History ComicBook / ThePunisherMAX

Much like the original comics, the [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint version of Frank Castle became [[VigilanteMan a vigilante]] when his family was gunned down by mobsters in 1976. What sets him apart from his mainstream counterpart is that this version, written almost exclusively by Creator/GarthEnnis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in [[Creator/QuentinTarantino Tarantino]][[{{Gorn}} -esque violence]] and more disturbing content — including but not limited to: TheMafia, [[WesternTerrorists Irish terrorist organizations]], [[HumanTraffickers Eastern European slavers]], [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate tycoons]] and UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of BlackComedy and {{satire}} here and there.

Much like the original comics, the [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint version of Frank Castle became [[VigilanteMan a vigilante]] when his family was gunned down by mobsters in 1976. What sets him apart from his mainstream counterpart is that this version, written almost exclusively by Creator/GarthEnnis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in [[Creator/QuentinTarantino Tarantino]][[{{Gorn}} -esque violence]] and more disturbing forms of crime — including but not limited to: TheMafia, [[WesternTerrorists Irish terrorist organizations]], [[HumanTraffickers Eastern European slavers]], [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporate tycoons]] and UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of BlackComedy and {{satire}} here and there.

Much like the original comics, the [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint version of Frank Castle became [[VigilanteMan a vigilante]] when his family was gunned down by mobsters in 1976. What sets him apart from his mainstream counterpart is that this version, written almost exclusively by Creator/GarthEnnis for four years, features no superheroes and is deeply rooted in more disturbing forms of crime and horror -- including but not limited to: TheMafia, [[WesternTerrorists Irish terrorist cells]], Eastern European slavers, corporate tycoons and real life wars. It is also considerably less funny than the mainstream Marvel series, though there are touches of [[BlackComedy dark humor]] here and there.

** ''Punisher MAX'' ended with [[spoiler: Frank dead and laid to rest with his family, [[TogetherInDeath finally reuniting with them in death.]] Fury says that despite all the work Frank's done, sooner or later, crime will return. However, it's not a whole DownerEnding. Bullseye, Elektra, Vanessa Fisk, and Wilson Fisk are all dead, and many vigilante mobs are fighting back and taking charge of their lives, wearing Frank's skull as their sign. The Punisher may be gone, but his legacy will live on]].

When you take a DarkerAndEdgier Creator/MarvelComics character like Comicbook/ThePunisher, and make him even [[ExaggeratedTrope Darker and Edgier]]''[[ExaggeratedTrope er]]'', you get what is collectively called "The Punisher MAX".

* ''Punisher MAX'' -- Ran from from 2010 to 2012 for twenty-two issues. Written by Jason Aaron, artwork by Creator/SteveDillon, it introduced Comicbook/TheKingpin, Bullseye and Comicbook/{{Elektra}} into the MAX Universe.

* ''Comicbook/ThePunisherTheEnd'' (June 2004) by Garth Ennis and Richard Corben

* ''Comicbook/{{Foolkiller}}: White Angels'' (2008) -- Frank guest stars in half of this miniseries, helping Foolkiller deal with a supremacist group called the White Angels.
* ''Comicbook/FuryMyWarGoneBy'' (2012-2013) -- Frank appears in the arc set in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, and Barracuda appears in the one set in Nicaragua.

** Frank Castle's military rank is another curious example. The Valley Forge arc identifies Frank as a "''21 year old Captain in April 1971''" during his final tour in Vietnam. It's later revealed in Comicbook/FuryMyWarGoneBy (also written by Ennis) that Nick Fury himself put Frank up for Captain the year before; considering how much authority and respect Fury had in the military even back then, Frank reaching this rank at such a young age isn't too out of the question.

* DentedIron: Becomes a plot point in the second MAX series, in which the physical and sometimes emotional toll of waging a 30+ year war on crime has on Frank is explored. Frank goes through an increasingly ruthless RoguesGallery including [[RealMenLoveJesus The Mennonite]], [[Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} MAX!Bullseye]], MAX!ComicBook/{{Elektra}}, and finally, [[KingpinInHisGym MAX!Kingpin]], getting more and more irrevocably battered after dispatching each one, [[spoiler: with the last one culminating in a long, drawn out, excruciating MutualKill]].

