Frank is a compelling character because of his black-and-white view and propensity to go from zero to killing based on his perception and code. It is fiction.. Brennan did so and that is how he learned his rather genuine-looking fake limp. Brain matter splatters on the wall behind him. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. There, he was invariably used as a foil to the more pure-hearted heroes. A man is choked to death in an airport bathroom. | The character and his iconography are totemic for many cops and soldiers, especially in the past decade and a half, a period that tracks with the rise of post-9/11 militarization and an increased visibility for the Punisher in the form of two movies and several iconic comics stories. While many actors are dedicated fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bernthal is not among them. Who says you need a shield made of vibranium or utility belt when you've got mad skills like these? RELATED: 10 Punisher Moments We'll Never See On Netflix. You help people. He also lost his family due to the indirect practices of mafiosos, and therefore dedicated his life to annihilating them. It's off screen but it is extremely upsetting and shocking. As a veteran, Frank Castle has a soft spot for other soldiers. Not clearly seen. Permanently. Soldiers would spray-paint the totenkopf on their weapons, armor, helmets and vehicles. Frank is a guy who is in unbelievable pain, and theres an unbelievable cost to the violence that hes gone through in his life., Its an acutely delicate time to tell the story of a disgruntled man who goes on shooting sprees. He made wrongdoers fear him, Kyles memoir reads. For the next decade, Frank Castle a.k.a the Punisher bounced from comic to comic. Nick is recruiting Frank for an off-the-books mission. The most recent iteration of The Punisher (All New Marvel Now!) Plot Summary I grew up during the Serpico era of New York, he says. A man has his arm blown off in a war zone. Its nothing against what theyre doing. Multiple scenes of graphic shootings. At the same time, Frank's former best friend Billy Russo is slowly turned into the psychotic Jigsaw. Micro is a technologically gifted hacker who provides Punisher with all the guns and information he needs to help him in his mission. In a warzone, the main protagonist beats an enemy combatants head in with a rock repeatedly. Their published fiction includes the prose superhero story "Typical Heroes" released by Diabolical Plots and the sci-fi story "Antediluvian" in the anthology A Flash of Silver-Green. I don't need to see him overcoming a limp or having his arm in a sling. Even though there have been several attempts at a Punisher movie, none have captured this multifaceted character completely, and now its Marvel Studios turn to take a crack at this hardened character. He promptly kills dozens of Latinos, burns their processing plant and takes the millions of dollars they stole back to New York, to fund his future operations. In his first outing as The Punisher, he goes against the courts and takes justice into his own hands. Hes the part that screams in rage at the million frustrations and injustices, major and minor, plaguing the average person in the twentieth century. For some, it symbolizes honor and gritty determination, and for others, unbound aggression and destruction. On August 11, 2017, white supremacists held a rally in Charlottesville, Virgina. Period., Others find this kind of embrace to be in bad taste at best, downright scary at worst. Frank (the main character) is repeatedly seen drinking alcohol. GOP Megadonors Are Trying to Pull the Party Away From Trump. But while Tony's origins have been retconned to be based in the Gulf Wars, Frank has remained a Vietnam vet through the 00s. You dont have no rules you have to follow or anything. While he has been spending a little bit more of his time behind the camera these days as a producer, he made his on-screen return with Creed II and then continued his comeback with an appearance in Aquaman. In short, he cankill without remorse. He killed bad guys. He also worships Captain America as his personal hero. That said, when cops go rogue and attack civilians in emulation of him, he gives them one chance to quit before adding them to his kill list. Frank then proceeds to stab Rawlins in the chest, punch him repeatedly, and gouge his eyes out, killing him. Frank earned his moniker from his ability to kill, but he got it during his war on the mafia rather than his time in the Vietnam War. While this detail may vary depending on who is writing the character, it makes sense that the character values sobriety. Much later, when he was in his 30s, a run-in with someone who was harassing Bernthal while the actor was out walking his dog led to a fight that nearly landed him in prison. Six months after the 102nd Congress had been sworn-in marking Democratic control of the House for 36 years, and of the Senate for four Frank Castle went on a rant while battling Soviet partisans in Siberia: When I started I thought Id make a difference. The Punisher's family died in the middle of a mob war in Central Park, so he declared a war on crime and decided to just kill every single criminal in the entire universe. Hes fascinating, yet at the same time, repelling. We believe in you, one of them says while pointing to a Punisher-skull sticker on his car. He-Man wasn't the only character that Lundgren played that was from an existing property though. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All these efforts have failed. Frank Castle was created as an antihero. Frank Castle has a strange sense of patriotism. