The Punisher | A Frank Retrospective

Frank "The Punisher" Castle has been an anti-heroic comic book mainstay for fifty years...so why has it been such a struggle to translate that "White skull on a black t-shirt" brand of justice for the screen?
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[@inframeout]

So - what are your favourite runs of the comic, and which on screen adaptation do you think works the best? If you're in a position to do so and want more stuff like this - consider checking out www.patreon.com/inframeout IFO x

[@TheEliera]

The latest bomb was Immortal Hulk, Guardians Of the Galaxy the OG one the whole cosmic marvel from Age of kings to Anihilations, Moon knight Lemire plus Ellis run, Ultimate spider man, All star superman can somebody pls doo All star superman?

[@Formakiwi]

Almost every version of The Punisher is dross. The 1989 Dolph Lundgren vehicle is a half-decent 80's action flick, buy has almost nothing to do with the comics. The Tom Jane starring mid-2000s effort is almost a self-satire, with a melodramatic and jokey tone, ludicrous villian and silly supporting characters. The nominal sequel, War Zone, is barely a movie; more like a badly assembled series of sketches for overloaded action scenes without the semblance of a plot. But honestly, the Marvel series is the nadir: an unreconstructed, unredemptive, morally bankrupt exercise in gun worshiping redneck revenge fantasies, with cardboard characters, mechanical script-writing and frankly sadistic fascination with the title character's violent nihilism. It's slick production value and the quality of John Berenthal in the lead role are deceptive window-dressing for what is, at heart, an ugly, empty and deeply cynical product, that serves up elaborately choreographed violence in ever more contrived ways, and has nothing to offer beyond the most reactionary messaging and a lot of chauvinistic, numbskull posturing around the supposed purity of eye-for-an-eye moral arguments. It's a truly horrendous program, and the worst thing Marvel has produced to date (and I say that having watched all of Iron Fist).

[@joemammon6149]

Dolph Lundgren is the perfect Punisher. he has abandoned his past as a loving family man so he can wage an endless war against criminals. the other adaptations failed because they tried to humanize him.

[@TacticalBurritoSystem]

Since Marvel comic's shitty editorial team retconned Frank into School shooter and killed him off in the comics, I could give a fuck if they ever brought him back. Marvel struck some gold when they handed Garth Ennis the reins and he produced several equally gonzo and serious runs that were fantastic, with the art of frequent collaborator Steve Dillion filling the pages and Tim Bradstreet on covers. However, the original "Punisher War Zone", written by Chuck Dixon with the primary art by John Romita Jr, took on a early exploration of Frank's view of "The War", as he called it. Linus, aka Microchip, had a large role in the War Zone stories, as he really was not as broken as Frank, he does abandon him while Frank ends up letting a murderous mob boss go because of infatuation. I loved Barracuda, I thought he was a hilarious and serious threat for Castle, and he's the least offensive thing I can think of when I think of characters Ennis has created. Punisher: Warzone works as my favorite of the films. Its brutal, Ray Stevenson (RIP) is pretty on-point at being Frank Castle, and Dominic West is equally fun to watch as Jigsaw. A longer cut of the film and more time to build up to the federal agent being killed would be preferred. I agree that Warzone is a cartoon gorefest. At the same time, Its still feels like a comic book movie. I like the TV series enough, Billy aka Jigsaw was not intimidating as a villain.

[@andresanlozada2495]

In my mind the biggest problem all the adaptations have is they really haven't embraced the idea that The Punisher is meant to be a villain for super villains. He's supposed to be deranged and cruel, just that it happens his hatred is aimed at very bad people. In the end I think Ma Gnucci was kinda right, he's a serial killer obsessed with a war he's very aware is meant to be endless

[@inframeout]

Exactly. So many adaptions see him as a good guy who does bad things, rather than "A very bad guy who thinks he's doing something good"

[@Iron-Bridge]

Exactly. He's the nightmare bogeyman for bad guys. He's no bright cape smiling icon for super heroic valor. He's a white blood cell turning on its environment.

[@anubhavdassarma7230]

@@Iron-Bridge jon bernthal never really gave the idea that Frank's a great guy. Honestly, its as close as we get to the Punisher in the comics, and from a marketting standpoint, shady good guy trumps better than villian bad guy

[@Swishy_Blue]

As someone living in rural America, thank you for covering The Punisher. A lot of people use that logo as an excuse to be an oppressive rude boy.

