Is Frank Castle/The Punisher a One-Note Character?

[Kieran_Frost]

Not sure I agree with that. I don't think he considers what he does morally "right" necessarily.

Either he considers he is right to take their lives/brutally torture them or he considers it wrong. The former makes him self-righteous the other... psychotic serial killer, I guess???

I think the fact that you're so opposed to Frank's viewpoint and actions is kind of the point of the character. You're not supposed to be totally on board with what he does. Frank is really fucked up, that's where his complexity is. I would never call him 'moody' because that would seem to imply that he's not insane, and he is insane.

I don't know, some here seem to enjoy Frank's barbaric retrebution (so on some level that implies an agreement of his actions?). Though I do agree, Frank's mentality (and that of those who agree with his acts) is very, VERY far from mine. Oddly, I have no problem with anti-heroes (most of my favourite characters are all levels of shades of grey -- Moonstone, Zemo, Daken, Emma, Loki); I have no problem with those characters killing when it's the best option. But it doesn't bother me. I guess because there is more to their motives and character than the rare times they kill; and they own it. Who knows?

[sprior93]

Either he considers he is right to take their lives/brutally torture them or he considers it wrong. The former makes him self-righteous the other... psychotic serial killer, I guess???

Frank hates criminals, so he kills them. It's not really about right or wrong, he simply does what he wants to.

I don't think of him as self-righteous, but rather supremely selfish.

[Of Atlantis]

Either he considers he is right to take their lives/brutally torture them or he considers it wrong. The former makes him self-righteous the other... psychotic serial killer, I guess???

Or he considers it necessary?

If anything, I'd consider him hardwired to do what he does, a force of nature. It isn't so much morally motivated, it's based on action/reaction imo.

[Kuwagaton]

Really, no vigilante is ever appointed. Spider-Man didn't have the right, or training for that matter, to set out and do what he did, and his actions are immediately responsible for the deaths of innocent people. I can't say a death penalty is a viable option 100% of the time, as Frank believes, but it's always made clear that his victims are truly terrible people with an extremely small chance of atonement or rehabilitation. It's not as though taking this sort of action doesn't cause innocent victims also, but the simple idea is to stop the individual from ever taking lives again, which makes enough sense to me.

Frank is my favorite character after Superman, so I guess a lot of it is finding the other side of the coin interesting.

[Carabas]

Frank hates criminals, so he kills them. It's not really about right or wrong, he simply does what he wants to.

I don't think of him as self-righteous, but rather supremely selfish.

It's more that Frank really likes killing, and incidentally also hates criminals; if it weren't for the death of his family giving him focus, he'd probably be killing something else.

[Bionder]

It's more that Frank really likes killing, and incidentally also hates criminals; if it weren't for the death of his family giving him focus, he'd probably be killing something else.

If his family hadn't been killed he would probably put his skills at the service of the law as cop, like in the "What If... Punisher Family hadn't been killed" or be in the marines.

I still want to believe in the first option.

[sprior93]

It's more that Frank really likes killing, and incidentally also hates criminals; if it weren't for the death of his family giving him focus, he'd probably be killing something else.

That's 'Punisher MAX' Frank for sure. His family dying was just a catalyst for him to go on his killing spree. However, I like to think Punisher in the 616 is a little more grounded. His reasons for killing always seemed genuine to me, not just a cover up for psychopathic tendencies.

Although, it's definitely plausible that he would develop a taste for violence.

[Carabas]

If his family hadn't been killed he would probably put his skills at the service of the law as cop, like in the "What If... Punisher Family hadn't been killed" or be in the marines.

I still want to believe in the first option.

Frank Castle would go absolutely insane as a cop. No, he'd still be in the military, killing America's enemies. Or possibly have gone into the private sector doing the same as part of an company like Blackwater.

[Talkie Toaster]

Either he considers he is right to take their lives/brutally torture them or he considers it wrong. The former makes him self-righteous the other... psychotic serial killer, I guess???

I don't think Frank concerns himself with the morality of his actions all that much.
From his point of view he's just a soldier fighting a war, and he'll go to any lengths (save for harming civilians) to win that war.

[Captain Haddock]

Either he considers he is right to take their lives/brutally torture them or he considers it wrong. The former makes him self-righteous the other... psychotic serial killer, I guess???


I don't know, some here seem to enjoy Frank's barbaric retrebution (so on some level that implies an agreement of his actions?). Though I do agree, Frank's mentality (and that of those who agree with his acts) is very, VERY far from mine. Oddly, I have no problem with anti-heroes (most of my favourite characters are all levels of shades of grey -- Moonstone, Zemo, Daken, Emma, Loki); I have no problem with those characters killing when it's the best option. But it doesn't bother me. I guess because there is more to their motives and character than the rare times they kill; and they own it. Who knows?

Frank does own what he does though. Killing IS his motive, that's what drives him; he just kills criminals instead of going on a spree killing in a school, or through the city. It's pretty much stated in the Ennis run that Frank Castle died the same day as his family, and there is now only the Punisher. He knows he'll die, and whatever he does, there will still be crime and has accepted that fact. But until then he fights on. His motivation is no simpler than any of those characters you mention, when it boils down to it. Instead of wealth or power, he wants revenge.

[Bionder]

I don't care what other writers say about him the "original" motive for his killing spree was to stop crime and prevent the tragic event that happened to his family happen to others. Saying that he needs to kill because he needs, it's bs to me.

[megaharrison]

He's a great character with a great legacy and backstory in a medium these days dominated by purely altruistic messiah-esque characters. People are just turning on him because "dark" comics are considered bad these days.