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. I'm a nerd who loves movies, comics, video games, and television. The two disgraced men have both been sentenced for sex crimes. Marvel's got a new hero in town, but he may be the most mysterious one yet. that there are some people who are so sick in the head and evil, that the only way for there to be peace is to get rid of them. He liked to read and was a bit socially awkward. Jon Bernthal knows his audience. With the tactical mind, especially of the MAX version of Frank, he also uses the spray-painted skull on his chest as a distraction so that criminals will aim for that instead of his head. Be the first to know what's trending, straight from Elite Daily, Ranking The 'Outer Banks' Parents By How Much They Suck, The 5 Most Ridiculous 'Outer Banks' Theories, Ranked By Plausibility, John B & Sarah Are Officially The Least Interesting 'Outer Banks' Couple, By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Yet, we know we cant. In the previous Marvel Netflix series, fans have known pretty much exactly what to expect when boiling it down: Daredevil is a ninja with heightened senses, Jessica Jones is a detective with super strength, Luke Cage is indestructible, and Iron Fist is well, that one is the most self-explanatory of all. But so has his connection to visions of state-sponsored force. His rivals among the Super Hero community include the likes of Daredevil and Cloak and Dagger, who are adamant about bringing the Punisher to justice for his savage ways. Many hate and fear his unrestrained violence. It is also why, if Frank ever manages to kill every murderer and psychopath on the planet, there will still be a final bullet chambered in his gun to use on himself. 6. Stallone himself thought the six-foot, five-inch Lundgren was going to be too much of a stretch for the character of Drago and rejected him during their first meeting. Very sad. However, Punishers assembly of guns is unmatched. Jones was a singer, songwriter, and actress and not too long after taking on Lundgren as her bodyguard the two began dating. This is because when his family died, Frank could not forgive those who had harmed him so badly. There is a great scene in the story "Mother Russia" by Garth Ennis and Doug Braithwaite where Franks sits with Nick Fury at a bar. S ometimes it takes a bootleg T-shirt to stop a bootleg T-shirt. Somewhere along the line, he picked up the name, stating that it comes from a distant relative on his mother's side of the family. Some might claim that Frank was the only survivor. That said, he is still a terrifyingly powerful man given his extensive training and proficiency in ammunitions from his time as a sniper in the Marines. The actor demonstrated as much in 2015, when he took the stage at New York Comic Con to speak about playing the gun-toting Marvel vigilante known as the Punisher. A number of people support him or even work with him. While deployed, U.S. troops made heavy use of the symbol to assert American dominance. He does not want to numbhis senses, as they give him an edge in his crusade against crime. He was a mainstay in The Amazing Spider-Man and frequently crossed over into other popular lines like Daredevil and Captain America. Cap punched him, but Punisher refused to hit him back. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Jon Bernthals take on Frank Castles Punisher is sure to be great, and Marvel is smart enough to incorporate the best parts of his history into their new stories. He won the European championships in 1980 and 1981, and a heavyweight tournament in Australia in 1982. This is not to say Frank is without allies. He only findsout after the villain Barracuda kidnaps his baby! - user001. After the son of the local mob boss beganhurting girls in the neighborhood (including his best friend Lauren), Frank watched as Lauren'solder brother set the teenage predator on fire. Genetic conditions: Muscular dystrophies and other inherited disorders can cause weakness to muscles in the hips and legs, resulting in a limp. A man is stabbed multiple times in his home. Theres a big, dangerous difference between these two things and there should be, wrote io9s Beth Elderkin in a post last February about police using Punisher imagery. Look, I know how important this character is to you guys, and I know how important he is to law enforcement, to the military, he said. The officers responsible, it was later discovered, were part of a group within the Milwaukee Police Department called The Punishers. The Punishers would don gloves and caps embossed with Frank Castles skull symbol before going on patrol in the citys predominantly Black neighborhood, where they engaged in vigilante-style activity., In December 2014, a group of current and former police officers created Blue Lives Matter. The private media company had the explicit goal of pushing back against the then-nascent Black Lives Matter movement. Fury of the Gods Special: Shazamily Matters, The X-Men's Greatest Adversary is Now the Last of His Kind, DCeased Transformed a Batman Family Member Into the Most Powerful Hero in the DC Universe, 10 Ways Marvel Has Made Spider-Man Stronger Over The Years. As an anti-hero, one can expect The Punisher to not always align himself with other heroes or even villains, but Frank Castle usually takes it a step further than that. His three tours of duty give him military experience, but he comes to see war as the answer to all of his problems. SWAT teams and special forces units that've attacked him have gotten some lasting injuries to remember him by, but that's usually the worst of it. The skull has been on his chest since his original incarnation and has become a symbol for the punishment that Frank deals out to those who cross paths with him. The skull on the Punisher's chest says it all: he lives with deathand shares thisgift with the world. The parallels between Frank Castle and Mack Bolan are obvious, and almost completely lifted from the pages of his serialized novels. There is lots of moaning and panting in the sex scenes, akin to what you would hear in an adult film. If youre committing violent acts, one way or another, you will be meeting consequences., Another reason, Forhan says, is to honor officers who have given their lives in the line of duty. So when you wear the skull with the thin blue line, you say, Here are my fallen brothers, and what Im doing is to keep that legacy going.. TikToks Favorite Celebrity Couple Is Kim Kardashian and Michael Cera. The five-issue limited run was a massive success, and Marvel immediately began working on a monthly title behind the scenes. He's hired to kill Spider-Man by a villain seeking revenge for the death of Norman Osborn (known as the Green Goblin by most), which was pinned on Spidey. