The Punisher Guy Who Pissed on His Family's Grave

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The Punisher

"Some people would tell yous that I'm crazy. They would exist wrong. Information technology'due south non crazy when the state of the world makes you want to kill anybody responsible. It'due south crazy when it doesn't."

Modify Ego: Frank Castle (born Francis David Castiglione)

Get-go Appearance: Built-in #1

"Something to think virtually on your manner to Hell. My family are avenged at present. I wanted the five of yous together so it could be done just right. Simply the war goes on. It's considering of you and Apostolo that it is a war. Men like yous, arrogant enough to think the streets are yours. You send your scum out to rob and extort, to fight your battles, to impose your will. Y'all never requite a fuck who might become hurt just for beingness in the way. Know this: I'g getting out of here. If I tin commencement a riot, I tin can only equally easily escape. Then I'll spend the rest of my life sending more than of your people subsequently you, I tell the dead man. Until you and your kind are gone from the world."

A young father who enlisted in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War in order to provide for his young family. Nonetheless, his time in Vietnam would drastically alter the man he was, growing addicted to combat and developing a beloved for war. He re-enlisted time and fourth dimension again then he could experience the thrill of violence, even expressing disappointment at the fact that the U.s.a. would before long be withdrawing from Vietnam. When he finally came home after his third and terminal bout of duty, his only wish was to settle down with his family and live a nice domesticated lifestyle...

Until one fateful mean solar day in Central Park changed all that. He and his family institute themselves caught in the crossfire of a mob shoot out, severely wounding him and leaving residual of his family dead. Since then he has dedicated his life to waging a brutal one man state of war on law-breaking. A war he still continues fighting fifty-fifty after thirty years, and shows no signs of stopping whatsoever time soon.

Alert: Unmarked spoilers abound!

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    A To L

• '90s Anti-Hero: Bleak outlook on life? Cheque. Brooding attitude, intimidating proper noun, and no shortage of firepower? Bank check, check and double cheque.
• The Ace: During his last tour of duty, he was often remarked as the finest officer the Marines at Valley Forge firebase had ever seen. An splendid sniper and brilliant military tactician, he is hands the nearly skilled and capable of all the men stationed at that place. Keeping all of his troops in line through a mixture of fright and respect. Only mostly fear. Throughout his career as The Punisher, he has amassed a bodycount in the thousands, rarely been captured, and he can fifty-fifty take down squadrons of trained special-ops soldiers singlehandedly.
• Adaptational Villainy: Despite being A Lighter Shade of Blackness, this version of Frank is definitely more morally questionable than the mainstream version. While his war on crime is yet half-Roaring Binge of Revenge over his family's death and half-Blood Knight tendencies, unlike the canon Punisher he has zero involvement in doing information technology for the sake of justice. If null else, this series probably showcases why it's so of import he has as many "friends" as he does in the superhero community that help rein him in along with Comic-Book Fourth dimension, and that's not even getting into the fact that this Frank Castle either made a Deal with the Devil for a "war without end" at the cost of his family unit, or is literally out of his mind.
• As Long equally There is Evil: What Frank's rationale for his one man war on crime eventually comes down to.

  Frank: I went to war with murderers, thieves, with slavers and dealers, the parasites who preyed on human weakness. That weakness was a feeding ground that stretched across the space. The evil it fed would never finish. So I decided, neither would my war.

• The Atoner: His mission is partially motivated by the fact that he failed to protect his family from being gunned downwardly. Frank feels that he sacrificed his family, every bit the vocalism he heard in Vietnam (The Grim Reaper? The Devil?) kept hounding him about a never-ending war, which when the NVA overran his base he accepted to save his life, simply to be told that his family would be the "payment". As revealed in the terminal arc, his amende is even deeper than that. It turns out that, correct before his family was killed, he had told his married woman that he was leaving her and the kids because he was incapable of reining in the bloodlust that he had adult in Vietnam. His moniker of "The Punisher" hence carries a double meaning: to punish criminals, but likewise himself with an eternal, hopeless war considering he bandage bated his family unit right before they were taken from him.
• Writer Avatar: Every now and and then, writer Garth Ennis volition use him as a mouthpiece whenever he wants to get something important beyond to the reader. Sometimes it'southward subtle, other times... not and then much. This quote from In the Beginning is a perfect example.

  Frank: Fighting for the people who run the world gets you stabbed in the back. Y'all fight the wars they get-go and feed. You kill the monsters they create. And in the end yous die from handling depleted uranium while they get rich on oil. I'm non going back to state of war so Colt tin can sell another million One thousand-xvi's. I had plenty of that shit back in 'Nam.
  Microchip: Frank that's not the manner it is—
  Frank: There are 60,000 guys in DC who'd say otherwise. Except they tin can't say much of anything, because they're nothing simply names on a black wall.

