept that the US is withdrawing from Vietnam and does everything he can to postpone shutting down his camp. [[spoiler:The NVA finally assault the base during a storm while the US army air support is cut off, killing everyone. Frank is the last American alive, and the voice makes him an offer. Eternal war, in exchange for something. Frank accepts and survives when the US air strike finally arrives. Frank comes back home and meets his family at the airport, and the voice returns to claim the price for his eternal war: Frank's family]].
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* SerialKiller: This is arguably the story that goes the farthest in showing the Punisher as nothing more than a brutal murderer. Not only it depicts Castle as a SociopathicSoldier in love with war to the point of not being able to cope with the fact that the American involvement in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar is coming to an end. It also reveals that Castle was committing more or less random murders way before his family's massacre. Oh, and if you believe that the voices Frank hears in his head are just Castle's InnerMonologue, he is also borderline psycothic.
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* JerkassHasAPoint: The commander of the Valley Forge base may be an incompetent [[TheAlcoholic drunkard]] and a DirtyCoward, but he is right on one thing. [[spoiler: Had the marines simply stayed put and given up on interfering with the NVA’s lines of communication, the enemy might have decided that taking the base out was not worth the trouble (and the predictable heavy losses).]]
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* JerkassHasAPoint: JerkassHasAPoint:
** The commander of the Valley Forge base may be an incompetent [[TheAlcoholic drunkard]] and a DirtyCoward, but he is right on one thing. [[spoiler: Had the marines simply stayed put and given up on interfering with the NVA’s lines of communication, the enemy might have decided that taking the base out was not worth the trouble (and the predictable heavy losses).]] ]]
** The general who carries on an inspection on Valley Forge is shown as an arrogant martinet and it is implied that he decided to recommend giving a dishonorable discharge to all the personnel of the base out of spite for not having been properly given a salute from the marines. However, closing down an isolated and ineffective outpost in a remote border area is the only sensible action to take, especially considering that the American are drastically scaling down their involvement in the Vietnam War.
** The commander of the Valley Forge base may be an incompetent [[TheAlcoholic drunkard]] and a DirtyCoward, but he is right on one thing. [[spoiler: Had the marines simply stayed put and given up on interfering with the NVA’s lines of communication, the enemy might have decided that taking the base out was not worth the trouble (and the predictable heavy losses).
** The general who carries on an inspection on Valley Forge is shown as an arrogant martinet and it is implied that he decided to recommend giving a dishonorable discharge to all the personnel of the base out of spite for not having been properly given a salute from the marines. However, closing down an isolated and ineffective outpost in a remote border area is the only sensible action to take, especially considering that the American are drastically scaling down their involvement in the Vietnam War.
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* JerkassHasAPoint: The commander of the Valley Forge base may be an incompetent [[TheAlcoholic drunkard]] and a DirtyCoward, but he is right on one thing. Had the marines simply stayed put and given up on interfering with the NVA’s lines of communication, the enemy might have decided that taking the base out was not worth the trouble (and the predictable heavy losses).
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* JerkassHasAPoint: The commander of the Valley Forge base may be an incompetent [[TheAlcoholic drunkard]] and a DirtyCoward, but he is right on one thing. [[spoiler: Had the marines simply stayed put and given up on interfering with the NVA’s lines of communication, the enemy might have decided that taking the base out was not worth the trouble (and the predictable heavy losses). losses).]]
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* JerkassHasAPoint: The commander of the Valley Forge base may be an incompetent [[TheAlcoholic drunkard]] and a DirtyCoward, but he is right on one thing. Had the marines simply stayed put and given up on interfering with the NVA’s lines of communication, the enemy might have decided that taking the base out was not worth the trouble (and the predictable heavy losses).
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This trope refers to the last Garth Ennis's story arc in Punisher Max ("Valley Forge, Valley Forge"). Moved to the relevant page.
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* FramingDevice: Stevie's brother is writing a book about what happened in the base under Castle's command, along with interviews with other soldiers including the guys who picked up the SoleSurvivor.
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* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Backup for Valley Forge arrives just after the entire place is wiped out.
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* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Backup for Valley Forge arrives just after the entire place is wiped out. Only Castle is still standing, and the soldiers who recover him are sufficiently freaked out by his survival.