[@inframeout]

When I was in Vegas late last year, the amount of blue lives matter Punisher stickers on the trucks of people actively committing crimes sure was weird

[@CyberKid-fm4li]

23:15

[@corneliusbrandy2557]

It always makes me laugh when I see it on cop cars. It's bad when even the police are admitting the judicial system doesn't work.

[@angbald]

​@inframeout As someone who has lived in Vegas for 21 years I can tell you that is not a new phenomenon. They don't read comics and don't understand Punisher hates racist cops too. He kills cops constantly.

[@AvengedHate26]

Thank you. People are ruining how special the skull really is.

[@projjalc]

"Sad dad turned mad lad" is the best summary of the Punisher's origin story I've ever seen

[@afterdinnercreations936]

Honestly, the idea of the Punisher is just hilarious now. He's a regular man who's good with guns, surrounded by androids, wizards, space-aliens, and interdimensional-travelers. Even a character like Spawn who also uses guns, understands their ineffectiveness from actual hell-demons. Hell, one of the MCU characters has literal bulletproof skin. I honestly love Jon Berenthal's version of Castle. He's battle-damaged and it absolutely shows. When he's in combat, he growls, he seethes, he roars, he's damn-near animalistic. When he's not fighting, he's constantly haunted by his traumas, even before his family dies. That one event only worsened his mental-state tenfold. He's a bad-ass, but you would NOT wanna be on an elevator with him.

[@TheJonathanFerreira]

All these modern game revivals and not one remaster of the PS2 Punisher. Definitely one of my favorite adaptations.

[@inframeout]

I absolutely adore how it keeps the Garth Ennis severity and brutality, but folds it into the wider Marvel canon without it feeling out of place

[@TheJonathanFerreira]

The game had many mechanics I really enjoyed. Unlocking comic covers - which few Marvel games do, the absolute harrowing torture sequences, and the fun grading system that really challenged you.

[@inframeout]

I think the PC/emulated version even removes the black and white censoring on the fatality sequences

[@dtill5322]

PS2 punisher was the best!!! I still replay it just cause. The music score was epic asf also!

[@musstakrakish]

I think the perfect Punisher was season 2 of Daredevil and the first half of season 1 of The Punisher

[@Joe_Karably]

Your take is so spot on here. Just got put on to your channel, really great work. Personally, Bernthal's Punisher in DD S2 is hands down the best take on the character that sadly fell by the wayside in the solo series. If the Daredevil show runners had been brought on to do the spinoff I think it probably would have been exactly what fans had been looking for. Also, love your Converge reference, you're clearly my people.

[@inframeout]

"You Fail Me" is a perfect album

[@Joe_Karably]

100%, their most underrated as well. @@inframeout

[@RogerLareau-qx2cy]

I believe that Jon Bernthal's Punisher is the best one. His two seasons are both great action and an insight into what it truly means to be Frank Castle.

[@midniteauthor]

A tough character to pull off but a compelling one when you do. My favourite version isn't even The Punisher but a Punisher-adjacent character in Omar Little. Also, I loved that clip from the short film, especially the character who reacts how we all would if a maniac attacks us then started quoting philosophy to you.

[@GarmrsBarking]

I think the biggest problem is that people want the punisher to be a hero instead of an anti hero... where he is more of an anti villain in my eyes... i mean he's more or less an active shooter who goes after "mostly" bad guys...

[@inframeout]

He's a mass murdering sociopath who actively targets marginalised, poor and substance dependent groups so he can kill them and "Clean up" his city. Dude's an absolute wacko

[@GarmrsBarking]

@@inframeout exactly... it's more luck or random chance that he gets the real bad guys... for him it's just revenge and retribution for what's been done to him... and everyone who stands in the way of that is " evil" in his eyes and therefore they have to die... he's not really doing it to improve the world or help people in need... it's 100% selfish on his part....

