What Should Marvel Do About The Punisher at This Point?

[4sake Baned]

Have him mow down some white supremacists general, especially those that look those who raided the capital, in uniform corrupt police/police union, corrupt military & corrupt government official for a story arc.. Problem solved..

[OopsIdiditagain]

They should just emphasize that Punisher is a Marvel character first and foremost, they're not owned by whatever group latches onto them. This is Pepe 2.0, except instead of a character created by a small artist it's a huge company.

[ed2962]

Have him mow down some white supremacists general, especially those that look those who raided the capital, in uniform corrupt police/police union, corrupt military & corrupt government official for a story arc.. Problem solved..

I'm pretty sure Punisher has fought white supremacists in the past?

[4sake Baned]

I'm pretty sure Punisher has fought white supremacists in the past?

I think so do but just have him do it again & make a big deal about the arc to send a message to those using the logo. That if he was real he wouldn’t be teaming up with you but coming to get you..

[JudicatorPrime]

Watching the videos of the attempted insurrection you can see terrorists using poles adorned with the US flag to beat the hell out of U.S. Capitol Police officers. In fact many of the insurrectionists were draped in clothing emblematic of Old Glory. Some of them still call themselves "patriots" even though the statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff clearly defines their actions as insurrection and warns them that any future attempt to interfere with a lawful Constitutional process will place them squarely in the crosshairs of the US armed forces. Safe to say, calling themselves patriots now rings hollow.

We're not changing the flag, or redefining what it means to be a patriot because of the bad guys. If anything we're going to double-down on our symbols and reaffirm what they stand for in their truest context. Marvel would probably do the same with the Punisher. I don't know that for a fact, but if they speak to it at all, my guess is that's what they'll do.

[AtheistInRed]

Not to throw shade toward anyone but Jesus Christ, there are so many bad takes here...

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

He should definitely go back to using mercy bullets, exclusively, and keep a mask on anytime he's outdoors.

[JackDaw]

I think so do but just have him do it again & make a big deal about the arc to send a message to those using the logo. That if he was real he wouldn’t be teaming up with you but coming to get you..

But would he?

My gut feeling is that he targets organised crime much more than political extremists...and if he did target them it would only be because they used his “symbol”, rather than being really concerned about their ideology.

[chamber-music]

I don't think anything Marvel does will change certain problematic individuals or groups latching onto the Punisher.

These far right/pro-fascist/pro-authoritarian are attracted to strong men, soldiers, intimidation and violence. The Punisher fits all those boxes. I doubt many of them have actually read many Punisher comics because beyond these surface level things he is far from someone you would want to idolize.

Like I said, I'm not a Punisher fan, but I don't understand why people want to make him a moral figure. I always thought he was an extremist without reason and that he should be portrayed that way.

The Punisher comics I read usually have him as a moral absolutist like Rorschach from Watchmen. Castle has an ethical view that all actions are intrinsically right or wrong. He doesn't see grey or nuance. He couldn't go through with becoming a priest because he couldn't forgive sin, he doesn't let criminals live because he thinks the Justice system doesn't work and he doesn't believe in redemption or reform.

I am entertained by The Punisher but he is a very dark and cynical character. The stories that he works best in are the ones in which he goes after villains so morally reprehensible that a violent anti-hero like the Punisher is the default hero and the justice system is too corrupted or scared or unable to target the villains.

[chamber-music]

I'm pretty sure Punisher has fought white supremacists in the past?

I think he probably has.

He is an Italian American Catholic and a lot of those far right extremist groups like the KKK were anti-Catholic.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I think he probably has.

He is an Italian American Catholic and a lot of those far right extremist groups like the KKK were anti-Catholic.

After Civil War, didn't he put on some crappy Captain America costume to punch Hate-Monger?

[chamber-music]

Introduce a like-minded fictional group called “The Punishers”

They’ll end up butting heads with Frank and we’ll see why/how they differ and that there is only ONE Punisher.

That was already done back in his original Circle Of Blood mini-series in the eighties.

There was the Trust, a secret organization of industrialists, financiers, ex-military, movie stars, journalists and more, who want to fight criminals with methods beyond the law, similar to The Punisher. The Trust created their own Punishment Squad or Punishers copying Castle.

[davew128]

I would have no problem with Marvel shutting him down altogether. In universe, he should be dead anyway. Many times over, even by comic book standards. Out of universe I never liked the character. He became Marvel's version of Bat-god, able to win any fight with prep time. Hard pass.

[CrimsonEchidna]

I feel like creating a hamfisted storyline is only applying a Band-Aid to the problem. The true heart of the matter is Marvel should directly speak out against Cops who have co-opted the imagery of Punisher.

[JudicatorPrime]

Interesting...

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...l-rioters-logo