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* ColdSniper: We don't really get to see it on-panel, but Frank is a highly-skilled sniper with dozens of kills to his name. In the miniseries ''Fury: My War Gone By'' we are told that Frank killed dozens of Viet Cong over the course of a single month (we're later shown him killing numerous NVA soldiers with a sniper rifle). This skill of his is hinted at when Goodwin describes Castle's past, referencing "an NVA general sniped just outside Hanoi."
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* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: Zig-zagged. Frank has served in special operations (Force Recon to be specific), carried out black ops and has even worked alongside the CIA. As a result, he has extensive combat experience and is far more lethal than any of the Marines under his command. However, his experience doesn't make him so much respected as he is feared by his men.
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* OverrankedSoldier: Frank Castle is a Captain in the United States Marine Corps at 21. It wasn't impossible to find an officer that young in the U.S. military, but a ''Captain''? [[spoiler: It's later revealed in the miniseries ''Fury: My War Gone By'' that Colonel Nick Fury recommended Castle for an early promotion to Captain after tagging along with him on a mission to assassinate an NVA general and proving his talent as a soldier.]] Still, though, one has to wonder how Frank became an officer in his late teens.
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* CoolGuns: One of Frank's squadmates can be seen using a M79 break action GrenadeLauncher to obliterate an unfortunate cow.
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* CoolGuns: One of Frank's squadmates can be seen using a M79 break action GrenadeLauncher to obliterate an unfortunate cow.cow and a few VC/NVA soldiers.
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* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Frank Castle's military rank is a curious example. He is identified as a "21 year old Captain". The idea of someone so young holding an officer rank of that caliber is quite hard to believe. [[spoiler:It turns out that {{Nick Fury}} recommended he be promoted to Captain early after Frank proved himself on a mission to kill a North Vietnamese general.]]
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* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Frank Castle's military rank is a curious example. He is identified as a "21 year old Captain". The idea of someone so young holding an officer rank of that caliber is quite hard to believe. [[spoiler:It turns out that {{Nick Fury}} ComicBook/NickFury recommended he be promoted to Captain early after Frank proved himself on a mission to kill a North Vietnamese general.]]
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* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: We get a decent amount of characterization for Castle's squad mates, even though they're all going to die before the series is over. Goodwin and Angel arguably gets the most.
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* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: We get a decent amount of characterization for Castle's squad mates, even though they're all going to die before the series is over. Goodwin and Angel arguably gets the most.most, since they're at least referenced in [[ComicBook/ThePunisherMax Valley Forge, Valley Forge]] .
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* FramingDevice: Stevie's brother is writing a book about what happened in the base under Castle's command, along with interviews with other soldiers including the guys who picked up the SoleSurvivor.
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* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: Seeing as how this is a War story where AnyoneCanDie, there's ''a lot'' of this going on.
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* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: Seeing as how this is We get a War story where AnyoneCanDie, there's ''a lot'' decent amount of this characterization for Castle's squad mates, even though they're all going on.to die before the series is over. Goodwin and Angel arguably gets the most.
* ForegoneConclusion: The reader already knows that Frank was the only survivor of Valley Forge.
* KillEmAll: Aside from Frank, there were no survivors at Valley Forge, ally OR enemy.
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* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Marines execute incapacitated enemy combatants, using overtly cruel attack methods, and one of the Marines actually has a bag full of human scalps that he keeps as "souvenirs". And that's not even getting in to the part were they try to gang rape a female enemy...
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* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Marines execute incapacitated enemy combatants, using overtly cruel attack methods, and one of the Marines actually has a bag full of human scalps that he keeps as "souvenirs". And that's not even getting in to the part were they try to gang rape a female enemy... And this is still ''mild'' by Vietnam fiction standards, had Valley Forge been anywhere near a civilian settlement it would have been far worse.
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* StrawNihilist: Pretty much everyone at Valley Forge aside from Goodwin. Angel gets the most development, he constantly uses heroin and is extremely bitter about having been drafted into a meatgrinder war that even if he does survive, all he has waiting for him is an urban ghetto full of crime and death.