• Authorization Equals Asskicking: Patently. The man was a Force Recon Marine Captain in Vietnam. And is definitely ane of the most ruthless and badass characters in the entire series.
• An Axe to Grind: During a vicious fight with Barracuda, he uses a nearby ax to hatchet off several of Barracuda'south fingers. Not that this fazes him mind you lot.
• Ax-Crazy: When he'due south pushed to the limit and his Berserker manner comes into play, Frank is bloodthirsty, deranged, and kills his enemies in extremely sadistic ways. In fact, his brutality makes his Mainstream analogue await sane in comparing.
• Badass in Distress: Equally lethal as he may be, he tends to detect himself in situations that leave him in a land of distress and in need of rescue. Other times, it's all part of "his plan".
• Badass Longcoat: Wears one to go on with his badass leather outfit.
• Beard of Sorrow: After his boxing with Bullseye leaves him a shell of his onetime self, he somewhen grows one during the Homeless arc.
• Belated Injury Realization: In Upward is Down and Black Is White, we see him go along a one man Roaring Rampage of Revenge after the graves of his family unit are desecrated, trying to force the urban center government to bury them so he tin can get his head straight and go after the guy who did it. After an assail on a gang house, he later notices that he was shot in the arm and thinks that he should probably get it patched up. We later discover out that he hadn't even bothered to have the bullet out.
• Benevolent Boss: A downplayed instance. During his time when he was effectively in charge of the Valley Forge firebase, he was most certainly a hardass to his troops, simply his dedication to his men is never in incertitude. And he fifty-fifty offers to help out Private Goodwin in dealing with a especially nasty Marine.
• Berserk Push: Frank has several.
  • His family is i, his illegitimate daughter is another. And God assistance yous if you are a human trafficker. In general, violence against women is a good style to incur his wrath.
  • Harming a child when you're around him is another good way to suddenly go a pink smear on the floor, walls, and ceiling of the room y'all are currently in.
• Blood Knight: He enjoyed his fourth dimension in Vietnam a lot. It'south as well a Deconstructed Trope as he chose this side of himself instead of his family, driving them away. A conclusion he regrets.
• Bookworm: Interestingly, he was quite the literary blazon as a child. Spending nearly of his time immersing himself in endless books, favoring poems in particular. He was even a part of his school'due south poetry class, much to the chagrin of his male parent.
• Broken Ace: Gainsay prowess and armed forces skill aside, he is still mentally unstable, perhaps schizophrenic, and overall not in the correct frame of mind.
• Brooklyn Rage: Oh yep. He'south from Brooklyn, and he has no shortage of rage.
• Impenetrable Vest: He ever makes sure to wear heavy torso armor with a white skull on information technology, that is meant to depict attention and fire away from his caput. It'southward played with in Upwards is Down and Black is White, where he survives being shot at most point bare range by a shotgun with no apparent injuries due to his vest. Subverted in the sense that although it didn't kill him, it notwithstanding hurt like hell, and it leaves him unable to move until help arrived.
• Bully Hunter: It'south revealed in The Tyger, that he'd regularly stand up up against bullies who picked on smaller kids who couldn't fight back. As The Punisher, he likes to kill fell and powerful people seeking to subjugate the weak.
• Byronic Hero: Despite existence less pleasant and more cruel than his mainstream counterpart, he certainly is. The man is an utterly ruthless, brooding, nihilistic, monomaniacal, deadline psychotic, and higher up all else, intelligent Vietnam veteran waging a one man war on criminal offense with an almost crusader like fervor.
• Camping a Crapper:
  • Averted. During his time in Vietnam he intended to frag the blah commander of the base while the guy was in the crapper, merely had a modify of heart at the last moment.
  • Played perfectly straight in Man Of Stone, where he has Rawlins cornered in a Kabul International Airport restroom with a machete.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Taken to ludicrous degrees. The man is hardcore plenty to accept enough damage to kill a thousand men, but he just keeps coming back. Sample Inner Monologue subsequently being blasted at bespeak bare range with a shotgun: "That'due south a rib gone. Non broken. Gone".
• Chest Insignia: The prominent skull on his chest patently. Yet, it's not just for bear witness, it'due south meant for intimidation purposes, and is also the most heavily armored role of his trunk.
• Chick Magnet: Despite his onetime historic period, Frank seems to have no trouble attracting his fair share of harem. Unfortunately for the ladies, Frank doesn't have much room in his life for romance.
• Clark Kenting: Played with an a strange way. Despite the series' adherence to realism Frank doesn't even carp with whatever sort of disguise, all it takes is for him to switch out of his Punisher gear and into some noncombatant clothes, and all of a sudden, nobody recognizes him.
• Cold Sniper: Was one during his 2d and tertiary tours of duty in Vietnam, every bit shown in a story arc from Fury: My War Gone Past. What'southward more, it'due south revealed that his second tour of duty as a Scout Sniper was when he beginning started to develop his honey for violence.
• Colonel Kilgore: More than similar a Captain Kilgore to be exact. The Punisher: Born mini series reveals that Frank had grown addicted to combat thank you to his time spent in Vietnam, and is said past the narrator to be in love with combat. At ane betoken he even tricks a General threatening to close downwardly his firebase into standing in a snipers view.
• The Comically Serious: Given his taciturn nature, it's no existent surprise that he ends up playing this office whenever he's effectually i of his more colorful associates.
• Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: In the starting time arc, he is drawn to resemble a beefed up Clint Eastwood. Unfortunately later artist abandoned this design artful.
• Complete Professional: The man lives and breathes this trope. Whether he'southward battling deranged hitmen, carnivorous hillbillies or trying to avert ending upward as shark food. He never one time loses his stoic frown.
• Cool Auto: In Welcome to the Bayou, when he needs to drive down to Louisiana in order to drop off some "cargo", he travels in a sweet 1970'southward era American musculus motorcar.
• Cool Hat: The classic United states of america armed forces boonie hat he was wearing during his concluding tour of duty in Vietnam.
• Cool Shades: Wears a pair of these in Welcome to the Bayou.
• Crazy-Prepared: Being an ex-Force Recon Marine, it's no surprise that he demonstrates this all the fourth dimension. Always being ready and having a back-up plan in example things become sour. Knowing he volition be outgunned and outnumbered, so plans out every one of his missions well ahead of accelerate.
• Crazy Sane: Frank has been driven and then far beyond the point of madness, first from his ordeals in Vietnam then with his family dying, that he has permanently taken up residence there. He can still present himself every bit a reasonable and stable guy whenever he's not working, but when information technology comes to his targets, he volition commit the most inhuman, stomach-churning, terror-inspiring acts known to man without a rise in his heartbeat.
• Night Is Non Evil/Evil Wears Black: Which 1 of these categories he falls into largely depends on notwithstanding's writing him at the time. Nether Garth Ennis' pen he fell closer to the former category, while Jason Aaron's estimation hues closer to the latter.
• Deadpan Snarker: It's rare for him to always brand a joke. But when he does, he shows he has a very dark and cynical sense of sense of humour.

