History YMMV / ThePunisherMAX

* EvilIsCool: Although the writers may not have [[MisaimedFandom intended for this effect.]] It's hard not to find the more charismatic villains in the series (think the Kingpin, the aforementioned Barracuda and Bullseye etc) to be extraordinarily {{Badass}}.

* UncannyValley: Some of the more photo-realistic artwork done by Lewis Larosa, can have this effect for some people. Used to [[InvokedTrope great effect]] in the very first issue with Larosa's ghoulish illustrations of Frank's [[spoiler:dead family.]]
* VillainDecay: Nicky Cavella, first introduction paints him as a suave, well cultured badass who smooth talks everyone and generally [[AffablyEvil acts like a decent guy]] {[[FauxAffablyEvil until he he reveals his true colors]]), yet the capos of the [[TheMafia Cesare Family]] are terrified of him and he's done ''something''to put him in charge of the two most dangerously [[AxCrazy psychotic]] killers in the Cesare Mob Outfit. When his plans come crashing down around him, he's not so cocky and smooth anymore and runs away while using the man he conned into helping [[BadBoss him as a meat shield]]. Even so, he still seems like a pretty dangerous and effective villain. But in his next and last appearance, he is the complete opposite of everything he was in the first arc. He's [[DirtyCoward whiny]], [[TooDumbToLive stupid]], [[SmugSnake smug]] and just plain [[{{Squick}} creepy and gross]]. Readers do get to see his origin story, and one part of it is [[EvilIsCool horrifyingly cool]], but overall his badass credentials seem to have been left in his other pair of pants.

** Ennis a weird relationship with the Russians, similar to his ideal-versus-reality view of {{Eagleland}}. On one hand, he can't help but gush about their many, many awesome moments in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. On the other, he [[ShownTheirWork shows just as much work]] related to their inhuman behavior such as the UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan and their post-breakup transition to TheMafiya. This is best summed up in "Mother Russia" by the first Russian to appear in Punisher MAX - Alexandr Baranovich Formichenko;
-->Nothing left. Everything fucked. Once we are greatest peoples in world--now we sit in bars in Brighton Beach or Coney Island, drinking 'til vodka runs out. Look! Look at this animal! Leon Rastovich, how the fuck is '''he''' out of prison! Thanks to his kind, everyone looks at Russian peoples and sees only '''fucking gangsters!''' Scum like Rastovich and scum who follow him, who shame the name of Mother Russia! '''Mobster pigs''' who dare to call themselves '''soldiers!''' I was at [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Leningrad Leningrad when the Nazis came in nineteen forty-one!]] Three years we held out! Three years before they could relieve us! '''''We'' were soldiers! Fuck''' Leon Rastovich.
** Notably, on his way to kill Rastovich, Frank holds a combat knife to a Mafiya bartender's eye and makes his position quite clear;
--->Alexandr Baranovich Formichenko is protected. ''(Got a kind of a thing about respect for the elderly.)''[[note]]Frank even smuggles home a bottle of Alex's favorite vodka.[[/note]]

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Barracuda, obviously. The man proved so popular that Garth Ennis made it so that he somehow survived his near fatal encounter with the Punisher, so he could bring him back for future stories. Hell, the [[BreakoutCharacter man even got his own mini-series]]!

* EvilIsCool: Although the writers may not have [[MisaimedFandom intended for this effect.]] It's hard not to find the more charismatic villains in the series (think the Kingpin, the the aforementioned Barracuda and Bullseye etc) to be extraordinarily {{Badass}}.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Barracuda, obviously. The man got his own mini-series for a reason.
** Bullseye, gets plenty of love too, thanks to his CrazyAwesome nature, and overall charismatic presence.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: Much like his mainstream counterpart, this is another issue that plagues this version of the character. Just about every writer (Garth Ennis, Jason Aaron), who has depicted the character on a long-term basis has established in their works that Frank Castle is a '''''deeply disturbed''''' and damaged man, who barely even qualifies as "human" any more, whose mass murders do nothing to actually improve society 9see ''The Slavers'' arc), whose activities only don't cause massive innocent casualties because of extreme authorial favoritism, and who should not be considered a role model by '''anyone'''. However, go anywhere in comics fandom and you'll stumble across people who think that Frank Castle is the coolest guy ever and it's a terrible pity that nobody's taking out the bad guys like that in the real world. It doesn't help that the series contains many exciting action scenes that play on readers more "basic" instincts.

