Gery Conway, the creator of one of the most complex anti-heroes in Marvel history, The Punisher, has responded to the controversy that has arisen around the character. Some days ago, the police of Cattlesbur, Kentucky, had to remove a design on their car that was startlingly similar to the logo of Frank Castle, after having received several complaints. No doubt, many fans would think that The Punisher is not exactly the best example of a superhero for the police. A sentiment that Conway agrees with.
From there, one of the usual questions that Gery fielded was whether Frank Castle was a villain. He responded: "He is a complex and morally committed anti-hero, but he should not be emulated by the police. If an agent murders an innocent suspect and tries to cover him up, the Punisher would not hesitate to kill him. Said recently in my annual The Punisher story, he said he was not "a good guy." It says a lot of some cops who, knowing which side they are, have decided to use the Punisher's logo."
Antiheroes in the world of fiction
In fact, another user asked the question if 'The Punisher' would not be a kind of assassin or mass murderer, and Conway responded: "Technically, I would say he is. It doesn't make him a bad guy, or, well, something like that. The Punisher, in general, respects the law unless the law provokes criminal acts, then it would attack it. He would have been in Ferguson's riots in favor of the demonstrators, for example", he explains.
With these statements, Conway makes it clear that anti-heroes should only be in fiction, as indeed The Punisher is. The Punisher series will soon hit Netflix with Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, as well as casting actors such as Deborah Ann Woll, Daniel Webber and Jason R. Moore. At the moment, the date of the possible release is unknown.
5 Possible villains for 'The Punisher'
5 The Russian
Introduced by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon in 2000, The Russian appeared in the cinematic film way back in 2004. In this occasion he was played by the ex-champion of the WWE, Kevin Nash, and the confrontation with Tom Jane was one of the best parts of the film.
4 Bullseye
Known primarily as being the enemy of 'Daredevil' (he showed up in the film, being played by Colin Farrel). That night she joined us for a little party. When she arrived, I was standing next to the half-pipe, winded from only a fe passes, my ribs hurting like all get out. But wakes aren't really for the dead- they're for the grievers, the loved ones.
3 Kingpin
Like Bullseye, Wilson Fisk is known to be one of the main enemies of Daredevil. But given the incredibly tense encounter between Kingpin and Castle in the second season of Daredevil, perhaps Marvel and Netflix take advantage of the pull to put them back face to face. Recall that The Punisher warned Fisk that if they were to meet again in a room, it would only be one that would leave it.
2 Ma Gnucci
Ma Gnucci, another character conceived by Ennis and Dillon, is the matriarch of the Gnucci Crime family. In the comics, Castle kills three of her sons, and she launches a campaign to bring him down. The mafia, obviously, does not come out very well from the fight, and ends up dying atrociously. The presence of Gnucci in the new series would be a good way to introduce the Mafia in the plot.
1 Jigsaw
Billy 'The Beaut' Russo, better known as Jigsaw, is the primary antagonist to Castle in the comics: he is the man who killed Frank's family. This sadistic and disfigured villain is absolutely unpredictable, and counts on his great skills of strategy as his main weapon.