  Officeholder Miller: Hey, whatsoever time you wanna finish that, large man: you lot an' me, wherever the fuck you like...
  Frank: I'm not really dating right now.

• Deal with the Devil: In the Born mini serial, Frank appears to be talking with a mysterious vocalization in his head. He refuses to accept that the US is withdrawing from Vietnam and does everything he tin to postpone shutting down his camp. Subsequently, the NVA finally assail the base during a tempest while the United states air back up is cut off, killing anybody. Frank is the last Marine live and the vocalisation makes him an offer. Eternal war, in substitution for something. Frank accepts and survives when the US air strike finally arrives. Frank comes back dwelling house and meets his family unit at the drome, when the vocalization suddenly returns to claim the toll for his eternal state of war: His family.
• Death past Adaptation: In the main continuity Marvel would never dream of permanently killing off an important marquee character like him. In this continuity? Non so much.
• Expiry Glare: He gives these out constantly, just the well-nigh notable instance would have to be the one he gives to Individual Stevie Goodwin. Where after having a wait of Castle'due south eyes, Goodwin gets a feeling that he'd rather face an enraged drug-pusher and his razor instead.
• Death Seeker: His character shows shades of this from time to fourth dimension. Most notably in the sequel series written past Jason Aaron.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: The very essence of the Punisher is deconstructed thoroughly throughout the form of the series— especially so in the 2nd one-half, Punisher MAX. Frank may be a living death-motorcar with over 2,000 kills to his name, but the series goes to bully lengths to item how toxic and harmful living a life of constant conflict for thirty years straight is for anybody. He lives a lonely, spartan, desolate life plagued past day-to-day violence and no peace, the people that he can telephone call 'friends' are similarly damaged, virtually-psychotic Southward.O.B.due south who are smart enough to stay away from him, and his actions are not historic, but vilified past the civilians and the media. By the terminal few issues, Frank's a broken old man suffering from delirium and chronic bodily pains, and his life ends in an unceremonious bloodbath interspersed with scenes depicting Frank remembering his happy life with his family. Not in whatsoever mode is Frank'southward horrible lifestyle treated every bit something awesome or comic-worthy—we're not reading about some brooding Anti-Hero who makes the hard decisions when no one else can, we're reading about a psychopathic Blood Knight who fights and suffers and bleeds until he dies every bit he lived: fighting petty, pathetic criminals tooth-and-boom.
• Dented Iron: Equally the serial progresses, we begin to see the toll that his 36-year war on crime has had on both his body and his land of mind. He goes through an increasingly ruthless rogues gallery worth of foes including the Mennonite, Bullseye, Elektra, and finally the Kingpin. Getting more than and more than irrevocably battered after dispatching each 1, with the last i culminating in a long drawn out, excruciating Mutual Kill.
• Depending on the Artist: Although he is consistently fatigued to resemble a human being in his 40'southward. A few of the later artist took some "liberties" with this design aesthetic. This is most evident in Vi Hours to Kill, where he looks like he's 30 years younger all of a sudden.
• Doom Magnet: Lets simply keep this short by proverb that very bad things usually happen to people that Frank cares about. This even gets lampshaded at one bespeak. Where Frank notes that Yorkie was killed for no other reason than the fact that he was associated with him.
• The Dreaded: Especially among criminals. The smart crooks know that running from the Punisher is a smarter option than fighting him. This is what saves his life in Punisher MAX when he'due south bedridden and helpless in the prison hospital, recovering from the injuries he sustained during his fight with Bullseye. Decadent guards allow two rival prison house gangs to enter the prison house hospital at night, with the door to Castle's room unlocked. Even so, despite Castle's seeming helplessness, the inmates nevertheless fear him besides much to actually dare enter his room and walk away instead.

  Goon#ane: We gotta become!
  Goon#2: Nosotros got this guy, Pol! We got this gu-
  Goon#1: Eamon. 'That guy' is the fucking Punisher . We have got to become.

• Drib the Hammer: During a vicious battle with the deranged hitman Bullseye, Frank is briefly left without a gun and forced to improvised. And, well... see for yourself ◊.
• Dying Alone: His ultimate fate. Despite successfully killing off the Kingpin and his goons he eventually succumbs to his wounds and dies on the streets all by himself with no one around to mourn for him. Just Nick Fury even attends his funeral.
• Elites Are More than Glamorous: Frank was a Marine in Vietnam. He was a Watch Sniper, served in special operations (Force Reconnaissance) and was an exchange officer with the Australian Special Air Service. Only put, he's a badass to the core.
• Establishing Grapheme Moment:
  • In the first outcome of the series, Frank shoots a mob Don in the head, in his ain house, at his 100th altogether party (which is beingness attended past dozens of high-level wiseguys), calmly walks out the door, waits for the gangsters to chase him (and move abroad from the children and women), unloads an M60 on their asses when they exit the firm, and when the survivors endeavour to flank him, they find out that he's planted claymores in their path. He ends the night shooting at moans and movement merely to brand sure he's completely slaughtered every motherfucker at the event.
  • In the second upshot, he ambushes the remaining wiseguys attention the funeral of the guys he massacred just every bit they are about to hash out how to go dorsum at Castle.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Arguably. Remorseless monster he may be his flashbacks to his by life showed that he did indeed deeply love his family.
• Even Evil Has Standards: A rare heroic example, Frank knows full well that he'due south a monster and has a strict code against harming innocents or skillful guys, choosing to take out his wrath on criminals instead.
• Evil vs. Evil: Brand no error. Frank Castle is a bad man with very few redeeming qualities (and he knows it). The people he slaughters are infinitely worse .
• Expecting Someone Taller: Although he is by no means a little man (he'south listed as being approximately half dozen'6), he still tends to get this from time to time.

