Background

An exemplary Vietnam veteran (two Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, four Purple Hearts), Frank Castle became a vigilante after seeing his wife and children gunned down for accidentally observing a Mafia "hit". Since then he has devoted his life to the task of destroying organized crime wherever he finds it. His thirst for bloody vengeance brought him into conflict with Spider-Man in their first meeting. Shortly after the apparent death of Norman Osborn, Castle, misguided by Professor Miles Warren, sought to assassinate Spider-Man. He eventually turned against the Jackal after Warren tried to kill Spider-Man in a dishonorable way. Castle preferred the "dignity" of direct combat.

For numerous times he has teamed-up with Spider-Man due to the circumstances, although neither of them likes the idea because Frank likes to take his targets down, and Spidey likes to take them to jail. Of course both situations are non-applicable, but Spidey always enforces the no-killing rule when they work together. When they're not working together, Spidey tries to apprehend the Punisher, even though both of them saved the other's life several times. Castle hates working with other vigilantes, but often finds himself mixed up with Spider-Man and Daredevil. Murdoch and Castle are often at each other's throats, as Daredevil tries to uphold the law and Castle works as judge, jury and executioner.

The Punisher has ranged from the controlled hit man, focused on killing real criminals, to the 'obsessed with the law' lunatic, who shot at a couple for littering, and at a taxi driver who heard the shots and fled, running a red light (Spectacular Spider-Man #82). Fortunately, he missed, which doesn't happen very often. This could have been a clear indicator that he was not himself. After all, that was a side of the Punisher which wasn't seen very often. Most of the time he's a cold killer, and has a good discernment. Still a Marine at heart, he plans every "mission" to the smallest detail.

Punisher and Spider-Man have worked together many time, and neither of them really cares for the experience. They worked together purely by accident when J. Jonah Jameson was targeted by the People's Liberation Army for writing negative editorials about their group. A very creatively named hitman named the Hitman was sent to the Daily Bugle and was forced to flee with Jonah after Punisher and Spidey arrived. Castle took a personal interest in popping a cap in the Hitman, and was willing to crash the mercenaries helicopter with Jameson inside. The Punisher told Spider-Man the story of how he was nearly killed in Vietnam and was saved by Lt. Burt Kenyon, who was later forced out of the military for mental instability. The confrontation ended at the top of the Statue of Liberty, with the hitman falling to his death. Punisher had wanted to help the man that saved his life but envied that the war, for him, was over.

They worked together soon. After working with Spider-Man to take down the Jacobi gang, Punisher noticed photographs in the Bugle of the fight. He knew that there were no photographers at the scene and accused Peter of being a member of the Jacobi gang and of playing both sides. Peter told him the same story that he told George Stacy: he and Spider-Man have an arrangement to split the money made by the pictures. Punisher believed it, and accepted that as why he found a spider tracer in Peter's apartment.

Spidey found him later, and made him tell him why he wanted the Jacobis so badly. He had followed a heroin supplier to Erzurum, Turkey, and had been captured. The supplier drugged him, tied him to a raft and let him sail downstream to a water fall. Punisher was saved at the last minute by a boy that swam out to save him. The boy, Mehemet, only asked to come to America at age twenty one. After he did, he worked for the Narcotics Agency and was later killed by the Jacobis. They eventually tracked down the head of the Jacobis, who Spider-Man "allowed" to escape. Ironically, he was killed by a speeding car as he ran into the street.

Punisher and Spider-Man also worked to stop a military academy from distributing cocaine. The selling of the drug was secretly backed by the U.S. government, who hoped to make drugs the new "gold standard" for currency. If the economy took such a hit that gold became worthless, then the dollar would become worthless. But drugs are always worth their weight.

Castle has racked up an impressive body count of unprepared super criminals. He's taken down Stilt Man, Jack O'Lantern (Steven Levins) and Persuader, among others. He has taken on the Rhino, Alyosha Kravinoff, the Tarantula (Rodriguez), Hobgoblin (Leeds), Shocker the Jackal, the Master of Vengeance and Doctor Octopus.

He joined the Anti-Registration forces during the Superhuman Registration Act, but butted heads with Captain America. While Castle revered Rodgers as a fellow soldier, Cap saw the Punisher as a lunatic. He was beaten to a pulp by Cap after he gunned down the criminals Goldbug and Plunderer, even though they were trying to join the rebellious heroes. All Punisher saw them as was thieves and killers. Ironically, he recently became Captain America after Steve Rogers was shot and killed by his girlfriend. She was under the control of the Red Skull.

After the Civil War ended, Norman Osborn became the head of S.H.E.I.L.D. and renamed the organization HA.M.M.E.R. Frank tried to assassinate the psychopath, but was stopped by Osborn's bodyguard, the Sentry. He still isn't a fan of working with others, as he repeatedly tried to kill Anti-Venom as they took on the Quintas gang.

Quiz: Quick Quiz on Punisher.

Thanks To:

The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.

Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.