** In his final appearance, Comicbook/NickFury [[spoiler: finds Frank had written ''I'm sorry'' on the walls of his old house (for failing to save his family.)]] Fury proceeds to [[spoiler: use Frank's flamethrower to burn the house down and drive away the police raking over old wounds.]]

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: The darkest story arc of ''Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX'', "The Slavers", includes a lot of information -- including a lecture, with slides -- about the sex slave trade. It's also the story wherein Frank is shown to be absolutely brutal and unrelenting, well beyond his normal extremes, exemplified with the line "It had been a long time since I had hated anyone as much as I hated them."

->''"It's [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo Omaha Beach.]] [[TheWildWest Wounded Knee.]] [[UsefulNotes/AngloZuluWar Rorke's Drift,]] Film/TheKillingFields, [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne the first day on The Somme]]. [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers World War Three in North Jersey]]. And only now, pouring automatic fire into a human wall -- do I feel something like peace."''

* CoolGuns: Hmm... Where do we begin?
** First we have Frank's dual custom Colt 1911's.
** Next we have his trusty [=M60=], which dates back to his days in Vietnam. Future stories see him replace the pig in favor of the more modern and reliable M249 SAW.
** During flashback's to Frank's time in Force Recon, we can see him and his fellow commandos armed with old school CAR-15's.
** Given the criminal element of the series, it's no surprise that the [=Uzi=] and its many variants show up frequently in the hands of criminals.
** In the same vein as the aforementioned [=Uzi=], the AK and its many variants get plenty of screen time as well.
** In "Mother Russia", when Frank and a Delta Force commando are blasting their way past security in a nuclear silo, they are both seen using a pair of AKS-74u's. Frank even gets to ''dual wield'' a pair of them later in the arc.
** General Nikolai Zakharov wields a classic Soviet-era Makarov pistol as his main sidearm. Appropriate, considering the kind of [[DirtyCommies character archetype]] that he is meant to represent.
** The [=G36=] shows up a number of times throughout the series, usually in the hands of some bad guys.
** Special mentioned goes to Frank's signature Vietnam-era [=M16=].
** The [=MP5=] appears several times throughout the series, usually in the hands of criminals but also in the following instances:
*** First, the [=MP5K=] variant is seen in the hands of SAS commandos guarding an ex-Taliban member in Afghanistan.
*** Then, the same variant appears once again in "Widowmaker", this time in the hands of the vengeful widows seeking revenge against Frank.
*** Then, in "Valley Forge, Valley Forge", the Delta Force operators sent to apprehend Frank all wield [=MP5=]'s.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: A big emphasis is placed throughout the series on how the Punisher's success rate is at least partly owing to the fact that the majority of his targets are just low-level gangsters - intimidating to the average Joe, but completely out of their depth when it comes to actual combat. So in "The Slavers", where he attempts to attack what he later realizes are a group of battle-hardened Bosnian war vets who ''do'' know what they're doing, he quickly realizes he's made a huge mistake and is forced to flee for his life. See ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy above for more details.

* AlternateContinuity: A separate and vastly different continuity from the mainstream one, completely devoid of superheroes and filled to the brim with more "conventional" bad-guys. It took a bit (around the release of ''The Cell'' comic or "Mother Russia" arc) for this to be concretely established, though, resulting in oddities like events from early stories such as ''Born'' and "In the Beginning" being brought up in things like ''ComicBook/CivilWar Files'' and ''ComicBook/OfficialHandbookOfTheMarvelUniverse''.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: To keep in line with the series' more realistic and grounded approach, this trope tends to happen ''a lot''. Usually at the worst possible moment.
** Jason Aaron's final run on the Punisher shows us exactly what effects a 30+ year-long war on the criminal underworld can have on your mind and body: it makes you slow, arthritic, unable to shrug off injuries that would have barely fazed you years before, and that much more prone to slipping up. And the more you slip up, the less intimidating you are to the criminal underworld that you hunt.
** A big emphasis is placed throughout the series on how the Punisher's success rate is at least partly owing to the fact that the majority of his targets are just low-level gangsters - intimidating to the average Joe, but completely out of their depth when it comes to actual combat. So in "The Slavers", where he attempts to attack what he later realizes are a group of battle-hardened Bosnian war vets who ''do'' know what they're doing, he quickly realizes he's made a huge mistake and is forced to flee for his life. See ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy above for more details.
** A more (darkly) humorous example occurs later on during Bullseye's introduction, where he threatens to kill a man with a toothpick. He flicks it at the guy's forehead... and it bounces right off.
-->'''Bullseye:''' Don't be stupid, even I can't kill someone with a toothpick. [Pulls out a gun] But I can with ''this''.

