How The MCU Should Handle The Punisher

The impressively violent “Punisher: One Last Kill” Special Presentation has left a good impression on most fans and critics alike. Personally, I became more confident in the MCU’s direction for the character. Although the presentation isn’t flawless, the finale seems to hint that Frank Castle will fully adopt his role as a crime fighter.

Based on this direction, I would like to discuss how The Punisher should be characterized in Brand New Day and future MCU projects. Please keep in mind that I am a new fan of the character, so feel free to agree/disagree with my takes in the comics! Additionally, this post will contain certain spoilers for One Last Kill.

MORE ACCEPTING OF THE PUNISHER MANTLE

To those familiar with the character, it is clear that the MCU’s Frank Castle is extremely apprehensive about fully embracing the Punisher moniker. This creates a repetitive cycle where Frank embraces violence, disappears out of remorse, and then eventually returns when a major threat emerges.

While I do not entirely dislike this angle (since it gives the writers a chance to explore Frank’s psychological state, as they did in One Last Kill), I can agree that the character needs to be permanently established as the Punisher.

Hopefully, this is an aspect of Frank that we see in Brand New Day, as Spider-Man does his best to restrain him. It would be extremely disappointing if Frank disappeared yet again after killing Ma Gnucci and her associates.

MORE METHODICAL

The Punisher’s methods are varied in the comics. However, an underrepresented quality of the character stems from his calculated and systematic torture methods. Although Frank Castle can serve as a killing machine when necessary, he often takes time to study and learn about his victims before striking. Additionally, Frank will usually use torture methods directly related to the victim.

This is an aspect of the character not often displayed in the MCU counterpart. If a full-length Punisher movie ever came to fruition, it would be nice to see at least a few scenes based on this characteristic.

MORE UNHINGED AND CREATIVE

Although we have seen Frank brutally and mercilessly eliminate his targets, certain comics take this ruthless nature a bit further. In Garth Ennis’s acclaimed Punisher run, I enjoyed how “creative” Frank was with his absurd methods of eliminating others (such as punching a polar bear and feeding a man to piranhas).

This almost cartoony level of violence is something we have yet to see in the more grounded take on the character. However, after One Last Kill directly lifted characters from Ennis’s run (such as Ma Gnucci and Barracuda), it seems like Frank’s characterization will shift to be more comic-accurate in future Disney projects. If this shift truly does occur, it will be very interesting to see Ma Gnucci’s fate in live-action format.

Are you excited for Frank Castle’s future in the MCU? Do you think the character should be more comic-accurate? Let me know in the comments!