[@inframeout]

That's why "Punisher: Born" (the comic run about his time in Vietnam) is so so great. He's addicted to war, and has a creeping dark voice that keeps whispering "Just cut me loose Frank, give in to the kill"

[@theversusverses]

punisher warzone is the best boondock saints movie ever made and somehow it took me till today to realize that it stars the bad guy from RRR

[@inframeout]

YUP. Ray Stevenson has the market cornered on "Beefy dudes who look like they want to murder an entire country"

[@jonerikson5925]

Lions gate are cowards and didnt want to give us the punisher punching a polar bear is a quote i never expected.😅

[@SpoopySquid]

I'd love to see a _Punisher_ film (preferably with Jane as lead) that goes the _Batman_ (2022) route. Have the villain be another vigilante inspired by Frank only somehow even more extreme - eg they have no problem killing innocent civilians - or even make them an updated version of Payback who calls Castle out for focusing on the wrong targets. That way you can still have Frank as the "hero" but also make him reflect on his own actions

[@inframeout]

They could absolutely do that if they adapted the character of "Elite" - who is essentially a Punisher copycat obsessed with gentrification, who only targets persons of colour and people without homes so he can "Keep the neighborhood clean".

[@davidcurry332]

So would I bro

[@jaredgarcia8638]

So maybe the barracuda arc?

[@cjmayhue1151]

Who would be the perfect director to make a Punisher film? For me it may be Sam Rami bc his style is so dynamic and memorable and he adores comics a lot. However Robert Rodriguez could pull off a very good version too given his track record for insane violence mixed with fantastical oddness.

[@inframeout]

Old school Sam Raimi (with a hint of the maturity of "A Simple Plan") would be such a good match. Weirdly - and I know the dude is an absolute weirdo - I think S. Craig Zahler ("Bone Tomahawk", "Brawl In Cell Block 99") would be perfect

[@contrabandresearch8409]

@@inframeout S Craig Zhaler would be my pick.

[@dogloversrule8476]

I haven’t watched the movies, but I feel like the show definitely brings in such subjects as Frank’s mental state, the ethicality of his actions, while also showing that he does have a human side (sometimes)

[@felixflitou]

Ooooh sweet. The Punisher's my first and favourite comic-book character, to the point of inspiring me to become a comic artist. I'm glad to see you talking about him ! Run speaking, the top 3 (in my opinion) is : 3- Rucka and Checchetto 2- Aaron and Dillon 1- Every. Single. Ennis. Issue.

[@kevinthecollector818]

First time I ever saw the punisher was in the 90s spiderman cartoon and since then I've become of big fan of the punisher my favorite comic storyline was welcome back Frank

[@inframeout]

"Welcome Back, Frank" is so great (and I love the subplot about the three of copycats - Mr Payback, Elite and The Holy)

[@TheDudeSmashTrash]

Welcome Back Frank rules

[@SleeperKhan]

I still think that he was done way better in DD S2 than in either of the seasons of his own show.

[@inframeout]

Agreed. Episode three (the rooftop episode where he's ties up "Daredevil" and is forcing him to question his own morality) isn't just a phenomenal adaptation of a very similar arc in the Punisher comics - it's maybe the best single piece of Punisher media

[@ariescustom]

Ah, Converge. You've made me nostalgic for Jane Doe.

[@rd-um4sp]

very good retrospective. I had forgotten about Ma Gnucci. Ennis and his absurd characters. And you managed to summarize my thoughts on Netflix show: "... eeehhh" I didn't know about the whole appropriation bs. But I think it was well explained by a couple of frames at 23:14

[@moonbeans7042]

I honestly feel that the Punisher works best in contrast. A lot of my favourite moments from the comics are when his brutal ethos clashes with characters like Daredevil, Spider-Man or Captain America. I feel another way Netflix could have made Defenders a compelling show would have been if they had thrown punisher in the mix. That show needed more character conflict (And Frank would have butted heads with everyone on that team in different ways) and a more distinct variety of styles to the fight scenes (defenders ended up with a bland mix of two agile fighters and two powerhouses punching guys in suits. Throwing the punisher in would have added guns and knives into the mix perhaps spicing things up ) I can just imagine the intriguing changes to the big defenders fight scenes with the others not only having to fight off the hand ninjas but constantly trying to reign in the Punisher who is shooting and slicing his way through the enemies. Itd be like a game of pass the parcel where they each have a moment where they react to the Punishers bloodlust and respond in their own ways using their abilities or skills to block him from killing someone. Maybe some of them dont even bother because of their own views raising the question of which defenders are the most and least aligned to his world view.

[@danielkharlak539]

Thomas Jane is the best Punisher. He's let down by the questionable characters around him, the dodgy script, the lack of real budget and Travolta's underwhelming villain. But Jane brought a real understanding and humanity to the role. I only wish that he had a chance to reprise his role in a real sequel. War Zone, however, is one of the all time so-bad-its-good films. It's a heaping helping of WTFness.