* OffModel: In "Long Cold Dark", there were quite a few, shall we say, ''"illustration errors"'' by fill-in artist Howard Chaykin, the most obvious being Barracuda's shapeshifting height; he goes from being a 7 foot giant to a 5 foot ''dwarf''. Thankfully, Chaykin was quickly removed once series regular Goran Parlov came back.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[SociopathicHero Frank]] studying up on ways to inflict ColdBloodedTorture to his next AssholeVictim. Don't worry, [[PayEvilUntoEvil he really deserves it]].]]

* LoonyFan: Jenny Cesare from the "Widowmaker" arc definitely comes across as this. After seeing Frank shot by the women she is targeting, she saves him and takes him to her apartment. Even though she tends to his wounds, Frank can't help but feel a little bit like her prisoner, but Jenny does nothing to stop him from leaving, and he cannot leave because of his gunshot injuries. So he patiently listens as she describes what was done to her, as well as her sympathy for what was done to him and how she believes she and Frank are kindred spirits. Jenny then requests that Frank give her his shirt and jacket so she can become the She-Punisher and kill the women responsible for her pain, and that Frank stay until she finishes what she started. Frank begins to feel more and more like a prisoner, and notes Jenny would stop him even if he could leave, before passing out and ending up handcuffed.

* TheMafia: Ever since a mob hit was responsible for the deaths of his family, yhe mafia has remained one of Frank's most constant and hated enemies. The very first arc opens up with Frank crashing the birthday of a 100-year old Don Cesare and [[DiedOnTheirBirthday promptly blowing his brains out]] before calmly walking out onto the patio. The mafiosi rush out after him for revenge...only to discover that Frank is waiting for them with his [=M60=] in hand. Carnage ensues.
* TheMafiya: Elements of the Russian mafia make appearances every now and then, ,ost notably in the beginning of the "Mother Russia" arc, which starts with Frank tailing a convicted felon from the Russian mob who, for some unfathomable reason (which we later learn about), was let out way ahead of his parole date.
* MalMariee: Mal Mariée means "badly married" in French and the trope refers to a young wife unhappily married to an older jealous guy. The Barracuda arc has Harry's TrophyWife who gleefully sleeps with her CorruptCorporateExecutive husband's NumberTwo. Oddly enough, the husband is apparently impotent so he forgives her (although the jealousy manifests when he has her one-night-stands murdered), he's completely oblivious to her latest affair, and actually commits suicide when he finds out. The wife and her lover are eaten by sharks.

** As with most depictions of the US military during the Vietnam War, Frank's Marine Firebase suffered from a seriously bad case of this. Most of the Marines stationed there are unwilling conscripts, commonly seen out of uniform and failing to salute senior officers, and half of them are stated to be addicted on heroin. As such, when a US General inspects the base, he is ''not'' impressed by what he sees.

* NotWearingTights: Unlike his mainstream Marvel counterpart, this version of Frank Castle is never once seen wearing his iconic black and white tights. Instead, he opts for a more practical leather outfit complete with a BadassLongcoat as his choice of attire in order to better fit the series' more "realistic" aesthetic.

--->'''Bullseye:''' I saw him in action. Let me tell you, it was... it was something to ''behold''. I do apologize, [[ADateWithRosiePalms but it appears I'm going to pleasure myself now.]]

* BoomHeadshot: The series has a ''real'' affinity for these. In fact, Frank's first target of the series is a hundred-year old Mafia Don whose brains he blows out at his birthday party.

* TheMafia: Ever since a mob hit was responsible for the deaths of his family, yhe mafia has remained one of Frank's most constant and hated enemies. The very first arc opens up with Frank crashing the birthday of a 100-year old Don Cesare and promptly blowing his brains out before calmly walking out onto the patio. The mafiosi rush out after him for revenge...only to discover that Frank is waiting for them with his [=M60=] in hand. Carnage ensues.

