Frank Castle (Earth-616)

From Marvel Database

History

When mobsters slew his family, Frank Castle vowed to spend the rest of his life avenging them. Trained as a Marine and equipped with state-of-the-art weapons, he now wages a one-man war against crime as the Punisher.^[1]

Born in Queens, New York to parents of Sicilian ancestry, the young Francis Castiglione enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, eventually becoming a U.S. Marine Captain. He married his wife, Maria, who was already pregnant with their first child prior to his enlistment.

During his time in the USMC, Castiglione graduated from boot camp and then went on to United States Marine Corps School of Infantry. While still in training, Castiglione met Phan Bighawk, an American Indian scout. He was assigned to be Castiglione's guide, and through Phan, he learned how to survive in the wilderness.

Following his training, Castiglione served in the Vietnam War in the Special Forces Unit as a point man. He fought in numerous engagements and was the only survivor (from both sides) of a Viet Cong assault on Valley Forge Firebase in 1971.^[2] For heroism in the line of duty, he was decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, 3 times the Silver Star and Bronze Stars, 4 times the Purple Heart, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

After finishing his second tour of duty in Vietnam, he came back to the United States and had a second child with his wife. He then signed up for a third tour to which he illegally re-entered the U.S. Marine Corps under the name of Frank Castle in order to return to battle. Castle served a total of 4 years in the Vietnam War (1968 to 1971). Six years later (1976) after the American involvement in Vietnam ended, Castle ran Special Black op training missions for Marine Recon Commandos in the upper New York State area.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Civil War and Beyond 2 Costume 3 Personality 4 Views On The Criminal Justice System 5 Powers and Abilities 5.1 Powers 5.2 Abilities 5.3 Strength level 5.4 Weaknesses 6 Paraphernalia 6.1 Equipment 6.2 Transportation 6.3 Weapons 7 Notes 8 Trivia 9 Appearances in Other Media 9.1 Film 9.2 Toys 10 Links 10.1 Discover and Discuss

While on leave, he took his wife and two small children to Central Park in New York City. Coincidentally, the family happened upon the scene of a mob killing on the Sheep's Meadow green in the park. Fearing witnesses, the mobsters murdered Castle's family in cold blood and escaped. Castle managed to survive the attack but was deeply traumatized by the incident. He was going to testify in court to identify the shooters, but Castle was denied this since the New York police department were deeply connected with the Mafia. He decided not to return to Marine duty, but instead, outfitted himself with assorted weapons and a battle suit with displayed a large death's head on the chest, and embarked on a one-man anti-crime campaign throughout New York City. Castle devoted the rest of his life to eradicating organized crime, using the nom de guerre of the Punisher.

The Punisher used his combat experience (four years as a US Marine Corps Captain in a special operations unit in the Vietnam War), guerrilla warfare (combat assault attacks, assassinations, ambushes, hit and runs, bombings, using the enemies' own money, weapons, and supplies against them), urban warfare (using the crowded city of New York to blend in and disappear), psychological warfare (putting fear into the hearts of criminals), using detective-like skills (talking to people, reading obtained files on the people he goes after, tracking and surveilling the enemy), always adapting to the enemy such as using the Mafia's own methods and tactics against them (interrogating and torturing suspects to death in order to get information from them) and whatever resources and means may be necessary to do so, ranging from light anti-tank weaponry to enraged polar bears, piranhas, and even a hydrogen bomb.

The Punisher fought virtually about every known criminal organization, including the Italian Mafia, the Russian Mafia, the Japanese Yakuza, the Colombian and Mexican drug cartels, the Chinese Triads, Jamaican Yardies, the Aryan Brotherhood, the Irish Mob, biker gangs, street gangs, gunrunning militias, muggers, killers, rapists, psychopaths, sadists, pedophiles, and corrupt cops. The Punisher also assaulted such criminal business enterprises as drugs, weapons smuggling, money laundering and human trafficking. The Punisher fought organized crime long enough to know their modus operandi and predict their actions. Many of these organizations tried to kill the Punisher, using both their own men and hired contract killers. But the Punisher managed to kill almost every type of assassin, hitman, bounty hunter and mercenary sent after him.