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* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Frank Castle's military rank is a curious example. He is identified as a "21 year old Captain". The idea of someone so young holding an officer rank of that caliber is quite hard to believe.
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* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Frank Castle's military rank is a curious example. He is identified as a "21 year old Captain". The idea of someone so young holding an officer rank of that caliber is quite hard to believe. [[spoiler:It turns out that {{Nick Fury}} recommended he be promoted to Captain early after Frank proved himself on a mission to kill a North Vietnamese general.]]
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* MercyKill: Frank's platoon captures a Viet Cong soldier who turs out to be a woman. They then have the idea to take turns gang raping her, only to be stopped by Frank, who shoots the woman in the head before they can get the chance. We later learn that Frank executed the woman not out of cruelty, but because giving her a quick death was his idea of "helping her out".
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* MercyKill: Frank's platoon captures a Viet Cong soldier who turs turns out to be a woman. They then have the idea to take turns gang raping her, only to be stopped by Frank, who shoots the woman in the head before they can get the chance. We later learn that Frank executed the woman not out of cruelty, but because giving her a quick death was his idea of "helping her out".
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-->'''Frank''': No rape. We're here to ''kill'' the enemy. That is all.
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-->'''Frank''': No rape. We're here to ''kill'' kill the enemy. That is all.
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->''This war has bred a saying, oft-repeated: "Payback is a motherfucker". At Valley Forge we have another. "If you think '''payback''''s bad-- You haven't met Frank Castle."''
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->''This war has bred a saying, oft-repeated: "Payback is a motherfucker". At Valley Forge we have another. "If you think '''payback''''s '''payback's''' bad-- You haven't met Frank Castle."''
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->''This war has bred a saying, oft-repeated: "Payback is a motherfucker". At Valley Forge we have another. "If you think payback's bad-- You haven't met Frank Castle."''
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->''This war has bred a saying, oft-repeated: "Payback is a motherfucker". At Valley Forge we have another. "If you think payback's '''payback''''s bad-- You haven't met Frank Castle."''
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* UnfriendlyFire: Frank eliminates a General who is going to close the Valley Forge base down by recommending the view from a hilltop while standing in front of a sniper warning sign.
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* UnfriendlyFire: Frank eliminates When a General who is going threatens to close the down Firebase Valley Forge base down and have Frank sent back home (and thus deprive [[BloodKnight him of his war]]). Frank conjures up an elaborate way of eliminating the General in question by recommending the view from a hilltop while standing in front of a sniper warning sign.
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* BandOfBrothers: Averted; they may be squadmates in a tight situation, but it is made abundantly clear that these men are ''far'' from friends. Let alone "brothers in arms".
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* BandOfBrothers: Averted; they may be squadmates in a tight situation, but it is made abundantly clear that these men the Marines of Valley Forge are ''far'' from friends. Let alone "brothers in arms".arms".
* BloodKnight: Virtually every Marine not named Stevie Goodwin is presumed to be one. With Frank Castle being the most extreme example. Although he [[TheStoic doesn't show it on the surface]].
* BloodKnight: Virtually every Marine not named Stevie Goodwin is presumed to be one. With Frank Castle being the most extreme example. Although he [[TheStoic doesn't show it on the surface]].
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* ClusterFBomb: The Marines of Firebase Valley Forge swear exactly as you'd expect.
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* BringMyBrownPants: In the third issue, Goodwin theorizes that one of the Marines may have shit his pants during the surprise Viet Cong attack. Given the Marines pissed off demeanor after the attack, he may be right.
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* MysteriousPast: Captain Frank Castle's past two tours are treated as such. All that is known about his previous tours is whatever rumors are currently circulating among the Marines at Firebase Valley Forge.
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* AFatherToHisMen: Averted; it's made explicitly clear by Stevie Goodwin's narration that Captain Castle feels no love for his men. With Goodwin even implying that Castle [[LackOfEmpathy may not even be capable of expressing or understanding basic human emotions]].
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* AFatherToHisMen: Averted; it's made explicitly clear by Stevie Goodwin's narration that Captain Castle feels no Castle's dedication to his men comes not from love for his men. With (with Goodwin even implying that Castle [[TheUnfettered Castle]] [[LackOfEmpathy may not even be capable of expressing expressing]] or [[EvilCannotComprehendGood understanding basic human emotions]].emotions]]), but from his determination to do his job correctly.
