I really don’t get it. I realize this is likely a me thing. I’ve never read any his comics. He doesn’t have any powers. He just shoots people. I think he shoots only bad guys, right? Seeing people get what they deserve is nice but you could also do that with a robot mech suit or giant green imaginary weapons or laser beams from your eyes. I could go on. He wears all black, so he’s emo, and shoots people. I just don’t get it.
It’s certainly a personal preference, but I’ll give some insight as a casual Punisher fan:
A character doesn’t need superpowers to be interesting. People can enjoy the Punisher despite him being “just a guy who shoots people with a gun” in the same way people enjoy “John Wick”, Judge Dredd, “Taken”, Jason Bourne, “Die Hard”, or any movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The archetypal “one man army with nothing left to lose” story is cliched and perhaps “basic”, but can also be written in a compelling way depending on the author. Lots of different authors have written for The Punisher over the years, some being better than others.
I personally think a fun aspect of the character is his understanding that he isn’t a good guy; he (in most continuities I’ve read) hates what he has become and only does it because it’s all he knows. He doesn’t characterize it as “justice”, either. He does what he does as a means of punishment, vengeance, and retribution (and considers it a preventative measure when the criminal is irredeemably evil).
Some of his better stories explore the consequences of this judge-jury-and-executioner approach he takes. For example, killing an undercover cop who had infiltrated a gang that was on Punisher’s hit-list. In that particular instance, he was willing to let the undercover cop’s widow execute him as penance for his mistake. The widow lets him live because she doesn’t want to be like him.
A character doesn’t need superpowers to be interesting. People can enjoy the Punisher despite him being “just a guy who shoots people with a gun” in the same way people enjoy “John Wick”, Judge Dredd, “Taken”, Jason Bourne, “Die Hard”, or any movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
How did you get through all of that without pointing out Batman?
Likely because 99% of the time he doesn’t shoot people.
Batman’s endless arsenal of gadgets may not technically be a superpower, but he’s typically written in such a way that they are treated as one. He’s not really any different from most superhero comics, not in the way that Punisher is.
Cause I was thinking of characters who use guns, which isn’t really Batman’s vibe (aside from his very early years)
That’s true…
Dick Tracy then!
Technically Tintin…? 🤣
Came here for this
Tbf Batman can get pretty wacky at times.
Conan had a gun?
Two actually.
nice
I’d say hes easier to relate to without super powers.
Punisher was created as a response to a very popular series of 1970s revenge flicks.
Death Wish (Novel, 1972):
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Wish_(novel)
Death Wish (Movie, 1974):
Punisher’s first appearance (1974):
Personally, I’ve never read it. But the reason people like or dislike stories isn’t because of powers or machines in them.
It’s easier to fantasize about being somebody that doesn’t require magical powers.
It’s too bad the name Captain America was already taken, because this guy sounds slightly more accurate.
He wears all black, so he’s emo
Punisher comics isn’t the only thing you don’t get.
I mean… James Bond is also just a guy who shoots people. Most non-action movies are just a series of conversations. How the story is told is often far more important than the boiled down concept.
I didn’t get to get a lot of comics as a kid. I got punisher because they tended to be more insular. I borrowed friends/relatives Carnage comics but never got to finish the run. I couldn’t get into fantastic 4 partly because there were so many iterations, and some of those I would get the lecture of ‘well you really gotta start here and this references this story line from 5 years ago’.
Punisher was simple action and tended to have shorter story lines.
People have different tastes? I find Superman incredibly uninteresting most of the time. I get why people like him, and if it floats their boat I’m happy for them but it ain’t for me.
Punisher is basically just “what if Batman had less of a moral code, and wasn’t a billionaire in his off time.” That’s got the potential to be an interesting character, even if it’s not for me personally.
Because he’s a cool dude who doesn’t afraid of anything.
Well, I’m glad there’s so much here to learn about the comic in all the great comments. I really thought we were gonna talk about why there are so many cars with punisher decals and the like.
If OP wants to know why Punisher is plastered on so many cars, it’s because of bigotry.
It is rather interesting that the kind of people that puts a punisher sticker in their car would be the firsts in line to eat a bullet by the punisher if he existed. Which is why marvel recently changed the logo. Though that doesn’t change anything IRL. At least the creators do show audiences that if a militia adopted punisher’s logo, and tried to associate it ideologically with their way of thinking. It would only target them as the punisher’s next victims.
Why don’t you try reading them? I don’t “get” most of the media I have never tried.
They’re pretty niche, aren’t they?
I like the Punisher for the exact opposite reason you probably like Superman. Criminals don’t get to go through the corrupt “justice” system.
Dangling brutal/violent punishment is a great incentive for people to stop committing crimes.
I’ve never been all that interested in The Punisher, but there was a comic arc a few years back in which he got his hands on the War Machine armor that was pretty good.