The Punisher was highly mobile. He had many bases of operations and did not limit himself to working only in New York city. He has been to many places in the U.S. and around the globe fighting crime such as the British Isles, Latin America (Central and South America), Europe and Russia. The Punisher had an extensive criminal record due to his activities. Law enforcement such as the police, the FBI, the CIA and even S.H.I.E.L.D. were aware of his existence and made many attempts to capture him; however, many rank-and-file officers were reluctant to take action against the Punisher because they largely agreed with him. The Punisher himself disregarded what police and the public thought of him. The Punisher killed corrupt cops, but in doing so stirred police into heightened action against him. Castle was also caught and imprisoned (generally in Ryker's Island^[3]) many times, but always escaped.

Civil War and Beyond

Initially Castle was not concerned about the civil war between the heroes until the government started using superpowered criminals to enforce the law. This act made Castle enter the war on the side of Captain America and the Secret Avengers. After rescuing Spider-Man from Pro-Registration forces he brought the beaten and unconscious hero to the Anti-Registration hideout. Some heroes were apprehensive about having the vigilante in their midst while some were outraged not wanting him there at all, but after he assured them that he could get them into the Baxter Building Captain America allowed him to join. Unfortunately on the eve of the final battle two supervillians attempted to join the Anti-Registration forces and the Punisher killed them outright. Enraged Captain America attacked Castle for his lack of self-control and for not finding the better man within himself.

When the war was was over Frank found himself on the run from G.W.Bridge and S.H.I.E.L.D once again.

Costume

The Punisher's first outfit was a form-fitting black Kevlar bodysuit with a large white skull on his chest. According to Frank Castle, this drew the attention and the aim of the criminals to his heavily armored body, instead of his more vulnerable head. Each tooth of the skull was actually spare ammunition for firearms.^[4]

Punisher chose not to utilize any costume outside of a black shirt with a white skull splashed across the front. His other clothing, which sometimes included combat boots, blazers, leather jackets, trench coats, bulletproof vests, body armor, black battle dress uniforms, and camouflage outfits was worn for the sake of protection or camouflage in urban and wilderness areas.^[5]

Personality

The Punisher differed from the majority of vigilantes. The Punisher worked outside the traditional system of law and order. He was a remorseless and cold-blooded killer.

The Punisher possessed no superhuman abilities and succeeded solely through ingenuity and the rigorous training of his military upbringing, a finely honed killer instinct and an extensive arsenal of weapons culled from fallen foes and military allies.

Unlike most heroes, Castle had no dual identity, no "real world" job, no known hobbies, and few friends. He spent nearly all of his time planning his next hit, stopping only to recover from injuries or fatigue. Money taken from criminals was used to purchase food, weapons, ammunition, and pay the rent of his many safehouses.

The Punisher also disregarded what the police and the public thought of him, and was known to kill corrupt cops. He was viewed as a dangerous criminal by the public and by most members of the superhero community.

Views On The Criminal Justice System

Castle's years of vigilantism made him increasingly cynical about the capabilities of the American justice system, especially in regard to its failure to successfully prosecute his family's homicide, due to the witnessed killer's false alibi and the mob's influence in the New York City Police Department. Allegedly, the reason Castle killed those he regarded as criminals (which include both circumstantially alleged and incontrovertible individuals) was his desire not to see average people become victims of crime and endure the same kind of pain and loss he experienced. Some members of law enforcement were reluctant to arrest the Punisher because they believed he often dealt with criminals that the law couldn't convict.

Castle stated he did not want others to follow his path, on the grounds that his personal war against criminals was his alone, and he harbored resentment toward other (usually short-lived) vigilantes, taking exception at what he saw as their lack of "professionalism".

The Punisher knew that no matter how many hundreds or thousands of criminals he killed it did not make a difference in the world. Frank knew that his actions didn’t make the world a safer place, as seen when a slaving operation continued despite the Punisher's extermination of one cell.^[6]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

None Known.

