Gargi Mishra
Marvel is making some major changes to The Punisher in its new comic book chapter. In the latest edition, Frank Castle‘s life, logo, and motivation all have been changed. Punisher is a Marvel antihero who is driven by revenge. He lost his wife and two children to a mob who killed them for witnessing a murder in Central Park, New York City. He is an Italian-American vigilante and uses brutal methods to fight crime. In Punisher #1, he works for the Hand, as they can bring back his family. And they do bring his wife back somehow. The Punisher kills the entire organization to keep his wife in his life. Last year, Marvel had announced that the character will undergo a lot of changes.
Changes made in The Punisher
The comic book franchise made this decision when the Punisher’s logo was taken up by hate groups in real life. The white nationalists opted for the skull logo during the 6th January 2021 attack on the US Capitol. And now hs become a symbol of hate. The skull logo of the Punisher is quite famous but now it is being replaced. Frank Castle or The Punisher will now have a new logo that is inspired by Oni. Not just the logo, but his missions with The Hand and his motivation too are changed. But the one thing we love most about the antihero is brutal violence and that is not going to be watered down or changed. In fact, this comic will be the most brutal comic of The Punisher.
The Story of Punisher #1
The latest comic is created by Jason Aaron, Paul Azaceta, Jesus Saiz, and Dave Stewart. And the past of the antihero has not been changed. The readers are given a glimpse of the tragic past of The Punisher before fast-forwarding to the present day. The Marvel character still works for the Hand and is out on a mission against Apostles of War soldiers. Frank Castle now has a new logo and kills the bad guys in an attempt to find out who their master is. He then returns to the base of the Hand and brutally kills a group of criminals. They are called the Beast. They used occult magic to kill people and bring people back to life. In the end, The Hand has managed to resurrect Frank’s wife.
A Change in The Punisher’s Motivation
At the end of the comic, Punisher #1, we see that Maria, Frank Castle’s wife is back to life. He is in bed with her. She still has the bullet wounds that resulted in her death. And now the motivation of The Punisher has entirely changed. Instead of seeking revenge for the death of the family. The antihero must now struggle to keep them alive. Maybe working for the Hand still is a way to keep her alive. Maybe the Hand wants the hero to play on his side with the new logo in exchange for his wife’s life.
These new twists have left the fans asking a lot of questions. They wanna know if the woman who came back, really is Frank’s wife. And if his kids are back too. Marvel has made a lot of changes about the character and yet kept him the same. His main motivation is his family. Now as he struggles to keep his wife alive. Though it seemed like a challenge to fans Marvel managed to bring changes without changing the violent side of the antihero.
Related: How To Introduce The Punisher Properly In The MCU (And What Mistakes To Avoid)
