One of the most famous versions of The Punisher pits Frank up against the entire Marvel Universe in the aptly titled,Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe. Lundgren persevered, getting into boxing trunks and sending the photos to Stallone, who hired him six months later. I think thats part of the characters fascination, and I think its an aspect that, given time and future issues, well certainly try to explore. Ennis says hes heard from veterans who tell him his work with the Punisher got them through tough experiences, but like Conway, he doesnt see the characters warrior status as a clear positive. Dolph Lundgren might just be one of the smartest men in the world, let alone in Hollywood. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. He also sports a tattoo of Beckers name on his right wrist. But while Tony's origins have been retconned to be based in the Gulf Wars, Frank has remained a Vietnam vet through the 00s. Wielding automatic weapons, with a skull emblazoned on his chest, the Punisher is one of Marvel's most popular street-level vigilantes. In his free time Gregorio likes to make short films and take photographs. He's also told others who wanted to follow his example to look instead to Captain America for inspiration. For years, the military, the police and white supremacists have displayed the skull symbol of Marvel's comic-book outlaw the . Although his skills with a gun do seem supernatural at times, Frank Castle is . In one scene, the mutilated corpse of a woman is shown lying in a bed. why does five have a limp - legal-innovation.com 20 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Dolph Lundgren Immediately upon being given the floor, he gave a very specific shout-out. But Gerry Conway, who created the Punisher in 1974 and advocates progressive politics over social media, isnt convinced. The skull haunts him and reminds Frank of his ongoing internal war that forever rages on. Brennan did so and that is how he learned his rather genuine-looking fake limp. Prominent lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders say prosecuting Assange poses a grave threat to journalism. His take on Frank Castle redefined the character, and the subsequent Punisher MAX series was the one that soldiers would carry into Iraq and Afghanistan. The logo of the Punisher is as intimidating, and controversial, as Frank Castle himself. 13 of Punisher, writer Matthew Rosenbergincluded a scenedepicting a group of officers who run into the outlaw, whose name is Frank Castle, and fawn over him. The latest movie news, trailers, reviews, and more. The Marines had and have a reputation as the most dedicated, fiercest, and most honorable members of the American military, Conway recalls. When Lundgren came of age he served his mandatory one year in Swedish Marine Corps at the Amphibious Ranger School. Its been a favorite one in comics, and in pulp fiction prior to that. The main protagonist is strapped to a chair and tortured and beaten repeatedly. However, when Frank Castle began preparing for his war on crime, he went to the library to study. Mack Bolan is a famous character, created by Don Pendleton,who has appearedin hundreds of books. The most disliked way that The Punisher was brought back was when he became "Angel Punisher." Taglines Terms of Service apply. Frank Castle has a strange sense of patriotism. 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. We spray-painted [the Punisher skull] on our Hummers and body armor, and our helmets and all our guns. There is lots of moaning and panting in the sex scenes, akin to what you would hear in an adult film. I dont want you to look at him and say, This guys clearly a hero. Thats never how Ive looked at him, and thats never been the purpose. 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. 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. A month later, he was reelected in a historic landslide, and set about supporting a number of murderous regimes in Latin America. 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. 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.. Frank believes, for better or for worse, that the only way to keep a criminal from repeating a crime is by ending their life. But he says hes very aware that extrajudicial killing is outside of the ethos of the military and is just part of a larger fantasy. Of course, this wasnt the last of Frank, as Morbius and Man-Thing reconstruct and revive him to form the renowned Franken-Castle. Hes the violent part of us that yearns to do something about it. As the writer for a failed 1976 solo-series put it: In many ways, the Punisher is an unusual choice for a lead character. Mentions of heroin being smuggled back to the United States in the bodies of dead soldiers. We had this notion that as a nation we needed to break the rules. 