** This came up even earlier during the ''Mother Russia'' arc. Towards the end of the arc, Frank and Galina are picked up by a Navy SEAL team and extracted to a submarine, the U.S.S. ''Silverfish''. The submarine has specialists aboard waiting to take a blood sample from Galina so they can secure the virus she has in her bloodstream, but Frank refuses to let them touch her, even if it means the virus dies and the mission becomes a bust. The ''Silverfish'''s captain elects not to press the issue, deciding whether or not this joint Army/Air Force operation is a success or failure is not the Navy's problem.

** This came up even earlier during the "Mother Russia" arc. Towards the end of the arc, Frank and Galina are picked up by a Navy SEAL team and extracted to a submarine, the U.S.S. "Silverfish". The submarine has specialists aboard waiting to take a blood sample from Galina so they can secure the virus she has in her bloodstream, but Frank refuses to let them touch her, even if it means the virus dies and the mission becomes a bust. The "Silverfish"'s captain elects not to press the issue, deciding whether or not this joint Army/Air Force operation is a success or failure is not the Navy's problem.

* CoitusEnsues:
** PlayedForLaughs; with Castle and O'Brien.
-->'''O'Brien:''' I've been in jail for eighteen months. When we get through here, you want to go jump in the sack?\\
'''Frank:''' ''[completely deadpan]'' Sure.
** And again in "Man of Stone".
-->'''O'Brien:''' You cold?\\
'''Frank:''' No.\\
''O'Brien:''' You lonely?\\
'''Frank:''' No.\\
'''O'Brien:''' You want to jump my bones anyway?\\
'''Frank:''' [[AManIsAlwaysEager Sure]].

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Zig-zagged.
** Played straight with Frank Castle and Wilson Fisk; the former was a Captain in the USMC during his final tour of duty in 'Nam, the latter is a Mafia Don, and both are definitely among the most lethal characters in the series.
** Subverted, with the eight Generals. Despite their ranks, not a single one of [[ArmchairMilitary them has ever seen any real combat before]], and they all immediately cower in the presence of someone like [[TheSpymaster Nick Fury]].
** Ditto for Barracuda. The man was a Sergeant Major in the US Army and is every bit as hardcore as Frank Castle.

** ''Punisher MAX'' ended with [[spoiler: Frank dead and laid to rest with his family, [[TogetherInDeath finally reuniting with them in death.]] Fury says that despite all the work Frank's done, sooner or later, crime will return. However, it's not a whole DownerEnding. Bullseye, Elektra, Vanessa Fisk, and Wilson Fisk are all deceased, and many vigilante mobs are fighting back and taking charge of their lives, wearing Frank's skull as their sign. The Punisher may be dead, but his legacy will live on]].

** ''Punisher MAX'' ends with [[spoiler: Frank dead, and Fury says that sooner or later, crime will resurface. However, it's not a complete DownerEnding. Wilson Fisk, Elektra, Bullseye, and Vanessa Visk are all dead, and many vigilante groups are fighting back and taking charge of their lives, wearing Frank's skull as their symbol. And as said before, Frank is dead, but at least he's finally reunited with his family in death]].

** Also averted in the case for many of the Firearm manufactures. In fact, the Springfield Armory logo on Frank's M911 is very visible in one panel.

** ''[=PunisherMAX=]'' ends with [[spoiler: Frank dead, and Fury says that sooner or later, crime will resurface. However, it's not a complete DownerEnding. Wilson Fisk, Elektra, Bullseye, and Vanessa Visk are all dead, and many vigilante groups are fighting back and taking charge of their lives, wearing Frank's skull as their symbol. And as said before, Frank is dead, but at least he's finally reunited with his family in death]].

* BittersweetEnding: At best, when it doesn't go full-on DownerEnding (see below)

* KillEmAll: By the end of the second MAX series [[spoiler:Nick Fury]] is the only notable character still alive.

** Barracuda one-ups Frank in this department. In the beginning of "Long Cold Dark", when he lures dozens of gangsters from dozens of different gangs into one hotel room, Barracuda annihilates them with his [=M60=]. ''[[KillEmAll Every last one of them.]]''

** Barracuda is even more freakishly superhuman. Not only can he take ungodly amounts of punishment, but he can dish it out as well.

** Barracuda has an ExtremeLibido and often has sex with prostitutes. It's never shown to be satisfying for them, and he doesn't care one bit about anything other than them getting him off, often getting violent and demanding.