The Punisher
Real Name: Frank Castle
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man 129
Abilities: The Punisher is a determined and fanatical anti-terrorist in peak physical condition who is an expert in all forms of firearms. Believed by the general public to have been put to death under New York's capital punishment mandate, Castle went undercover to infiltrate the mob. Someplace along the line he developed the ability to age backwards; unflinchingly middle-aged during his first dozen appearances, Frank is now a good two decades younger. Amazing what popularity does for one's appearance.
What's His Problem? Frank's wife and two children were killed after witnessing a gangland execution. The only survivor of the attack, Castle assumed the Punisher identity to avenge himself on all law-breakers. Originally presented as a professional assassin who only accepted contracts on criminals he thought deserved to die, Castle has since evolved into a murderous and self-righteous vigilante. Flashbacks to his war service days suggest that Frank wasn't all that stable even before the death of his family, though.
Favorite Quote: "Your humor in the face of danger never ceases to infuriate me, Web-Slinger! This isn't a game, mister -- it's a war!!" (Amazing Spider-Man 175. Spidey didn't take the hint...)
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: Spider-Man, who usually isn't all that thrilled to see him. He has also butted heads with Captain America (he lost, but escaped), DareDevil and, hard as it is to believe, Power Pack. Generally speaking, however, Castle avoids super-hero types since they tend to frown on his use of deadly force. He's most likely to run into (or over) gang lords, drug dealers, and insane assassins like Bullseye and the Hitman.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Wolverine and Ghost Rider. Not that anyone is accepting endorsements from those two!
Most Despicable Act: Gunning down a couple for jay-walking, and another fellow for littering. Frank has since switched to de-caf.
Punishing Sound Bytes!
From Spider-Man: The Animated Series. All sounds in .wav format.
"Sorry. In this war there's no surrender."