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. Marvel commissioned two spin-offs Punisher War Journal and The Punisher War Zone and together the three series would produce 223 issues over the next eight years. Answer (1 of 13): Because he does have a point. The original Punisher from the Marvel comics chose the skull while in Vietnam. Though the Marvel vigilante known as the Punisher has been portrayed by several actors including Dolph Lundgren and Thomas Jane, its Jon Bernthal who has left the biggest impression. Lundgren accepted and become the bodyguard of Grace Jones. Following parts in little-seen films like 2002s Mary/Mary and 2004s Tony n Tinas Wedding, Bernthal got a glimpse of a major Hollywood production with 2009s Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. There are certain heroes he admires like Captain America, but for the most part he rubs other heroes the wrong way. Frank Castle is a tea totaller. - user001. However, his time spent training and killing directly led to his ability to take up the mantle of The Punisher once his family was murdered. Ever watched Gotham and thought to yourself "I cant recall why the penguin limps!" well ponder no more the answer is here! The job of a police officer is to uphold the law, to serve and protect. Castle doesnt see shades of grey, which, unfortunately, the American justice system is littered with and which tends to slow down and sometimes even hinder victims of crime from getting the justice they deserve.. If you found the piece above useful, informative, or inspiring, please consider supporting Truthout with a tax-deductible donation. . (His co-stars included Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.) As Americans learned that their government had conspired with drug lords to sell cocaine in U.S. cities, Frank was knocking over crack houses in Spanish Harlem with a bazooka. Bernthals specific role has yet to be disclosed. The reasoning being that since he was relocated to the West Coast, his face isn't as well known as it was on the East Coast. Few superhero emblems are as provocative as the Punishers. 2. | Obviously, if the Punisher was a real person and did the stuff he did, there would be people who get hurt, innocents, says Adam, an Army veteran who requested anonymity. 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. Although his skills with a gun do seem supernatural at times, Frank Castle is actually the only Marvel hero we've met so far that doesn't have any super powers. Yup, he was a master of the universe once. Rawlins' dead body is shown in later shots, bloody but mostly out of focus. Crucial quote "Frank Castle would beat Sean Hannity into a . "What makes the Punisher relevant after all these years, especially now, given that parts of our culture have gotten so violent and certain political groups have used the Punisher's insignia as one of their rallying points?" asked Robert G. Weiner, popular culture librarian in the Texas Tech University Libraries and one of the volume's . He does not respectAmerican politicians, laws, orthe reasonsfor the country'swars abroad, though (as was said before)he admiresboth police and soldiers for their service. A man injects heroin into a bed-ridden woman. Lundgren is a very smart man and we'll talk more about that in the next entry on the list but for now, let's focus on his studies abroad. Unlike most others, Frank was brought back in three very different ways when he died. This introductory juxtaposition against Daredevil served to set up Punisher's characteristic ethos: he has no qualms about killing criminals. It Could Get Ugly. A man is choked to death in an airport bathroom. People like watching people who are awesome, and especially for the military and cops, theyre under a lot of pressure. 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. There he encounters a local military owned by the narco-traffickers, and no sign of U.S. involvement to be found. Conway first dreamed the Punisher up as a supporting character for Spider-man in the early 1970s when the country was trying to put Vietnam behind it, urban crime was high, faith in government. Find the bad guys. This is part of why he kills those who take up his symbol. I gave all that up a long time ago. But so has his connection to visions of state-sponsored force. The skull on the Punisher's chest says it all: he lives with deathand shares thisgift with the world. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. On October 14, 1982, Ronald Reagan declared a new war on drugs. In October of 1984, he signed the Comprehensive Crime Control Act into law, helping to usher in a new era of civil asset forfeiture and mandatory minimums. They serve their country and so he treats them with respect. Oh, Loosey! Wipe out organized crime hah! Despite his skills and background in the military, Frank was always a family man first. 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New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews, The Punisher: 10 Facts You Didn't Know About Frank Castle, Punisher Villains Ranked: The 10 Worst Frank Castle Ever Faced, The Punisher: 5 Heroes Frank Castle Has Beaten (& 5 He Can Never Win Against), 10 Punisher Moments We'll Never See On Netflix, REVIEW: Frank Miller Presents Ancient Enemies: The Djinni #1 Crafts a Compelling Origin Story, REVIEW: DC's Shazam! There are times when viewers can empathize with Frank given his tragic family situation, but there are also just as many times when Frank can be a real jerk or do something that a true superhero would never even think about doing. After graduating from high school with straight A's, he spent some time in the United States in the 1970s on various academic scholarships. Most of the time it is more mild. For all that, he saw a lot, growing up in a working-class New York neighborhood that was ruled by the mob. Jason Statham and Aubrey Plaza do not seem like a match made in action-comedy-chemistry heaven, but it somehow works. Plot Keywords. Before that, he was encouraged by his acting teacher, Alma Becker, to try out for the Moscow Art Theatre School. Multiple men are shot and killed in an illegal safehouse containing stolen cars. | Marvel's Punisher Problem - Newsweek A solution as bad, if not worse, than any of the problems. Bernthal played Al Capone opposite Ben Stillers hapless night watchman. The show is about a vigilante who ruthlessly murders criminals. The Punisher symbol on the patrol vehicles of the Solvay Police Department, while similar to the symbol featured in Marvel comics, is our way of showing our citizens that we will stand between good and evil, read an official statement given to the Syracuse Post-Standard. He does not want to numbhis senses, as they give him an edge in his crusade against crime. 