  Barracuda: Yous know for some reason I was expecting the motherfucker to be taller.

• Face of a Thug: Ironically plenty. Despite making a living by killing criminals, one cant assist but overlook the fact that he himself has the confront of a villain.
• Failure Hero: This is what he ultimately comes down to. No matter how many criminals he kills or crime rings he bust, at the end of the twenty-four hour period, putting a permanent end to criminal offence is impossible.
• Familial Foe: Four generations of Cesares' (iii of which are taken out in one massacre) clash with the Punisher in The Punisher MAX.
• A Father to His Men:
  • Averted. The Born miniseries makes it explicitly articulate that his dedication to his men comes non from "love", but from his want to fulfill his duty to the best of his abilities.
  • Played directly in Punisher: The Platoon which covered Frank'due south first tour of duty before he became a combat junkie. He is shown to be concerned for his men, humble and willing to larn from the grunts, and more open to their opinions especially given that he ordered an airstrike on a seemingly abandoned village just considering his sergeant told him a rumor that the place wasn't condom. Turns out, his sergeant was right.
• From Camouflage to Criminal: An interesting variation. Although he certainly would never think of himself as a criminal, the truth is vigilantism is very much illegal. Therefore, Frank is a criminal.
• Full-Frontal Assault: In one particularly creepy moment, after he and O'Brien had just finished making beloved, they are attacked in their sleep by Theresa; Nicky'due south right mitt adult female. Thankfully, even in the nude they both manage to overwhelm and kill her.
• Genius Bruiser: Much similar his mainstream analogue, but here his internal dialog really highlights how carefully he plans, both earlier and during a fight.
• Gun Nut: As a full general rule of thumb, whenever he gets his hands on a new or rare gun, you lot tin count on him to deliver all sorts of trivia facts about the gun in question. This ranges from its origins, cost, caliber of the bullet, multiple uses and etc. Suffice it to say, the man provides the trope picture for a reason.
• Guns Akimbo: One of his favorite tactics. One notable moment in the Female parent Russia arc, saw him duel wielding a pair of AK-47s.
• The Gunslinger: Him being a Vietnam era Marine, it'south no surprise that he is a chief of all iv types.
• Hand Cannon: In The Slavers, he decides to eschew his traditional M1911 in favor of a Desert Eagle.
• The Hero Dies: In the concluding story arc, all of Frank's years of physical corruption finally catch up to him, as he somewhen succumbs to his wounds after a cruel fight with the Kingpin that leaves both men dead.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: In Long Cold Night, he briefly replaces his Badass Longcoat in favor of a sick leather jacket to better compliment his matching leather pants, boots and fingerless leather gloves. This further cements his badassery.
• Heroic BSoD: He ends up suffering from ane of these in a one-shot story after believing that he shot and killed a young girl. He most kills himself over it, until discovering that she was already dead and he was gear up.
• Homeless Hero: As y'all could probably guess from the name, the Homeless arc features a now homeless Frank trying to continue his state of war on law-breaking without the aid of his safehouses or usual equipment. He get's his act together eventually.
• Hypocrite: He himself surprisingly. But information technology'due south non revealed until #sixteen of the second Punisher MAX series, where it's revealed that he had decided to divorce his wife and leave his kids with her, in order to satisfy his new-institute bloodlust. Manner back, in #four of the original MAX series, he had told Microchip how he had nearly killed his neighbor because said neighbour had left his wife for another adult female. Ultimately, Frank proved to be no different from his victim. As both of them where willing to abandon their spouses to satisfy their own lusts. Of form, given Frank's guilt over choosing combat instead of his family, his rage could exist him projecting himself onto the other guy. In that case, he's giving his neighbor the beating he wishes he could requite to himself.
• I Am a Monster: Frank is under no illusions that he's no ameliorate than the irredeemable pieces of homo trash that he kills, but he's going to take as many of them down to hell with him while he's still live. And if he tin can assist it, he'll prevent proficient people from going down the same path as well.
• Iconic Outfit: His white skull t-shirt is nigh as close to a uniform he has. Put his use of a raven black trenchcoat has gone on to become equally synonymous with him. He'southward even been depicted wearing it in a number of future adaptation.
• Icy Bluish Eyes: To proceed with his stoic, icy demeanor. Especially apparent in the Widowmaker arc.
• Impaled Palm: During a fight with Pittsy, the little bounder picks up a broken glass shard which he uses to slice up Frank. Luckily Frank resolves the situation past catching the glass... in his palm, then snapping off the larger part of information technology. Ending Pittsy's onslaught.
• Impersonating an Officer: He has done this from time to fourth dimension in society to get closer to a crime scene.

  Frank: The I.D got me onto offense scenes at present and then — 2, three minutes at a time, enough to pick upwards any intel.

• Implacable Man: A heroic example. Whenever he sets his sights on ane particular dirtbag. In that location's very little that anyone tin can do to stop him from making short work of said dirtbag.
• Ineffectual Loner: Just like his mainstream incarnation. On the rare occasion that he does squad up with anyone, he makes it very articulate that it is only temporary.
• Inner Monologue: He has a habit of doing this. Whether battling a gang of capos, fighting off deranged hillbillies, or trying to avoid ending up equally shark nutrient.
• Interservice Rivalry: During an Yard-60 duel with Barracuda (an Regular army Special Forces soldier), 'Cuda chides Frank's marksman abilities asking where Frank learned to shoot, to which Frank (who's a Forcefulness Recon US Marine) coolly responds with: "That would exist Khe Sanh. Spring of sixty viii. You fucking Ground forces puke."
• In the Claret: It'southward later that his father was a Marine as well, who had seen action in WW2. Specifically in the Pacific theater. One flashback even shows a immature Frank Castle, (awaiting for deployment in Vietnam) visiting his terminally ill father, hoping that he will give him some communication as to what he tin expect on the battlefield.
• In the Hood: In the the terminal issue of Homo of Rock, he wears an improvised hoodie to help shield his confront from the scorching hot Afghan sunday. Plus it also happens to look actually fucking cool.
• Invulnerable Duke: Averted. In Long Cold Dark, he wakes upwards in a infirmary after blacking out after Barracuda annouced his attention to torture his illegitimate baby girl in forepart of him. He was able to piece together what happened based on his injuries, which included broken knuckles.