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* AnyoneCanDie: Like most works of military fiction, anyone not named Frank Castle is more or less fair game. As the initial platoon gets smaller and smaller with each passing issue.
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* BandOfBrothers: Averted; they may be squadmates in a tight situation, but it is made abundantly clear that these men are ''far'' from friends. Let alone "brothers in arms".
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* DarkestHour: In the final issue, the [[spoiler:NVA makes a daring all out assault on the base, killing just about every Marine stationed there, save for Captain Castle and Private Goodwin. The US air strike isn't coming anytime soon and the TheCavalry is nowhere in sight. Then Castle starts hearing that mysterious voice in his head again]]...
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* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: Seeing as how this is a War story where AnyoneCanDie, there's ''a lot'' of this going on.
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* AFatherToHisMen: Averted; it's made explicitly clear by Stevie Goodwin's narration that Captain Castle feels no love for his men. With Goodwin even implying that Castle [[LackOfEmpathy may not even be capable of expressing or understanding basic human emotions]].
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* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Frank Castle's military rank is a curious example. He is identified as a "21 year old Captain". The idea of someone so young holding an officer rank of that caliber is quite hard to believe.
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* YoungAndInCharge: Captain Frank Castle is only 21 years old and already in charge of an entire Marine Firebase. Justified in that the rest of the officers in the base are either incompetent morons, or apathetic idiots, not fit to run a base of this size.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Given his stature, rank and world-weary attitude you could easily mistake Captain Frank Castle for a man in his thirties/forties, and probably never guess that he is only ''21 years old''
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Given his stature, rank and world-weary attitude you could easily mistake Captain Frank Castle for a man in his thirties/forties, and probably never guess that he is only ''21 years old''
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* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: [[WordOfGod Writer Garth Ennis]] states that there is a possibility that the the mysterious voice in Frank's head never existed. And that his so called DealWithTheDevil was a manifestation of Frank's delusions. He even leaves it open for interpretation.
--> '''Garth Ennis''': "''To me, that whole sequence was about – it's written in that classic way where maybe it's there, maybe it's all in his head. It's more a man coming to terms with his own fate, his own destiny, and the path he'll walk through the world. A man being honest with himself about who he is. At home he has the wife, the kid, the other kid on the way, meanwhile he's up to his neck in horror. He likes it, and he's coming to terms with that and admitting it. Ultimately, it's his ability to embrace this that allows him to survive and come home to his wife and kids. He's made a kind of deal with the attraction to the violence in himself that will, in a way, draw his family into that world too. Again, you can read it anyway you want, but that's my own personal take!''"
--> '''Garth Ennis''': "''To me, that whole sequence was about – it's written in that classic way where maybe it's there, maybe it's all in his head. It's more a man coming to terms with his own fate, his own destiny, and the path he'll walk through the world. A man being honest with himself about who he is. At home he has the wife, the kid, the other kid on the way, meanwhile he's up to his neck in horror. He likes it, and he's coming to terms with that and admitting it. Ultimately, it's his ability to embrace this that allows him to survive and come home to his wife and kids. He's made a kind of deal with the attraction to the violence in himself that will, in a way, draw his family into that world too. Again, you can read it anyway you want, but that's my own personal take!''"
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* MercyKill: Frank's platoon captures a Viet Cong soldier who turs out to be a woman. They then have the idea to take turns gang raping her, only to be stopped by Frank, who shoots the woman in the head before they can get the chance. We later learn that Frank executed the woman not out of cruelty, but because giving her a quick death was his idea of "helping her out".
-->'''Frank''': No rape. We're here to ''kill'' the enemy. That is all.
-->'''Frank''': No rape. We're here to ''kill'' the enemy. That is all.
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* ShownTheirWork: In order to ensure maximum authenticity for the miniseries, Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson, looked through countless photographs of GI's that were provided to them by friends and family members of theirs who had served in Vietnam. Watched dozens of documentaries about the war, all in order to represent the conflict in the most accurate way possible.