[@greywolf5761]

The 2004 punisher is the best one hands down, at least in my opinion. sure there are some imperfections with it, but overall nails the methodical nature while still showing that crushing brutality of Frank Castle. It also was a film that showed his more human side when it could. Making him more than a one dimensional mess

[@alexcoyg3281]

I just wanted to rewatch that show, This is Great!!Thank you!!👍

[@olivermutalemumba2913]

I feel like you didn't give Dolph Lindgren Punisher his due. He's very much a good punisher

[@gslinger19]

I doubt we'll see Frank any time soon on the big screen considering what Marvel and Jason Aaron just did to him. They could have just opted not to use him anymore, or retire him, but they dug his wire up, and humiliated him first. Jon Bernthal has said he'd never betray the character so we'll see how his second go as Frank goes. I liked him, but my favorite is Thomas Jane, followed by Ray Stevenson.

[@kessler.bowman]

putting the pun in punisher I see

[@inframeout]

The Pun-isher

[@dang9154]

This is a great video which deserves far more views

[@NoMoreCrumbs]

I really liked Punisher 2004 as a kid, but I haven't seen it again since then

[@damianstarks3338]

Awesome punisher video like the take on anti heroes my favorite type of heroes. Thanks for bringing these 3 punisher movies back to my attention.

[@weareallbronies9031]

He's back and badder then ever

[@inframeout]

The baddest good man who is very bad

[@MrJacobHart]

I think I’d like to see that part in the comics when Frank becomes a full on Angel of Vengeance. I’d also love love love, and this is a big ask, to hear your defense of Garth Ennis and his other work. I’m a huge fan of him and Steve Dillon, and I think I’d really just like to hear you talk about Preacher for as long as possible.

[@inframeout]

"Preacher" and "The Boys" seem like articulated and conscientious attempts to straddle the lines of poor taste and then subvert them in order to point out the fallibility of heroes and the corrupting force of power. His edgy nonsense in "Punisher" just reeks of "Ha ha ha I am being horrible". A problem that reached its apex with the nonstop edgelord of "Crossed"

[@exploringhorrorhuey]

i love your fuckin videos my boi.

[@inframeout]

Thank you very very much

[@exploringhorrorhuey]

@@inframeout your underrated boi can I get your opinion on the teddy Perkins ep from Atlanta im just wondering. 😊

[@inframeout]

I still need to watch "Atlanta" - I've been waiting for it to finish up so I can watch it all

[@exploringhorrorhuey]

@@inframeout it’s finished season 4 is the last season it’s done. But if you’ll do a video on it I’ll cry I feel like you would have a different opinion.

[@mumdangerous]

I saw a while back you said that any youtube comment over a couple of lines sucks, so i'll do my best to keep it short. A couple of things though. First, thanks for turning your eye to this. I've always had a tough time explaining to people my issues with the Netflix Punisher, but you summed a lot of it up for me. Second, did you listen to the episode of 'How did this get made?' with Lexi Alexander? She talks about making WarZone and there are a lot of super interesting nuggets in there. (Also even though her twitter presence is annoying, she's pretty fantastic). Third, I was hoping you'd tackle 'movies that aren't actually punisher movies but work as one.' There are some movies out there that feel spiritually like the punisher. John Creasy in MAN ON FIRE is one and I really love THE GUEST as a punisher flick, though I think the director mentioned The Terminator as more of an inspiration. I think examining those could be a way to discuss why the adaptations here don't work. If you look at the 80's punisher comics, it was more just about this brick shithouse psycho going from town to town, from criminal to criminal and wiping out 'bad' guys. It wasn't about him being sad that his family was gone, or even solving a mystery. It was removing a cancer. I think the best model for a Punisher show would be the A-Team. Sure, you could do a longer arc, maybe he needs to get somewhere and is stopped along the way wiping out dirtbags until he meets the Big Bad. Imagine that setup, but (like in the PS2 game) he pisses off Iron Man for some reason and has to tangle with him. That brings me to my fav Punisher books. Three immediately spring to mind. The third isn't even in the punisher, but in Daredevil when he gets arrested to protect Daredevil in prison (which is what I thought the Netflix show was going to do). The second is Remender's first arc where Frank takes on the Sentry. Finally, my all time fav is Marvel Universe vs Punisher from Maberry. Manhattan is hit with a virus that turns everyone into their most base, animal form and Punisher is (for reasons later explained) immune. He decides he has to kill every single infected hero and villain. It turned into a 12 issue thing, with four dedicated to him, four to Wolverine and four to Avengers but it hits on all cylinders. Anyway, sorry to break the rules on good comment etiquette, but I genuinely love the vid and I'm glad you tackled it.

