the comics ;
Frank Castle was a former U.S Marine pushed over the edge after his wife and children are violently taken away from him. While picnicking in Central Park, the family had accidentally stumbled upon a mafia gangland execution. Fearing witnesses, the criminals opened fire on the family. Frank was the only one to survive. On the verge of death, Castle was reborn into a dark pursuer of justice.
stats ;
real name: Francis Castiglione
age: 37
eye color: blue
hair color: black
height: 6'1"
weight: 200 lbs
known relatives: Maria Castle (wife, deceased), Frank Castle Jr (son, deceased), Lisa Castle (daughter, deceased)
history;
Frank Castle was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps who served four years in Vietnam. It is here where he first encounters the skull imagery that would serve as The Punisher's insignia later on. For heroism in the line of duty, Castle was twice decorated with the Bronze and Silver Star and four times with the Purple Heart. After coming home, he ran special training missions for Marine commandos in the upper New York state area. In early 2004, writer Garth Ennis rewrote Castle's last tour in Vietnam in the mini series BORN that would insinuate supernatural influence behind what The Punisher really is and would explain why the vigilante is pretty much unbeatable in most situations.
the film;
In April 2004, Frank Castle was reintroduced to audiences as a former U.S Marine and retired FBI agent who loses everything when his last weapons sting operation goes bad. The son of an organized crime family is unknowingly killed and his father comes looking for blood. Not wanting to get blackmailed with ties to crime and gambling, Frank's former best friend and comrade, Jimmy Weeks, places the blame on the unbeknowing Castle and as a result Frank's entire family is executed in an act of revenge. The enemy had rendered him helpless when he was unable to save his wife and child in time. But somehow Frank survives and comes back an entirely different person with only one mission: to punish everyone who did him wrong.
After setting everything right Frank had all intentions to join his family again. But the memory of his wife, Maria, had stopped his departure mere seconds away from the trigger. Realizing he still had a part to fill, Castle resolved to put the memory of himself to rest and accept that the Punisher still had evil to kill.
1970s origin - Present / ties to the spider ;
The Punisher made his first comic appearance in Spider-Man # 129 in 1974 as a potential ongoing villain. Castle was introduced as a hired assassin who was recruited by Spider-Man's enemy ,The Jackal. But later on The Punisher discovers that he was being manipulated to believe that Spider-Man was evil and then turns against the Jackal after Peter bluntly gives him a wake up call. Since then, Castle has made various appearances in other familiar comic titles and occassionally does the begrudging team-up thing with Spidey.
current ongoing series ;
Punisher MAX // Garth Ennis. various artists. // EXPLICIT CONTENT
Punisher War Journal // Matt Fraction. Ariel Olivetti. // Rated T+