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. 1 Answer. He also had his family killed thanks to the practices of mafiosos. Again. "I absolutely fell in love with Russian culture, Russian people, he later said. Bernthal said he was largely ignored by the cast (no, he had not threatened to beat anyone up on this set). Sep 17, 2015 at 9:17. Lundgren and Stallone decided to spar, This ended with Stallone taking a body punch from Lundgren that put Stallone in the hospital and insurance companies thought Stallone was hit by a car, not a person. Like Neff, Murrieta sees an element of wish fulfillment in the character. Bernthal became interested in acting in high school and was later accepted into Harvard's masters in dramatic arts program. All Frank cares about is executing the worst of humanity. If that guy doesnt wake up, the cops told him, youre going away for life.. Were proud to publish real news 365 days of the year, completely free of charge to our readers. Fortunately, The Walking Dead came along not long after. A man is shot in the head via long range sniper fire. On top of just being a genius, Lundgren was able to make time to become a second-degree black belt in Karate and a champion. After all, he is a former Marine, Air Force Officer and Navy Seal. As Marine vet Matt Salvatico puts it, He has a job to do and he does it. Some scenes of heads being bashed in with sound effects. As weve discussed, Frank Castle does not hesitate to murder those he deems worthy of his punishment. 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. And who is he fighting against? Many hate and fear his unrestrained violence. The Punisher was fiction, of course, but it was a particular kind of right-wing fiction that ran directly opposite reality. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. And he was right about Friends, but he was simply not right about us.. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google He made wrongdoers fear him, Kyles memoir reads. 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. Jones is actually a big reason behind Lundgren's choice to get into acting. Here is Screen Rants 10 Facts You Need To Know About The Punisher! 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. Post-apocalyptic TV dramas dont have to be cynical or atomizing they can inspire a politics of care and mutual aid. In early May 2009, Lundgren's home was reportedly broken into by three masked burglars who tied up and threatened his wife but fled when they found a family photo and realized that the house was owned by Lundgren. Williams, a Marine vet and current sheriffs deputy whos been a Punisher fan since childhood. RELATED: 10 Punisher Moments We'll Never See On Netflix. With his anti-hero persona and tragic background, Frank Castle has remained just under the surface of mainstream audiences attention. In his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #129, he was actually an antagonist pitted against our favorite wall-crawler. On the anniversary of Rodney Kings beating by the Los Angeles Police Department, Frank Castle in March 1992 put on blackface and lectured prominent Black superhero Luke Cage about Black-on-Black crime. Current events are only one in a long line of regressive uses that the Punisher skull has been put to. In front of everybody here, I will beat your a**.". In the new series, viewers learn pretty quickly that the antagonist who most messed up Castle's life is his former military commander Rawlins. Shania Twain Gives Rare Update on Her Ex-Husband and Ex-BFF. Hopefully now you know more about this iconic anti-hero and are more prepared for Daredevil season 2. A man is beaten multiple times before being shot offscreen. He says he owns thousands of dollars in Punisher comics and merchandise, has a Punisher tattoo, and even designed one of his wedding cakes to look like the characters distinctive skull logo. Its complicated, and he works through that in his own way., Talk to cops and soldiers and theyll tell you they understand all that. Some of the biggest fans of the Punisher are people in the military and police officers and this is for a few reasons. The character and his iconography are totemic for many cops and soldiers, wrote Abraham Riesman for Vulture, adding that his popularity spiked when Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, the subject of American Sniper, appropriated the skull as his own. But the Punishers fans in law enforcement and the military think its misguided to write their fandom community off as sinister. Throughout his career, Frank takes other lovers after his wife (not that he seems to have actually loved any of them). The Palestinian Feminist Collective is working to decolonize Valentines Day this year. I think patriotic war movies brainwash young men to idolize war and killing enemies/terrorists more than fictional vigilantes ever will. Two main characters carry on an intimate relationship for a brief period where multiple implied and sometimes shown sex scenes occur. His senior thesis, The Punisher: Microcosm to Evoke the Macrocosm, won high distinction from the schools honors program. Due to the Punisher's