  Frank: My knuckles are a mess. All of them bruised, a couple cracked. Which ways the kind of punches you lot don't recall about before yous throw.

• It'southward Personal: Normally he prefers to have a much more business oriented approach to his war on offense. To him, taking out pimps, and drug dealers is just some other day at the function. That is until one item capo had the ingenious thought of unearthing the remains of his family... and pissing on them. And so , it becomes personal. Frank proceeds to go on a i human being warpath across the criminal underworld, killing 60-eight mobsters in 1 night and vows to proceed until the police bury his family. The arc ends with Frank dragging the human responsible out into the wood and shooting him in the stomach, and so leaving him to die a long, inevitable death.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Although he is by no means ugly in his old age, he was noticeably more than handsome and rugged in his youth.
• Kick the Dog: His murder of Microchip, his former sidekick. To elaborate, Microchip was killed considering he was turning a blind eye to government-funded drug operations to get his dough, making information technology a Kick the Dog moment for himself.
• Knight Templar: Unlike his mainstream counterpart. The question here isn't, "how far volition he go?" But "how fast can he get there?"
• A Lighter Shade of Black: He may be a remorseless killer who uses the deaths of his family unit every bit an excuse to wage a one man war on criminal offence in lodge to satisfy the claret lust he developed in Vietnam. Simply his enemies are depraved psychopaths who are the textbook definition of pure evil.
• Limited Wardrobe: He doesn't own much more than some trenchcoats, and a pair of identical skull T-shirts. Justified, since working as a vigilante doesn't really let for personal possessions.
• Little "No": Frank is pretty much made up of these, thanks to his taciturn and rather blunt nature.
• Living Legend: Being a Vietnam vet who spent years as the scourge of the underworld. It only makes sense that he would become this.

    M To Y

• Machete Commotion: The weapon he chooses to dispose of Rawlins. Although nosotros don't go to see it, we can just imagine that it was... messy.
• Made of Fe:
  • Castle is one seriously tough S.O.B. And then much so that his ability to withstand unfathomable levels of pain lapses into some other trope birthday. Information technology ultimately takes an insane amount of gunfire coupled with a vicious fight with Wilson Fisk to finally impale him, and the former seems to be more than of an irritant than an actual fatal wounding at the time.

    Frank: That'due south a rib gone. Not broken, gone.

  • It'southward implied in Punisher: Born, that Frank's near-inhumane ability to survive harm that would accept killed a lesser man is the result of him making a unconscious pact with Expiry/The Grim Reaper during his final tour in Vietnam. It was this pact that would let him to fight a war that never ended. But at a toll.
• Major Injury Underreaction: This tends to happen to him. A lot . The most extreme instance would have to be when he took a point blank shotgun slug to the stomach. Didn't slow him down though.

  Frank: That'due south a rib gone. Not broken. Gone.

• Maybe Magic, Peradventure Mundane: It's been implied via Give-and-take of God, that the mysterious voice in his head never existed, and that his supposed "Deal with the Devil" was merely a manifestation of his delusions. And then depending on the reader'due south interpretation, he's either Death'due south personal avatar on Earth, or a madman who began hearing "voices" in his head.
• Armed services Superhero: Similar the Frank Castle of the mainstream Marvel Universe originally was, he was originally depicted equally a vet of Vietnam.
• My Greatest Failure: His greatest failure was the loss of his family, for which he blames himself every bit much as the mobsters who gunned them down, believing that he should have been able to protect them. It'southward later established that his war against criminals is as much to punish himself as information technology is to punish them.
• Near-Expiry Experience: Throughout his long, storied, hellish life he has gone through 2 of these. The beginning was near the finish of his final bout of duty in 'Nam. Where his firebase was overrun by the NVA, during this big battle, he makes a deal with Death itself. He is given the choice of dying there in 'Nam or having supernatural protection and thusly, a guarantee to see his family once more. Simply the latter pick will have a price. Hint: it'southward his family. The 2d occurrence takes place on the day that his family was slain in a mob shootout.
• Cervix Snap: On the occasion that he finds himself without a firearm, there is always the more "hands on" alternative.
• Nightmare Fetishist: A downplayed case. Equally a young boy he adult a fascination with the greatest killers in the beast kingdom afterwards listening to the "The Tyger" in a verse grouping.
• Nominal Hero: Frank's only interest is in killing people he thinks are bad. He'll save innocent lives when he can, but for the nigh part he doesn't care about what happens to them afterwards. Although he does brand exceptions.
• Nothing Personal: When he meets upward with a pair of disgruntled constabulary officers (who he had beaten up in a previous encounter) in a dinner. He tells them that they are taking their past scuffle manner to personally.

  Frank: If this is nearly that dark in Brooklyn, you two are taking it style to personally.

