Marvel kill The Punisher From Main Universe
Marvel confirmed the character would be dropping his signature logo and even firearms, and fans thought something was up. After many years of The Punisher being embraced by certain types of fans and his logo coopted by others, many wondered if Marvel would ever do anything to try and distance the character from these things or maybe even remove him from the public eye altogether. Well with Punisher #12, the character’s decades-long “war” comes to an end, and he may be officially retired for good.
“The Punisher is no more.”
Written by Jason Aaron with art by Jesús Saíz and Paul Azaceta, Marvel’s latest Punisher series launched in May 2022 ends with Issue #12. In the title, the titular antihero Frank Castle becomes the Highslayer of The Hand, an evil ninja organization, granting him supernatural powers as the “Fist of the Beast.” The Hand convinces Frank to take on this role by resurrecting his wife, Maria Castle, along with the intent to do the same for his two dead children. However, fed up with the atrocities he’s committed, Maria shoots the Punisher with a mystical gun at the end of the prior Punisher #11, and the series’ final issue reveals his ultimate fate while sending him on a new path within the Marvel Universe.
Aaron writes: “This is a story I’ve wanted to tell for many years, and I am grateful to all involved at Marvel Comics for making it happen…Since the character’s first appearance in 1973, the ideas and symbols of The Punisher have come to mean many things to many different people. Some of those I agree with. Some I very much don’t. At the end of the day, despite the complicated nature of the character, despite the changing times and disparate viewpoints, the story of Frank Castle is fundamentally one very simple thing: A tragedy.”
After the Punisher vanishes, Doctor Strange says, “He is no longer within this plane of existence,” adding, “The Punisher is no more.” Although it seems that Frank kills himself, in actuality, he is transported to another realm: Weirdworld. Co-created by Aaron with artist Mike Del Mundo, this magical Battleworld domain first appears in 2015’s Weirdworld #1. The epilogue of Punisher #12 shows that Frank now protects orphans and those in danger within Weirdworld, dropping the “Punisher” moniker and preferring “Frank” instead.
Along with Aaron, Azaceta, and Saíz, Punisher #12 is colored by Matt Hollingsworth and lettered by VC’s Cory Petit. The main cover art for the issue is by Saíz, with variant cover artwork contributed by John Cassaday, Laura Martin, Mico Suayan and Frank D’Armata. The issue is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