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[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/punbo1.jpg]]
%%[[caption-width-right:300:some caption text]]
->''This war has bred a saying, oft-repeated: "Payback is a motherfucker". At Valley Forge we have another. "If you think payback's bad-- You haven't met Frank Castle."''
''Born'' is a four-issue miniseries from the year 2003, which was released through [[Creator/MarvelMAX Marvel's MAX imprint]].
The story depicts Frank Castle's last days in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, where he leads a platoon of soldiers that operate from Firebase Valley Forge. While everyone else waits for US troops to be pulled out from the unpopular conflict, Castle clings to the war, willing to do anything to keep on fighting.
Originally the comic was written to be in canon with the regular Creator/{{Marvel}} books, but it later became the starting point for Comicbook/ThePunisher's alternate [[Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX MAX]] continuity.
!!This comic has examples of:
* CampingACrapper: Averted. Castle intends to frag the apathetic commander of the base while the guy is in the crapper, but changes his mind at the last moment.
* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Backup for Valley Forge arrives just after the entire place is wiped out.
* ColonelKilgore: Captain Frank Castle is really dedicated on warfare, and is both feared and respected by the Marines of Valley Forge.
* ComicbookFantasyCasting: The appearance of Valley Forge's commander Col. Ottman is based on Creator/WilliamHMacy.
* CoolGuns: One of Frank's squadmates can be seen using a M79 break action GrenadeLauncher to obliterate an unfortunate cow.
* CoverDrop: The fourth issue gets one on the very first page with a Marine who is clutching his face, as he has just [[EyeScream lost his eyes]].
* DealWithTheDevil: Throughout the series, Frank appears to talk with a mysterious voice in his head. Frank refuses to accept that the US is withdrawing from Vietnam and does everything he can to postpone shutting down his camp. [[spoiler:The NVA finally assault the base during a storm while the US army air support is cut off, killing everyone. Frank is the last American alive, and the voice makes him an offer. Eternal war, in exchange for something. Frank accepts and survives when the US air strike finally arrives. Frank comes back home and meets his family at the airport, and the voice returns to claim the price for his eternal war: Frank's family]].
* DeathGlare: After having a look of Castle's eyes, Goodwin gets a feeling that he'd rather face the enraged drug-pusher Coltrane and his razor instead.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: While the series revolve around Frank Castle, much focus is also given to one Private Stevie Goodwin, who acts as the narrator.
* DramaticDrop: When he and Stevie hear the warning about the approaching Viet Cong and NVA, Angel drops his cigarette from his mouth in shock.
* DrivenToSuicide: When the NVA start rushing the Valley Forge base, they are shown discovering Col. Ottman after he has shot himself.
* DyingDream: [[spoiler:When Stevie 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]].
* TheGrimReaper: The mysterious voice that Frank keeps hearing is strongly hinted (and later confirmed in the liner notes) to be Death himself.
* TheLastTitle: The final issue, which depicts the fall of Valley Forge, is appropiately named "The Last Day".
* MoeGreeneSpecial: One Viet Cong member is shown being shot in the eye during the Marines ambush on their supply run.
* MoralityChain: Frank tells Goodwin that his family might be his "last chance" to be something other than a BloodKnight.
* MoreDakka: When the Marines of Valley Forge see just how much NVA soldiers are approaching, Castle's reaction is a simple one.
-->'''Capt. Castle:''' Give me the Sixty.
* NearDeathExperience: [[spoiler:At the end, during the big battle, Frank Castle makes a deal with the entity that has been talking to him throughout the series. He is given the option of dying there in Nam or having supernatural protection and thusly, a guarantee to see his family again. But the latter option will have a price..]].
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Captain Frank Castle survives the obliteration of Firebase Valley Forge by attacking Viet Cong and NVA, surviving being shot seven times. It freaks the hell out of the reinforcements that come to see who survived.
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Marines execute incapacitated enemy combatants, using overtly cruel attack methods, and one of the Marines actually has a bag full of human scalps that he keeps as "souvenirs". And that's not even getting in to the part were they try to gang rape a female enemy...
* OffWithHisHead: Angel gets his head clean blown off by the enemy just after how "there ain't no muthafuckin' god".