[@inframeout]

This was a wonderful comment - and now I really wish I'd done a section on "Punisher in all but name" movies like Man On Fire, Death Sentence, The Brave One etc

[@mumdangerous]

@@inframeout Oh! Rolling Thunder was the one I was thinking of!

[@CorbCorbin]

The “Russian,” is actually Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stunt double for Conan, snd many movies in the 80’s. He was also a character in many of those movies.

[@rog2224]

If you're referring to the 2005 one, then that's Kevin Nash and it's not on his IMDB. He appears to have no stunt credits at all. Even if it's an oversight, Nash dials in ay 6'10", which isn't a good stand in for Arnold's 6'2".

[@RedOutlaw1911]

It is definitely the script writers all the actors who played Frank have something going for them but it’s the people behind the scenes pulling their punches. I haven’t seen the 1989 movie but I have seen the rest of them. Tom Jane acts like the punisher from the time. Ray Stevenson looks the part from the max comics. Then Jon Bernthal who gave us the heart wrench from his performance. My personal two favorites are Tom Jane and Jon Bernthal.

[@thesmilingvagrants]

I think Netflix got him wrong on purpose to make him more sympathetic.

[@user-fx3wc7xb7c]

You had me and lost me.

[@mrflipperinvader7922]

Seeing John Pinette in the 2004 film is so awesome 13:28 hearing Pendelum desribed as frathouse crushed my heart 😆

[@oliverurwin7469]

Stage diving at Converge is still bad ass. Did a few last week in fact, so I may yet love Punisher: War Zone

[@foxhound9780]

Interesting topic definitely hope you explore doing more why this didn't work out and explore why type videos

[@SayWhatNow666]

If you take it as a whole the Netflix punisher doesn’t work but that one hour where he waits in his lair and destroys everyone is the best version of Home Alone I’ve ever seen

[@danielhance1467]

Daredevil season 2 was a perfect depiction of the character.

[@THATGuy5654]

Disney's MCU Phase 7: Angel of Vengeance Punisher joins the Avengers. The movie is considered the high-water mark for Phase 7.

[@florinivan6907]

'punching a polar bear in the face' methinks the comic is not meant to be taken 100% seriously.

[@-_-0.0-_-]

I love the pun title

[@AvengedHate26]

I love all 3 Franks. I don’t personally think I have one I prefer. Janes voice and look was magnificent, Steven’s was literally the most comic book accurate looking at least and he acted his ass off and bernthal I have problems with the story for sure but he played it so raw, and his mil spec look is by far my favorite especially with his head shaved like daredevil or season 1. They all did great. If not for Ray Steven’s passing I’d love to see a “no way home” style punisher film lol. Oh crap I completely forgot lugdren lmfao, his is not terrible but by far the worst, no skull and his voice always bothered me, sounded like a drunk rocky lol

[@TheBeird]

"They deserve . . . gun-ishment!" sones up the character to me. Can't get on board with Punisher at all. Liked him in second season of Daredevil but gave up on his own show when they used the Tom Waits song 'Hell Broke Luce' for a scene of him brutally killing some overly horrible villains. I was like, fuck sake, how can you hear that song and not recognise how ANTI-WAR it is?

[@musstakrakish]

The first episode is my favorite but using such an intense anti war song and a song about suicide is a good song for the character but not the scene to use it in. Maybe using it before he kills again and making it more of a sad unfortunate thing rather than a fuck yea moment.

[@Firebrand1967]

*In certain extreme situations, the law is inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it is necessary to act outside the law. To pursue... natural justice. This is not vengeance. Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. No. Not vengeance. Punishment.*

[@inframeout]

That speech rules and it's perfectly delivered by Thomas Jane

[@earthdog7900]

I think the Punisher is best as a supporting character, not has a main character. I love when other characters measure their ethics against his.

[@papaversomniferum8508]

as much as i disagree with you (i loved the netflix show, and i preferred season 1 over season 2, don’t @ me) i still really enjoyed this video! watching the show and reading a little more into his character, i can see with what intentions he was created. but in the 50 years since, society has changed a lot and i would love to see the next season or show created about the punisher reflect on those changes. i‘d love to see an even more deranged and brutal version with an even more in your face message about why he is an ANTIhero and not just a hero. i feel like the producers often water down the satire he is to not risk any controversy and it’s sad.