* UncannyValley: Some of the more photo-realistic artwork done by Lewis Larosa, can have this effect for some people.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing:

** You can pretty much include ''any'' criminal organization to this trope really. From the TheMafia, TheCartel, the [[TheMafiya Russian Mafia]], gangbangers, white collar criminals etc.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Some of the storylines may fall into this territory, as there are no sympathetic characters to root for. Only assholes you are likely to see dead.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Given that this is a series penned mostly by Garth Ennis, it should come as no surprise that the subject material in the various story arcs occasionally lapse into this territory. Although in the case of ''[[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil The Slavers]]'' and ''[[WarIsHell Valley Forge, Valley Forge]]''. These are subjects that ''[[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped really should be taken seriously]]''

** In ''The End'', [[spoiler: Frank Castle]] of all people got one when he [[spoiler: shot up a facility full of survivors, including the innocent servants/assistants, because they engineered a {{Hidden Elf Village}} in case of nuclear war and he SUSPECTED that they (as in their elite social class, not these people specifically) caused the attack in the first place, killing off the last of humanity]]. Thank goodness it's non-canon.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Given that this is a series penned mostly by Garth Ennis, it should come as no surprise that the subject material in the various story arcs occasionally lapse into this territory. Although in the case of ''[[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil The Slavers]]'' and ''[[WarIsHell Valley Forge, Valley Forge'']]. These are subjects that ''[[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped really should be taken seriously]]''

* Anvilicious: Given that this is a series penned mostly by Garth Ennis, it should come as no surprise that the subject material in the various story arcs occasionally lapses into this territory. Although in the case of ''[[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil The Slavers]]'' and ''[[WarIsHell Valley Forge, Valley Forge'']]. These are subjects that ''[[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped really should be taken seriously]]''

** You can pretty much include ''any'' criminal organization to this trope really. From the TheMafia, TheCartel, the [[Russian mafia TheMafiya]], gangbangers, white collar criminals etc.

** One can't help but get the impression that Garth Ennis has a ''serious'' ax to grind with the Russians. If his depictions of them in the ''Mother Russia'', and ''Man of Stone'' arcs are anything to go by. In the first arc he depicts them as a second rate federation with a laughably ineffectual military who suffer one humiliation after another. And in the second arc they are portrayed as an army of amoral monsters willing to commit genocide in the name of they're "Motherland". While it's true that Ennis is pretty equal opportunity when it comes to making critiques aimed at varies country's, the ones directed at the Russians are by far the most malicious. In fact, he may hate them more than he hates human traffickers... '''''maybe'''''.

** One can't help but get the impression that Ennis has a ''serious'' ax to grind with the Russians. If his depictions of them in the ''Mother Russia'', and ''Man of Stone'' arcs are anything to go by. In the first arc he depicts them as a laughably ineffectual military who suffer one humiliation after another, and in the second arc they are portrayed as an army of amoral monsters. While it's true that Ennis is pretty equal opportunity when it comes to taking jabs at varies country's, the Russians are the ones who have it the worst. In fact, he may hate them more than he hates human traffickers... '''''maybe'''''.

* VillainDecay: Nicky Cavella, first introduction points him as a suave, well cultured badass who smooth talks everyone and generally [[AffablyEvil acts like a decent guy]] {[[FauxAffablyEvil until he he reveals his true colors]]), yet the capos of the [[TheMafia Cesare Family]] are terrified of him and he's done ''something''to put him in charge of the two most dangerously [[AxCrazy psychotic]] killers in the Cesare Mob Outfit. When his plans come crashing down around him, he's not so cocky and smooth anymore and runs away while using the man he conned into helping [[BadBoss him as a meat shield]]. Even so, he still seems like a pretty dangerous and effective villain. But in his next and last appearance, he is the complete opposite of everything he was in the first arc. He's [[DirtyCoward whiny]], [[TooDumbToLive stupid]], [[SmugSnake smug]] and just plain [[{{Squick}} creepy and gross]]. Readers do get to see his origin story, and one part of it is [[EvilIsCool horrifyingly cool]], but overall his badass credentials seem to have been left in his other pair of pants.

* VillainDecay: Nicky Cavella, who is first set up as a {{Magnificent Bastard}} master of {{Xanatos Speed Chess}} is hit by this trope ''hard'' in "Up Is Down, Black Is White", revealing him to be little more than a whimpering coward who loses the respect of his own {{Mooks}}.

* OlderThanTheyThink: The first Marvel character to get a DarkerAndEdgier makeover on the MAX imprint wasn't the Punisher, but Comicbook/NickFury in 2001.