* PistolWhipping: After seeing his friend Angel going to the bunker that's a hotspot for drug-use, Stevie hits its boss Coltrane in the face with a butt of a rifle, and drags Angel away from the place.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Valley Forge is a place where all kinds of screwups are send to.
* SemperFi: Subverted. The story takes place in a base filled with Marines who are amoral washouts, depicted as either apathetic or cruel, run by incompetent commanding officers. As a Marine Frank Castle is shown to be addicted to combat, willing to indirectly kill a General in order to keep his firebase (and therefore his, war) going. Overall this depiction certainly doesn't sit well with the brave, heroic image the USMC typically has.
* ShovelStrike: Just as Coltrane tries to get payback on Stevie for disrupting his drug business, Castle knocks him out with a shovel.
* SociopathicSoldier: Valley Forge is rife with these. The vast majority of the Marines are depicted as either clear cut psychopaths, amoral conscripts, or jingoistic sociopaths— half of whom are implied to be addicted to heroin— with a commanding officer who is alcoholic, broken, and knows full well that the war is a lost cause. With the young narrator of the story Stevie Goodwin explicitly stated as an unwilling conscript who wanted nothing to do with the war and whose only desire is to return home safely, but at the same time realizes that sticking with Frank Castle and his platoon is his best bet at getting home in one piece.
* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:In the end, everyone on both sides perishes, except for Frank Castle]].
* UnfriendlyFire: Frank eliminates a General who is going to close the Valley Forge base down by recommending the view from a hilltop while standing in front of a sniper warning sign.
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Yes", which marks Castle giving in to the voice he has been hearing throughout the series, and accepting its offer to give him the war unending]].
* WideEyedIdealist: The young Marine Stevie Goodwin. The NaiveNewcomer of Frank's platoon who had the misfortune of being stationed at the Valley Forge firebase, for his first tour of duty in 'Nam. Throughout the mini series the young Marine desperately tries to hold on to his moral fiber, believing that as long as he keeps a positive outlook, he will eventually return home to the "true America", that he holds so dear to his heart. [[spoiler:Tragically, he doesn't live long enough to get the chance]].
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%%[[caption-width-right:300:some caption text]]
->''This war has bred a saying, oft-repeated: "Payback is a motherfucker". At Valley Forge we have another. "If you think payback's bad-- You haven't met Frank Castle."''
''Born'' is a four-issue miniseries from the year 2003, which was released through [[Creator/MarvelMAX Marvel's MAX imprint]].
The story depicts Frank Castle's last days in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, where he leads a platoon of soldiers that operate from Firebase Valley Forge. While everyone else waits for US troops to be pulled out from the unpopular conflict, Castle clings to the war, willing to do anything to keep on fighting.
Originally the comic was written to be in canon with the regular Creator/{{Marvel}} books, but it later became the starting point for Comicbook/ThePunisher's alternate [[Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX MAX]] continuity.
!!This comic has examples of:
* CampingACrapper: Averted. Castle intends to frag the apathetic commander of the base while the guy is in the crapper, but changes his mind at the last moment.
* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Backup for Valley Forge arrives just after the entire place is wiped out.
* ColonelKilgore: Captain Frank Castle is really dedicated on warfare, and is both feared and respected by the Marines of Valley Forge.
* ComicbookFantasyCasting: The appearance of Valley Forge's commander Col. Ottman is based on Creator/WilliamHMacy.
* CoolGuns: One of Frank's squadmates can be seen using a M79 break action GrenadeLauncher to obliterate an unfortunate cow.
* CoverDrop: The fourth issue gets one on the very first page with a Marine who is clutching his face, as he has just [[EyeScream lost his eyes]].
* DealWithTheDevil: Throughout the series, Frank appears to talk with a mysterious voice in his head. Frank refuses to accept that the US is withdrawing from Vietnam and does everything he can to postpone shutting down his camp. [[spoiler:The NVA finally assault the base during a storm while the US army air support is cut off, killing everyone. Frank is the last American alive, and the voice makes him an offer. Eternal war, in exchange for something. Frank accepts and survives when the US air strike finally arrives. Frank comes back home and meets his family at the airport, and the voice returns to claim the price for his eternal war: Frank's family]].