[@na8291]

I always look forward to your simpsons inserts

[@inframeout]

At this point it's a very daft trademark, and I'll never change!

[@omniframe8612]

Maybe The Punisher works bear under a satirical framework instead of a self seriously anti hero or maybe a mixture of the two. In my mind Punisher is a character built on extremes but cynical extremes and not altruistic extremes.

[@TheDudeSmashTrash]

somehow i've been in your community for this long without realizing you're into comics lol. Have you read The Immortal Hulk run, written by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett? Some of the most leftist themes I've seen packaged into a comic, and it's also just a really great story to boot with some awesome body horror elements

[@inframeout]

I haven't, but I will get on it asap!

[@channelname1019]

Another great video. Thanks.

[@inframeout]

You're more than welcome!

[@johnnypopstar]

A Brass Eye reference and an RLM reference in one video? It's Christmas come early/late!

[@kellyfillinger8205]

Great video. Can't wait for a truly great Punisher movie or TV show

[@mcglubski]

Thats So Reagan. Lmao

[@lostinthemasses]

The perfect non-comic Punisher property is hands-down Punisher '66. Did you check out Moon Tooth yet?

[@andresanlozada2495]

The devil on Kevin Feige's shoulder: C'mon Kevin, you know the adaptation they really want! You can have Blade, and Man-Thing! It's the one story everyone loves! DO FRANKENCASTLE

[@inframeout]

Kevin Feige trying to make a PG-13 adaptation of "Frankencastle"; 'I have been defeated'

[@APunisherKnight]

Great video. Been a big fan of Punisher since freshman year of high school but a lot of the association with the skull over the recent years has had me seriously considering a rebranding a name Ive used since 2008. I stay current with the mainline comics and still love the character, but think he and his way of thinking needs to stay in fiction.

[@dakinayantv3245]

Isn't the massacred family plot device just a vile cliche.

[@synthgal1090]

It's not my favourite, but the Dolph Lundgren was fun for me on a stylistic level. I enjoyed the weird intro, the cheap-as-fuck but striking sets, etc.

[@josephsawyer3982]

I loved warzone and the 89 movie I have always liked, the other movie I didn't like but the Netflix show came so close but dropped the ball with jigsaw and the supporting characters

[@TheEliera]

Another candidate to club "comics are soo much better pls read comics" featuring Thor Good killer plus Ragnarok, Vision, Moon knight Ellis and Lemire run ....and soo much more" (I am curious if we ever will get Immortal Hulk)

[@enemy1191]

I haven't seen 1989 movie and Netflix show. ... But i really like 2004 movie, one of my favorites, its in my top10. It has its problems, some cringe and weak parts, but still, i like it. ... But i don't know why i didn't like 2008 War Zone that much ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . It's not bad, its fine good, but it was kind of eehh for me. ... Dirty Laundry short film was nice. ... But that 2003 game was nice, i have re-played it 2-3 times on PC. It can get a bit boring in story in some places and it can get repetitive at times, but it's still fun. ... But i am interested to watch that 1989 movie and rewatch 2004 and 2008 movies.

[@contrabandresearch8409]

The thing about The Punisher is he is completely incapable of seeing anything outside of black and white. He treats everything like if it either does or doesn't need to be nuked. I really have no clue why the rest of the Marvel heroes put up with besides needed someone to deal with freaks like Jigsaw. I liked all the Punisher films, even with their various flaws. I thought his stuff in the Daredevil series was compelling. His own Netflix show was ok. The first season tried dealing with the topic of mass shooters and even had a scene with a debate from both sides of the gun debate but nobody watches Punisher stuff for disputation. I only watched the first episode of the second season.

[@watsonsith]

I'd love for them to end the new disney series with a comic civil war nod and have a "real" superhero kick his ass and call him a murderous piece of trash like Capt America did 😅

[@two_owls]

Finally some love for Tom Jane's performance!