merciless crime-fighting tactics, he naturally acquires more enemies than allies. Years later during the Civil War story, when Steve Rogers was beating Frank senseless for murderingtwo supercriminals under Cap's protection, Frank refused to defend himself. As a veteran, Frank Castle has a soft spot for other soldiers. A fight scene with the authorities and the Punisher. A man's face is smashed into and dragged through a mirror. With nothing but rage and hatred for those he feels are responsible for his familys death, he begins killing everyone on both sides of the law. Not overly graphic, but much blood sprays on the protagonists face as the act takes place. Yeah, it might, but theres somebody else to step up and take their place. Adam thinks members of the military gravitate toward the character not because they want to emulate his tactics in real life, but because they share his aims of discipline and freedom. My love for the character was certainly a large factor in my decision to join the military, and during my time in, whenever I was faced with any type of problem, I could ask myself, What would Frank do? As long as the answer wasnt kill everyone, I knew it was the right thing to help get me through. Plus, the Punisher doesnt have to deal with paperwork. All rights reserved. The novel offers an alternate-reality allegory about the rise of Trump and the right-wing movement that supports him. When he follows the chain of supply, it doesnt lead him to the CIA, but instead to Bolivia. Two bikers are gunned down and run over with a van by the main protagonist. While Daredevil and the rest of the Defenders tend to let the law take care of human criminals, the Punisher prefers taking care of them himself. GOP Megadonors Are Trying to Pull the Party Away From Trump. In this comic, we saw the transformation of vicious, villainous Frank Castle into the anti-hero that we have come to know and love. Thats the dream., Jesse Murrieta is just as excited. He is later stabbed again in the chest multiple times, has his head beaten severely, and is then finished off with an eye gouging. The film wasn't received too well, but maybe Lundgren could try to get a spot in the MCU. A man is shown carrying a severed head. That and he is crazy, after the death of his family. If you talk to soldiers, they will tell you the Punisher is the epitome of what they all strive to be and do. Cap punched him, but Punisher refused to hit him back. There are plenty of heroes and villains that have massive arsenals. I think you have to take whats the generally accepted interpretation and thats the one we should apply., For now, as Marvel fans continue to indulge with the Punishers quest for revenge in his Netflix series, the true meaning of the Punishers skull remains in the eye of the beholder, says Conway. Cover of 'Punisher MAX' #57 from Garth Ennis. Frank is suicidal at first, while trying to resolve the crime through lawful avenues. While Lundgren was preparing to move to Boston, he was working as a bouncer in Sydney in order to bring in some extra cash. Everybody brings to it their interpretation, and I have no problem of any of those, so long as theres a fundamental understanding that this is not a good guy. Conway himself even admits to owning Punisher merchandise. Bolan is a Vietnam veteran who is known for his deadly capabilities but merciful tendencies. In continuity and outside of continuity, The Punisher has made some powerful enemies with some of Marvels greatest heroes. Some scenes of people smoking cigarettes and cigars. It follows the tribulations of its titular antihero, an embittered former Marine named Frank Castle, who uses his talents to lethally take down wrongdoers in the wake of the murder of his wife and children. Though Conway originated the Punisher, the veterans and law-enforcement officers I spoke with typically told me that their favorite tales were written by Garth Ennis, who has helmed the character on and off since 2000. Franks instability and reaction to the death of his family is not only tragic but telling. does wear a mask. Strength, tenacity, perseverance, decisiveness. The Punishers Skull, a ghostly white cranium often painted over a pitch black background, perfectly occupies the uncomfortable shaded areas in the venn diagram of politically conservative audiences, law enforcement, and hyper-masculine power fantasies. Huge mistake. Lundgren has said that, as a child, he was insecure and suffered from allergies, describing himself as a runt. Years of scraping by as an actor were followed by a few breaks for Bernthal, including a part in director Oliver Stones 2006 feature World Trade Center. Limping Symptoms, Causes & Common Questions | Buoy Its nothing against what theyre doing. Frank Castle (Marvel Cinematic Universe) - Wikipedia In every iteration of The Punisher, Frank has always had hundreds of weapons. He supported Everton FC when he lived in Europe, but developed more of an interest in international football tournaments like the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup after moving to Los Angeles. Theres no way a vigilante of any sort could fire an M16 out in New York City and not hit a guy delivering pizzas at some point, but in the world of entertainment, it is possible, says Dane Lamont, co-host of a fan podcast called Punisher: Body Count. He previously suffered a brain aneurysm on February 18, and was ultimately taken off life support. After he defeated The Monkey and returned home, this symbol was again used to let Franks enemies know not just their own fate, but who would deliver the killing blow.