* DeathGlare: After having a look of Castle's eyes, Goodwin gets a feeling that he'd rather face the enraged drug-pusher Coltrane and his razor instead.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: While the series revolve around Frank Castle, much focus is also given to one Private Stevie Goodwin, who acts as the narrator.
* DramaticDrop: When he and Stevie hear the warning about the approaching Viet Cong and NVA, Angel drops his cigarette from his mouth in shock.
* DrivenToSuicide: When the NVA start rushing the Valley Forge base, they are shown discovering Col. Ottman after he has shot himself.
* DyingDream: [[spoiler:When Stevie 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]].
* TheGrimReaper: The mysterious voice that Frank keeps hearing is strongly hinted (and later confirmed in the liner notes) to be Death himself.
* TheLastTitle: The final issue, which depicts the fall of Valley Forge, is appropiately named "The Last Day".
* MoeGreeneSpecial: One Viet Cong member is shown being shot in the eye during the Marines ambush on their supply run.
* MoralityChain: Frank tells Goodwin that his family might be his "last chance" to be something other than a BloodKnight.
* MoreDakka: When the Marines of Valley Forge see just how much NVA soldiers are approaching, Castle's reaction is a simple one.
-->'''Capt. Castle:''' Give me the Sixty.
* NearDeathExperience: [[spoiler:At the end, during the big battle, Frank Castle makes a deal with the entity that has been talking to him throughout the series. He is given the option of dying there in Nam or having supernatural protection and thusly, a guarantee to see his family again. But the latter option will have a price..]].
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Captain Frank Castle survives the obliteration of Firebase Valley Forge by attacking Viet Cong and NVA, surviving being shot seven times. It freaks the hell out of the reinforcements that come to see who survived.
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Marines execute incapacitated enemy combatants, using overtly cruel attack methods, and one of the Marines actually has a bag full of human scalps that he keeps as "souvenirs". And that's not even getting in to the part were they try to gang rape a female enemy...
* OffWithHisHead: Angel gets his head clean blown off by the enemy just after how "there ain't no muthafuckin' god".
* PistolWhipping: After seeing his friend Angel going to the bunker that's a hotspot for drug-use, Stevie hits its boss Coltrane in the face with a butt of a rifle, and drags Angel away from the place.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Valley Forge is a place where all kinds of screwups are send to.
* SemperFi: Subverted. The story takes place in a base filled with Marines who are amoral washouts, depicted as either apathetic or cruel, run by incompetent commanding officers. As a Marine Frank Castle is shown to be addicted to combat, willing to indirectly kill a General in order to keep his firebase (and therefore his, war) going. Overall this depiction certainly doesn't sit well with the brave, heroic image the USMC typically has.
* ShovelStrike: Just as Coltrane tries to get payback on Stevie for disrupting his drug business, Castle knocks him out with a shovel.
* SociopathicSoldier: Valley Forge is rife with these. The vast majority of the Marines are depicted as either clear cut psychopaths, amoral conscripts, or jingoistic sociopaths— half of whom are implied to be addicted to heroin— with a commanding officer who is alcoholic, broken, and knows full well that the war is a lost cause. With the young narrator of the story Stevie Goodwin explicitly stated as an unwilling conscript who wanted nothing to do with the war and whose only desire is to return home safely, but at the same time realizes that sticking with Frank Castle and his platoon is his best bet at getting home in one piece.
* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:In the end, everyone on both sides perishes, except for Frank Castle]].
* UnfriendlyFire: Frank eliminates a General who is going to close the Valley Forge base down by recommending the view from a hilltop while standing in front of a sniper warning sign.
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Yes", which marks Castle giving in to the voice he has been hearing throughout the series, and accepting its offer to give him the war unending]].
* WideEyedIdealist: The young Marine Stevie Goodwin. The NaiveNewcomer of Frank's platoon who had the misfortune of being stationed at the Valley Forge firebase, for his first tour of duty in 'Nam. Throughout the mini series the young Marine desperately tries to hold on to his moral fiber, believing that as long as he keeps a positive outlook, he will eventually return home to the "true America", that he holds so dear to his heart. [[spoiler:Tragically, he doesn't live long enough to get the chance]].
----