Abilities

Master Martial Artist: Castle is a seasoned combat veteran of exceptional skills. He is well-versed in the arts of warfare and hand-to-hand combat. His styles of choice being Nash Ryu Ju Jitsu, (the four-style martial art founded by his Sensei Adam Nash and the Marine Corps LINE combat system) Ninjutsu, Shorin-Ryu, Hwarangdo, and Chin Na. He is an exceptional knife fighter who carries up to 3 or 4 different types of edged weapons, preferring the knife he learned to fight with in the USMC: the Ka-bar.

Expert Marksman: He is an exceptional marksman who is sometimes depicted as being ambidextrous in this respect. He is skilled in sharpshooting and knife throwing

Expert Pilot: Castle received airborne training with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Special Forces.

Interrogation Expert

Demolitions Expert: He also received a U.S. Navy SEAL, UDT (Underwater Demolition Team), LRRP (Long Range Recon Patrol) training.

Expert Tactician: Armed solely with conventional weapons and motivated by a fanatical hatred for criminals like those who murdered his family, the Punisher has single-handedly incapacitated up to a dozen well-armed and experienced opponents in a single encounter and escaped uninjured. It is his military training and his attention to detail that allows him to achieve this.

Strength level

The Punisher possesses the normal human strength of a 6'1" 200-pound man, who engages in with intense physical exercise. Frank engages in a brutal regimen of calisthenics, katas and firing range practice daily, maintaining his combat skills as he does not drink alcohol or do drugs.

Weaknesses

None Known.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Military equipment as appropriate

Transportation

Many vehicles

Weapons

The Punisher employs a vast array of conventional firearms including machine guns, rifles, shotguns, handguns, knives, explosives and other weapons culled from common and organized criminals and military sources during his operations. A vast majority of his weapons have roots in military forces around the world, and typically employs weapons and accessories limited to military operations.

The Punisher often customizes his weapons for greater effectiveness with both standard and custom items including magnified optics, reflex sights, night vision scopes, flashlights, grenade launchers, sound and flash suppressors, bipods, high-capacity magazines and drums and various ammunition including hollow point or armor piercing bullets.

Notes

• Punisher usually uses rubber "mercy bullets" (non-lethal ammunition) when guest-starring in other comics, most notably Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Captain America in the 70's and 80's.
• Used to have a pet rottweiler called "Max" which he saved from animal poachers.
• Number plates on The Punisher's black Pontiac has "Year One" on it; reference to The Company that worked on making the 5 GTOs for the movie.
• According to Don Daley, then editor of The Punisher Vol 2, #98, in his response to a fan mail, he stated that the Punisher's version of justice is classically based as "an eye for an eye".
• In the early 1990s, flagging sales drove Marvel to place the then-popular character The Punisher in several guest appearances in The 'Nam. After the series' conclusion, an epilogue of sorts was published in the form of a Punisher special, The Punisher in the 'Nam: Final Invasion.
• As of the mid-2000s, Castle's timeline remained untouched when Marvel adjusted the time frames of other characters. His history has never been altered or moved up; he has effectively aged in real time from the Vietnam War. The MAX Imprint of the Punisher is set in the Marvel Universe world but without superhero appearances.

• The MAX Imprint of the Punisher ages in real time, propelling him into his late 50s. The cover of issue #44 reveals that he was born on February 16, 1950, but was later removed during the book's publication. He has a well-maintained physical condition and health despite of his age. The imprint also depicts the Punisher as having been an active vigilante for almost 30 years. Issue #19 specified he had killed approximately 2,000 people, not including military personnel or the deaths in a story in which the Punisher causes a hydrogen bomb to be dropped onto the Pacific island Grand Nixon, where a General Kriegkopf has gathered 2,000 mercenaries, including the assassin known as The Russian .

Whereas the traditional Punisher stories remained within the United States and involved antagonists and settings of conventional domestic crime, stories of the Marvel MAX Punisher often focus on current events, ranging from corporate fraud to sex slavery and most commonly the War on Terror. Characters in these stories are all products of past or current environments, including operatives of the CIA, KGB, MI6, SAS and various militaries and militias from the Balkans and Middle East and terrorist cells like the IRA, all with agendas rooted in past conflicts like the Cold War or the Yugoslav wars.