• Not Wearing Tights: Different his mainstream counterpart, Frank is never once seen wearing his iconic black and white tights. Instead he opts for a more practical leather outfit.
• Oh, Crap!: The wait on his face in Built-in. Simply as he's reuniting with his loving family, he of a sudden here's the mysterious voice from the past come back again. Telling Frank that he'due south come to claim the "price" for his eternal state of war. i.eastward: His family.
• Old Soldier: He became a soldier in Vietnam and never stopped beingness ane. His enemy changed and his battlefield changed, just the war goes on. He may be pushing sixty, but that hasn't stopped him from being ane of the most dangerous and terrifying men to have e'er walked the earth.
• Omniscient Morality License:
  • He seems to know without neglect whether whatever given person is a criminal who deserves death or not... or he's just really adept at self justification. This could be a trait he has as Expiry's/The Grim Reaper's personal avatar, an attribute of his character Garth Ennis introduced in the Punisher Born mini-serial.
  • Probably the most extreme example is when he thinks he accidentally killed an innocent girl during a raid, before shooting himself over it he has a hallucination of the trivial girl which gives him plenty pause to realize the girl was already expressionless and that he only shot people that deserved it.
• One-Human Ground forces: Obviously.
  • Taken Upward to Xi in Female parent Russia, where he single-handedly holds off the Russian Ground forces.
  • In Born, he was the sole survivor of an assault on Firebase Valley Forge, an incident that resulted in nearly 200 American and 800 Vietcong deaths. Considering that Valley Forge was mostly manned by incompetent soldiers, and how quickly it was overrun, it's heavily implied that Castle personally killed hundreds of VC in i night.
• Outliving One's Offspring: A fact he never let'southward himself forget about. It'south considering of this that he began his 30 yr long state of war against crime, and he doesn't plan on slowing downwards anytime before long.
• Overranked Soldier: The Valley Forge arc, identifies Frank every bit a "21 year old Captain in April 1971", during his final bout in Vietnam. Exactly how he earned the rank of Captain at such a immature age is a mystery. Fabricated all the more impressive by the fact that not but was Frank a Marine, but a Forcefulness Recon Marine. It turns out that Nick Fury recommended he be promoted to Captain early afterwards Frank proved himself on a mission to kill a North Vietnamese general.
• Papa Wolf: In Long Cold Dark, Castle'south vengeful nemesis Barracuda targets Frank by kidnapping the daughter he unknowingly had with Kathryn O'Brien. When finds out, he is pissed , to say the least, and at one point he spends an hr running electricity from a car bombardment through 'Cuda's genitals in retribution.
• Newspaper-Thin Disguise: In a i shot story, Frank's disguise consist of him wearing a flimsy mustache held together with spirit gum and not much else. Naturally his disguise isn't fooling anyone, and he is immediately recognized past the guard at the front gate. Frank had to kill the guard quickly before he could blow his encompass. However, he appears to exist enlightened of how poor his disguise is and has planned ahead.

  Female Escort: Y'all don't really think that disguise is going to fool anyone do you?
  Frank: I'm counting on all eyes being on you.
  Escort: Flattery?
  Frank: Strategy.

• The Paragon: At the end of the 2d MAX series, he becomes this in a very dark manner. His latest skirmish with the Kingpin has proven fatal for the both of them, and after 30+ years, his war is finally over. As Nick Fury cleans up the carnage left by Frank's concluding battle, he muses that Frank's war was ultimately useless in the large picture. Cue news reports of citizens across New York banding together in Punisher-themed gear and exacting vigilante justice on local criminals. Fifty-fifty Fury has to crack a smiling.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Ever since his family was slain in a Mob hit. This has become his entire MO. Exactly how far he's willing to become with information technology depends on the state of affairs.
• Perma-Stubble: Later creative person such as Goran Parlov, draws Frank with one of these.
• Perpetual Frowner: True to his stoic nature, he never ever smiles.
• Pet the Dog:
  • In The Slavers, the compassion he shows towards an escaped abductee is one of the few times we ever get to see beneath his hardened exterior and catch a glimpse of the warm man he once was.
  • His gentle side is on full display when he is guarding the six twelvemonth old Galina. Going and so far every bit to admonish one of his colleagues for swearing in forepart of her. He fifty-fifty gets the little daughter some ice foam.
  • He goes out of his way to rescue a critically injured yuppie after barely surviving the IRA's cafe bombing. Frank himself doesn't know why he stopped to help, to hope that this poor guy made it, just eventually rationalizes that the human being might have a wife and kids, and Frank won't have another man go through the same thing he did.
• Play-Along Prisoner: By and large, whenever he finds himself taken prisoner. It's only considering he allowed himself to be taken in. Ordinarily as part of any plan he's got cooked up.
• Plot-Powered Stamina: Later shrugging off shotgun shells and sniper rifle bullets for years, in Widowmaker Frank takes a nine millimeter round from a suppressed MP5 at considerable distance, and patently it went right through his chest, creating a hole in his dorsum that according to Jenny, "was likewise big for sutures, all I could do was pack information technology total of gauze", leading him to be bed-ridden for the rest of the story. ^note The MP5 is a submachinegun, which is lightweight and inexpensive, but lacks in firepower and penetration. Couple that with the fact that it had a suppressor, which drastically reduces the speed and lethality of the bullet fired, and it's highly unlikely that a single shot from long range could take caused that much impairment to Castle'south person
• Mail Apocalyptic Gasmask: In The End one shot story, when Frank and a sidekick of his venture across the nuclear remains of New York Metropolis, they clothing a pair of these. Unfortunately it's not plenty to save them from the nuclear radiation. As Frank notes that the radiation is at such dangerously high levels that information technology would take "another thousand years" before the air would be clean again.
• Pre-Mortem I-Liner: At ane indicate when he's about to execute a street thug who was aiming his gun sideways, Frank tells the thug this:"They put the sights on top for a reason."
• Properly Paranoid: He tends to lapse into this more frequently than not, simply given the endless perilous dangers he faces in his world, you lot tin't really blame him. It fifty-fifty gets lampshaded at one signal.

  Frank: Telephone call it paranoia if you want. But I've come to trust that nagging itch at the base of my skull.

