Punisher

The Punisher (Frank Castle) is a fictional vigilante anti-hero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (Feb. 1974). more...

Although sometimes considered a hero, the Punisher is a savage and ruthless vigilante who considers killing, kidnapping, extortion, coersion, threats of violence and torture acceptable crime-fighting tactics. Driven by the deaths of his wife and children, who were caught in the crossfire of an organized crime shoot-out in New York City's Central Park, Castle wages a one-man war on the mob by using all manner of weaponry (in the original comic book series, Castle's family was murdered in their home by street thugs). A war veteran, Castle is a master of martial arts, stealth tactics, hand-to-hand combat, strategic planning, and a wide variety of weapons.

The Punisher's brutal nature and willingness to kill made him a novel character in mainstream American comic books in 1974. By the late 1980s, he was part of a wave of psychologically troubled anti-heroes and was featured in several monthly publications, including The Punisher War Journal, The Punisher War Zone, and The Punisher Armory; he even starred in a highly daring, critically lauded crossover with Archie Comics' teen-humor star, Archie Andrews. Two movie adaptations have been released, one in 1989 starring Dolph Lundgren, another in 2004 starring Thomas Jane.

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