In the miniseries Born, by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Castle's roots are traced back to Vietnam, during his third tour of duty in Vietnam, where he undergoes a psychological and possibly supernatural transformation into the Punisher in order to survive a massive assault on his fortification by the combined forces of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. The one-shot Punisher: The Tyger, by Ennis and John Severin, went even further and showed that Castle had lived with murders, deaths and criminals his entire life.

Trivia

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has stated that the second part of his band's hit song "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" is about the Punisher. The lyrics themselves only reinforce this feeling:

Wage the war on organized crime

Sneak attacks, repel down the rocks

Behind the lines

Some people risk to employ me

Some people live to destroy me

Either way they die

They die

Appearances in Other Media

Film

• A film adaptation was directed by Mark Goldblatt (later the film editor of X-Men: The Last Stand) and written by Boaz Yakin. It starred Dolph Lundgren as the Punisher. The film's most recognizable deviation from the comic books is the lack of the character's signature skull logo.
• A second film adaptation was directed by Jonathan Hensleigh (who wrote Die Hard: With a Vengeance) and starred Thomas Jane for the lead role with John Travolta as the main villain Howard Saint. This movie adaptation was more faithful to the comic book and was loosely based on the Welcome Back, Frank comic. It was released in the U.S. on April 16, 2004. It was met with mixed reviews by critics and earned $33.8 million at the box office. Lionsgate came with a limited edition (10,000 produced) mini-comic book written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Steve Dillon, chronicling Castle's time in Delta Force in the Gulf War, and later in the FBI.
• A third film, entitled Punisher: War Zone was released on December 5, 2008, but had no relation to the 2004 film. It was directed by Lexi Alexander with Ray Stevenson in the Punisher role and Dominic West as the villain Jigsaw.

Toys

The Punisher appears in the Marvel Legends toy-line in series 4,6 and 8, modeled after his movie appearance, the Urban Legends boxed set, in the Face Off two-pack series in his classic outfit, and a variant similar to Tim Bradstreet's design.

• Punisher (toy) Marvel Legends Series 4

When his family was killed inthe crossfire of a Mafia shootout, Frank Castle put his military training to use - waging a one-man war on crime. A former U.S. Marine captain with a distinguished combat record who has undergone SEAL (Sea Air Land), UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) and LRPA (Long Range Patrol) training, Frank Castle is well-versed in the arts of warfare and hand-to-hand combat. As the Punisher, Castle reinvented himself as the merciless scourge of the underworld. The mere mention of his name causes criminals everywhere to cringe in fear, because they all know the Punisher plays for keeps - and someday, he may come gunning for them!

• The Punisher (toy) Marvel Legends Urban Legends Gift Pack
• Punisher (toy) Marvel Legends Face-Off Series 2

His life shattered by tragedy, Frank Castle was reborn as the Punisher. Taking his ruthless brand of justice to the streets, this vigilante has dedicated himself to a no-holds-barred war on crime where even the most untouchable villain has not gone unscathed. Enter Billy Russo: A mob assassin set to take out the Punisher. Using Russo to send a message to other would-be assassins, Castle left him alive but horribly disfigured. Now known as Jigsaw, Russo has sworn vengeance on the Punisher for turning his face into the twisted pieces of a horrible puzzle!

Links

• Appearances of Frank Castle (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: Frank Castle (Earth-616)
• Images that feature Frank Castle (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Frank Castle (Earth-616)
• Quotations by Frank Castle (Earth-616) 
• Amazing Spider-Man # 129 (Feb, 1974) - First Appearance
• Amazing Spider-Man # 135 (Aug, 1974)
• The Punisher: Warzone
• The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank
• The Punisher: Born
• Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
• Kingpin
• Microchip
• Punisher (Fansite)
• Punisher Original Art
• Marvel.com - Official Site
• Force2Reckon - Punisher Fansite
• Gangsta Punisher Army - Online Punisher Community
• The Gray Zone - Anti-heroes of Marvel Comics
• Punisher Origin

Discover and Discuss

• Search News for: Punisher · Francis Castiglione,&searchx=Search Francis Castiglione, · Frank Castle (Earth-616)
• Search Forums for: Punisher · Francis Castiglione,&terms=all&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0 Francis Castiglione, · Frank Castle (Earth-616)
• Discuss this and other characters on the forums