• Psychotic Smirk: In the first arc, while beingness held in CIA custody and questioned/analyzed by his former friend Micro, he is probed on the subject of his dead family unit. Castle reacts to this is in an extremely uncharacteristic style. By putting on the mother of all psychotically evil smirks. And aye, Information technology's equally as chilling equally you'd imagine.
• Rasputinian Expiry: He himself is a victim of this trope. Every bit he spends the latter half of the Homeless arc, dying a wearisome agonizing death. In issue #21, however bloody and battered from his fight with Elektra, Frank later journeys over to his old firm where the Kingpin and one-half a dozen of his goons are waiting for him. Once at that place, the goons quickly surround Frank and proceed to open fire on him... except Frank Determinator won't get downwards... Fighting through the pain, Frank manages to kill all the goons and engages Fisk in a vicious drag-out street fight. The next page cuts to Fisk standing just outside his tower, begging the guards to let him in. Unfortunately for Fisk, Frank kills him before he can retreat inside. Having killed the Kingpin, Frank so walks all the way to his sometime dwelling before finally succumbing to his wounds and dying on the streets.
• Ruddy Eyes, Have Warning: A trick of the lighting gives him red eyes during the events of Up is Downwardly, Black is White, moments before he guns down a party of Russian gangsters. Typically such an act from him wouldn't justify the symbolism, but in this case it represents the Tranquil Fury mixed with Unstoppable Rage that consumes him after Nicky Cavella dares defile his long-dead family's remains on national television.
• Carmine Oni, Blueish Oni: Due to his unflappable stoic nature, whenever he briefly teams up with anyone he will always be the blue oni.
• Retired Badass: By the time of Punisher MAX, Frank'south go so old and worn from all the years of fighting that he literally has to force himself to get out of bed and fight criminals—criminals who begin fearing him way less than they used to considering he'south beginning to show his historic period.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Goes on 1 in most every story arc, terrorizing whomever was stupid enough to mess with him or someone he cares about.
• Sanity Slippage: His mental instability dates as far back to his years of service in Vietnam, where he believed to exist hearing voices in his caput. Merely what really drove him over the border was the death of his family.
• Semper Fi: During his time in Vietnam, Frank was a Forcefulness Recon Marine. What'south more, in his terminal tour of duty he was the Captain of a Marine Outpost.
• Serial-Killer Killer: Information technology's more or less been implied via Discussion of God that Frank is essentially a serial killer who happens to become after other serial killers. At the showtime of the series he'due south currently over 2000.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran:
  • It's suggested that in Vietnam, Frank grew to love combat and bloodshed, with the expiry of his family being the final harbinger that finally caused him to snap.
  • Ultimately defied. As the one shot issue The Tyger, makes it clear that his sociopath behavior didn't bound from his time in Vietnam, instead his issues congenital cumulatively and not simply from traumatic events either.
• Sherlock Browse: Oftentimes used in order to establish his feel as a Marine veteran. Whatever he'south in a life or death situation or not, he always takes the fourth dimension to option up every little detail he can.
• Single-Issue Psychology: Averted. Near people believe everything he does is due to his family unit's death, while journalists, authors, psychologists and other researchers look into his history and pin it on Vietnam. In actuality The Punisher didn't spring from any one event, his bug built cumulatively and not just from traumatic events either. Reading "The Tyger" in a poetry group inspired a fascination with the greatest killers in the animal kingdom.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Although he rarely speaks. His internal monologues are littered with profanity.
• Skeleton Motif: The skull on his chest patently. However, unlike most examples of this trope, information technology's more than just a fashion argument. Information technology's meant for both strategic and intimidation purposes.
• Sociopathic Hero: He'due south a blood-hungry lunatic who but manages to be sympathetic by virtue of his foes being far worse.
• Sociopathic Soldier: In Punisher: Born, he tried to present himself equally a Type one. However as the story goes on, it becomes quite obvious that he's closer to a Type 2. A combat junkie who continues to re-enlist for some other tour of duty for the sake of quenching his lust for violence and bloodshed.
• Sole Survivor: Either through divine intervention or having the devil's luck, he has somehow been the solitary survivor of two life threatening incidents. First he survived the battle of Firebase Valley Forge. That is, everyone on both sides (USMC garrison vs VC/NVA Regiment) perished... except for him. And then there was that one day in key park. Where his unabridged family was wiped out in a mob shootout.
• Start of Darkness: In the one-shot The Tyger, we see a pivotal moment in Frank's life as a child, when he witnessed a immature Marine from his neighbourhood burn alive the serial rapist son of the local mafia dominate, who had among others raped the human's sister, and get away with information technology. The pubescent Frank was intending to try to kill the guy himself with his father'southward gun, simply the Marine got there kickoff.
• Steel Ear Drums: Judging from the amount of in-door firefights that he has had throughout his xxx+ year vigilante career, the man must have adamantium ear drums. Cause other wise the man should be deaf by now.
• The Stoic: The default expression that Frank has on him at all times. Even when he's dishing out penalisation, he never in one case changes his at-home, emotionless expression.
• Stranger in a Familiar Land: His self titled story arc details his experiences with this back during the menstruation between his return from Vietnam and the expiry of his family. He struggled to be a normal family human once more, but the whole fourth dimension he desperately craved a return to war and violence in general. Parallels are drawn between this menstruum in his past and the present, where he's in prison.
• Harbinger Nihilist: Unsurprisingly, given the nature of his work and the life he'south pb, Frank has adult a very bleak outlook on life. Best exemplified by this quote.

  Frank: There is no God. There are no souls. All we are is meat and basic. These are certainties I learned long ago.

• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's half dozen'5, broody, and quite rugged looking for a man his age. What'southward more this trait has turned him into quite the Chick Magnet.
• The Teetotaler: Frank stopped drinking when his family is killed. 30 years later he does have another beverage, to honor the retentivity of a fallen marry.
• Terror Hero: Deliberately invoked by him. A large part of his success stems from the fact that the average criminal is scared shitless of him. And the more scared of him they are, the more likely they are to give up and flee in terror at the mere sight of him.
• At that place Is No Kill Like Overkill: Ane of Frank's favorite tactics. At one bespeak he even dispatches a pair of Russian soldiers with an anti-aircraft gun.

  Frank: Twelve point seven mm Dushka's just similar our fifty cal. Really designed to exist used only on aircraft. Y'all employ it on people? You lot turn them into paint.

• Thousand-Yard Stare In the in-universe volume title "Valley Forge", the soldier who was the start to notice Frank Castle in the middle of hundreds of dead Vietcong and Marines mentioned one thousand-grand stares equally mutual enough in Vietnam, and so you can imagine what he felt like when describing Franks as a meg-mile stare.
• Trademark Favorite Nutrient: Hamburgers, apparently. He is oftentimes seen chowing on i and, in Barracuda'southward introductory arc, eats three within the bridge of the same arc.
• Tranquil Fury: He varies betwixt this and Unstoppable Rage, depending on the situation.
• The Unfettered: While other versions of him may have depicted him as a well-meaning but misguided individual who follows some sort of code. Here, he is written as truly unfettered. All that matters to him now is punishing the guilty.
• Unstoppable Rage: Despite being something of an unstoppable killing machine, Frank Castle is typically a very calm, methodical homo. That is until something happens to blood relatives; the single occasion in the series where we run into Frank totally out of control is when Barracuda threatens to torture his baby daughter with O'Brien to death in front of him. He'southward so utterly enraged that he breaks a pair of handcuffs by brute strength, and goes into a fugue state so extreme that he can't retrieve exactly what happened and has to reconstruct it past deduction.
• Uriah Gambit: In the Born miniseries, after getting chewed out by a Marine general who threatened to shut downwards his firebase (and thus remove him from his love state of war), he manages to eliminate said General past recommending the view from a hilltop while standing in front of a sniper alert sign.
• Used to Be a Sugariness Kid: As seen in the i-shot The Tyger Frank was a tough but quiet, thoughtful kid who liked poetry, stood up to bullies who picked on weaker kids, and was friends with an older girl whom he had a beat out on, and her older brother, a Marine. So this daughter was raped by the ill fuck of a son of the local mafia don and killed herself. Frank then takes his male parent'due south gun and tails the don'due south son, intending to kill him, only to witness the girl'southward blood brother brutally murder the guy himself.
• Vigilante Man: The i true constant of his graphic symbol, no matter what continuity or universe he is in. He exist to punish the guilty. Nonetheless in this continuity, the trope is deconstructed to hell and dorsum. See Deconstructed Character Archetype higher up for more details.
• Villainous Cheekbones: When fatigued by Leandro Fernandez, he sported some very noticeable cheekbones, that were farther accentuated thanks to some lighting trickery.
• Villains Out Shopping: He isn't ever obliterating gangsters you know. Other times he's stopping by a local restaurant for a bite.
• Villain Protagonist: Arguably. If y'all accept a certain interpretation of him, then information technology becomes easy to take the fact that he's a monster who's well aware that he's a monster. Yet he chooses to spare innocents, instead going after individuals who are even worse than he is.
• The Vietnam Vet: The nigh defining experience in his life that would mold him into the homo that he would eventually become. What's more than it was his time in 'Nam and subsequent murder of his family that acquired him to snap as desperately as he did.
• Wall of Weapons: His secret lair is filled to the brim with all sorts of lethal firearms that adore his wall. Heck, just have a look at his page image!
• Weapon of Choice: In one of his internal monologues he describes why the M16 has ever been one of his favorite firearms.

  Frank: I'yard practiced at it, I'k use to it, and like I said there is the M203.

• World's Best Warrior: He's often remarked, both in-universe and by Word of God, as ane of the most dangerous warriors to have ever lived. And for good reason. Possessing combat ability great enough to absolutely crush a team of viii highly skilled Delta Force operatives half his age, with non-lethal tactics no less. And a principal strategist ever planning for contingencies, and has dorsum-up plans for his redundancy plans. Suffice information technology to say, there's a very good reason the criminal underworld is scared shitless of this human being.
• Would Hit a Girl: In The Slavers when Frank finally gets his hands on 1 of the female ringleaders backside the man trafficking operation. He repeatedly throws her face up-first against a shatterproof window, reasoning correctly that the frame would give earlier the windowpane did.
• Would Non Shoot a Skillful Guy: When a cabal of crooked military Generals use their connections to send a group of Delta Force operatives later Frank, he thankfully doesn't impale them. But the soldiers learn the difficult mode that non-lethal force doesn't hateful gentle strength.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: The one truthful constant in each and every i of his depictions is Frank'south unwillingness to ever lay his hands on a child. In fact it's for this very reason that Nick Fury chooses him for the elevation cloak-and-dagger mission of rescuing a Russian child from a nuclear silo base. Knowing full well that not only will Frank pass up to harm her, only will likewise leave of his way to brand sure that nobody else hurts her too.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: If yous're a criminal he'due south coerced into helping him, don't await him to let you go later. As many unfortunate mooks take learned the hard way.
• Young and in Accuse: He was only 21 years old in his last tour of duty in Vietnam, and yet he was already in charge of an entire Marine Firebase. Justified in that the rest of the officers in the base of operations were either incompetent morons, or blah idiots, non fit to run a base of operations of this size.
• Younger Than They Expect: Amusingly enough, back in his concluding tour of duty in 'Nam. You could easily mistake him for a man in his tardily thirties. Despite the fact that he was only a then 21 year old Helm.

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Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/ThePunisherMAXThePunisher

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