[@inframeout]

That man should have been a A-list star and it's a GODDAMN CRIME he isn't

[@Andyanddiana467]

My 2 cents: 1) I think the Lundgren '89 version is a bit underrated. Yes, it's '80s cheese, but the psychotic feel he provided is closer to the darkness of the comic book. 2) Hated the 2004 Jane one. He looks like a celebrity cosplaying the Punisher for Heidi Klum's Halloween bash. Too "pretty boy" Hollywood, and his "strutting" looks so contrived. Also - setting it in Florida (I think?) was a TERRIBLE move, because in the comics, NYC itself is a character, so to speak. Moving it elsewhere diminished the mythos significantly.

[@charliearblaster]

Hi

[@yoshi5I4]

Thomas Jane absolutely kills it (no pun intended) as Frank Castle and for the record stage diving at a Converge show is still pretty badass

[@afterdinnercreations936]

Really? I found him incredibly dull and one-note. Robocop had more emotion. Frankenstein's monster isn't that stiff.

[@ANIpJs]

The problem with people adapting the Garth Ennis stuff, comes from the fact that Ennis understands something about Frank that no one in adaption has. Frank Castle is not a good guy, he's not a hero. He's a serial killer who has been pointed in a somewhat constructive direction. He's like Dexter Morgan or Paul Kursey (Death Wish) who is really his spiritual father. Frank Castle is not meant to be empathized with. He's not right in what he does, he's a lunatic on a prolonged killing spree. Ennis understands this about him. But no one else seems to and honestly that's kind of depressing. Like knowing some people genuinely think that Rorschach is a cool badass, and not a weird smelly hobo man with repugnant political and social views.

[@aedwardsss]

Punisher 1989 was my favorite and followed the comics well. The skull teeshirt is a big white bullseye and is the dumbest thing for a covert killer to wear. It had great scenes and really fit Frank as a depressed man out for revenge. 2001 punisher only had a great short film. The movie itself sucked butt. Not until the Netflix series was there anything worth watching.

[@hardingryan42]

Best punisher in order Dolph, Ray Stevenson, then TV series and we don't mention Tomas Jane as he's was terrible

[@mamodokod4613]

Why the fuck do you think the punisher is "the perfect candidate for political debate"? Hes an angry dude who kills criminals cuz he wants to avenge his family, but really he just likes it. How the hell SHOULD this guy be politicized????

[@lord_zulu7292]

@inframeout what makes barracuda a racist depiction?

[@elongatedmusket7430]

Thomas Jane is in no way intimidating and thus, is a terrible choice.

[@mamodokod4613]

Punisher isnt a right wing power fantasy, its genuinely people like you spouting that, thats the reason marvel have absolutely torched everything punisher related and replaced him with a "safe" version.

[@SayWhatNow666]

It’s that he speaks to the child in every man, ‘if x happened I’d do y cos I’m so hard’. I think we grow out of it but it sort of always exists in us somewhere however small

[@theexpressionbooth]

Yeah we already have a ton of woke characters. Can we not get a hardened old school character that is anti woke. He would sell tickets thats for sure

[@mattgilbert7347]

The Netflix adaptation was so dour.

[@olufagosebambulagose]

Jon Bernthal show was great in my opinion. Utterly loved his portrayal and the show was very dark, just how I like it. I liked the Thomas Jayne movie as well, had pretty much everything I expected from The Punnisher movie of that era. Was not fan of War Zone but I can see how people can enjoy it.

[@inframeout]

I think Bernthal was absolutely tremendous in the role, and can only hope he'll get given a hard R-rated shot at continuing the character

[@thannaske5371]

The Thomas Jane Punisher was WEAK! Dolph Lundgren IS The Punisher!

[@isaiah9750]

In my opinion, season 1 of The Punisher was amazing, but the 2nd season was trash.

[@user-bl6jd9lm4g]

0:45 Disliked the video here

[@inframeout]

You do realize that the creators of Dredd made him as a satire of jackboot fascists, right? Like - google, wiki, KZbin any writing on that character by anyone involved in his creation

[@user-bl6jd9lm4g]

@@inframeout Just like the Starship Troopers movie, the creators failed in their pathetic attempt of "satire"

[@memeheadroom]

The irony of injecting your political bias whilst talking about the character in question as a Rorschach test isn't lost on me, but it seems to be lost on you.

[@inframeout]

Wait - how is "Don't kill, hurt or intimidate people under the guise of a comic book symbol" a political statement?! Isn't that just common sense - and that's before we get into the fact that the people misappropriating the Punisher are acting in complete opposition of what the character and it's creators are intended for?

[@SayWhatNow666]

You have a way with words but my favourite was ‘a snuff cartoon for morons’