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Its like people saying the Swastika was a Hindu symbol that means family and love. You can find out more about him, and look at his work, on his website. The Punisher has been a comic icon for quite some time. One of the most interesting and useful aspects of Franks character is his status asa Vietnam veteran. After he realized he was being fooled, The Punisher sided with Spidey and fought against The Jackal. I blame the media selling and supporting war., Fans with that viewpoint will find much to love in the Netflix show. Yup, the man whose most iconic and known role is a giant Russian boxer isn't Russian, what movie magic! And we spray-painted it on every building or wall we could. Offscreen, he was one himself. Can Anyone Predict Whos Going to Win Best Supporting Actress? Two months after the Oklahoma City bombing, Frank Castle appropriated a neo-Nazi weapons cache and used it to kill civilians in Central Park. During Punisher: Year One, we see into the psyche of The Punisher like never before. Some of the best all around stories come from Garth Ennis's work on Punisher MAX in which an elderly rugged Castle takes on much younger fitter criminals. Sun Tsu's 'The Art of War' is definitely a text Frank takes advantage of. In issue no. While Lundgren was preparing to move to Boston, he was working as a bouncer in Sydney in order to bring in some extra cash. I think patriotic war movies brainwash young men to idolize war and killing enemies/terrorists more than fictional vigilantes ever will. 2. Police have been seen across the country wearing variations of the symbol, frequently while beating and tear-gassing peaceful protesters. Although his skills with a gun do seem supernatural at times, Frank Castle is . That is certainly something that people can criticize, but the cops likely have a First Amendment right to do so. The film also featured Frank Langella, Jon Cypher, Chelsea Field, Billy Barty, Courteney Cox, Robert Duncan McNeill, and Meg Foster. Welcome to the world of uniformed Punisher fans. Season 1 was more tactical that season 2, and the overall combat and shootouts seemed more realistic. But I dont think that has to do with the superhero genre. Frank believes, for better or for worse, that the only way to keep a criminal from repeating a crime is by ending their life. The Punisher kills people he feels deserve it. No political correctness, no rules other than his own, he just does what needs to be done. Despite his skills and background in the military, Frank was always a family man first. Theo Kogod is a freelance writer, educator, researcher, and activist. Since then, they've written for various online publications, including CBR, Screen Rant, The Gamer, and The Comics Vault. The show is about a vigilante who ruthlessly murders criminals. However, once they were taken away from him, he could not cope with the loss and failure of the system. And does he have a sidekick or anything? Frank is suicidal at first, while trying to resolve the crime through lawful avenues. There is a lot about the man behind the monster that most people who have seen either Rocky IV or Creed II do not know about Dolph Lundgren is most well known in the world as Ivan Drago, the terrifying Russian giant that killed Apollo Creed in the boxing ring and nearly did the same to Rocky Balboa. In June 2007, Lundgren accepted an exhibition boxing match for Russian television against Oleg Taktarov, a former UFC competitor. Unlike most others, Frank was brought back in three very different ways when he died. People are divided on how to feel about the Punisher. It lasted just one season. He began to sense he might not be around much longer. RELATED: Punisher Villains Ranked: The 10 Worst Frank Castle Ever Faced. Readers embraced him as an actual hero because of what was going on. But over the past few years, the character has faced a couple of changes to his iconic logo. Despite the role of Ivan Drago being his most iconic and the one that he is most known for, there is a lot about the man behind the monster that most people who have seen either Rocky IV or Creed II do not know about. With his comeback seemingly not slowing down, it might be time to go over some things you probably didn't know about him. For season 2 of The Punisher, an original Netflix series premiering on January 18, Castle is up against a fundamentalist group that embraces their right to bear arms; lurking in the margins is Jigsaw (Ben Barnes), a fellow soldier with a vendetta against Castle. Season 2 features several characters snorting cocaine and dealing meth. A man's face is smashed into and dragged through a mirror. When Lundgren came of age he served his mandatory one year in Swedish Marine Corps at the Amphibious Ranger School. Forhan explains away the dissonance as such: Its adopted a new meaning over the last few years. We were unable to submit your evaluation. Most recently, Frank Castles totenkopf has become an integral part of the pushback against protests over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Most heroes dislike him for his murderous ways and disregard for law, but on top of that, Frank is often seen threatening others. How Tyrel Jackson Williams Brought TikTok Cringe to, Its sort of a newer version of the L.A. actor ride that Kyle is on the first two seasons, but its worse.. | Though the Punishers fans are generally diverse, the character has a strong appeal to a conservative audience. The main protagonist himself is repeatedly shot, stabbed, beaten, and tortured throughout the series. Bernthal became interested in acting in high school and was later accepted into Harvard's masters in dramatic arts program. Plot Keywords. The Marines had and have a reputation as the most dedicated, fiercest, and most honorable members of the American military, Conway recalls. In 2017, Bernthal told The A.V. These are usually mild and don't portray any actual nudity. Throughout his career, Frank takes other lovers after his wife (not that he seems to have actually loved any of them).