The Punisher
| Punisher | |
|---|---|
Promotional art for Punisher vol. 6, #31 (May 2006)
by Tim Bradstreet |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (February 1974) |
| Created by |
Gerry Conway (writer) John Romita Sr. (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Francis "Frank" Castle (born Castiglione) |
| Team affiliations | |
| Notable aliases | Mr. Smith, Charles Fort, Frank Rook, Johnny Tower |
| Abilities |
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The Punisher (Frank Castle) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Romita Sr., with publisher Stan Lee green-lighting the name. The Punisher made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (cover-dated Feb. 1974).
The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture in his war on crime. Driven by the deaths of his wife and two children, who were killed by the mob for witnessing a killing in New York City's Central Park, the Punisher wages a one-man war on the mob and all criminals in general by using all manner of conventional war weaponry. His family's killers were the first to be slain. A war veteran of the United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper, Frank Castle (born Francis Castiglione) is a master of martial arts, stealth tactics, guerrilla warfare, 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 antiheroes and at the height of his popularity, was featured in four monthly publications, including The Punisher, The Punisher War Journal, The Punisher War Zone, and The Punisher Armory. Despite his violent actions and dark nature, the Punisher has enjoyed some mainstream success on television, making guest appearances on Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and The Super Hero Squad Show, where the depiction of his violent behavior was toned down for family viewers. In feature films, Dolph Lundgren portrayed the Punisher in 1989, as did Thomas Jane in 2004, and Ray Stevenson in 2008. Jon Bernthal portrays the character in the second season of Marvel's Daredevil as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bernthal is set to reprise the role in The Punisher, his own self-titled series.
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