TV SHOW REVIEWS

Is Frank The Punisher a Marvel Superhero?

Marvel got this baby right

Recently I finished watching The Punisher, which is a Marvel TV Show on Netflix. Marvel has quite a good bunch of TV shows that are either on Netflix or Disney, however, the content differentiation is visible, Disney becomes Disney here while Netflix tries to make something worthwhile to watch. Out of all Marvel has produced, some shows that did stand out are Daredevil and The Punisher, apart from that the brand has TV shows on Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Loki, and even Groot.

I have watched a few of them and I am not a superhero enthusiast, but after watching Daredevil, I wanted to watch The Punisher as Daredevil was well written, and apart from the acrobatic theatrics (that’s the USP of any show that features superheroes) I liked the storytelling, and in some parts the substance of the show.

Compared to other superhero stories these shows tend to bring in lots of layers and contradictions in character, in places it weaves realism beautifully and the audience can find relevance to these characters and the varied range of actions and motivations behind those actions that heroes do. A good story gives sufficient space to all supporting actors, which tends to not be the forte of Superhero cinema or TV material, the sole intention resides in glorifying and morally gratifying a person or a bunch of people who could do nothing wrong and are ready to act at just one call or a yell of a grieving person.

Daredevil and The Punisher as shows have definitely given a new direction to the cinematic mindset of a film artist that can make the frame energetic, vibrant, colorful with animated movements and make color splash all across the screen while having a multi-layered story running behind that amazing firecracker experience we feel watching superhero stuff.

The Punisher is definitely according to me the best that Marvel has produced in a while in terms of a well-curated storyline that thrives on real problems, issues that are conscience-heavy on the viewer, and expressions that weigh themselves on the intense side. It makes the superhero character grey, and that’s why in MCU, I mean in the Comics, Frank Castle aka The Punisher is an anti-hero to Daredevil. But if he has a show that means he is a hero, at least he should be. He is a flawed hero which all human beings are, we are all flawed people.

Superheroes can be real people

The Punisher is somewhat emblematic of a phenomenon where we separate the utopia from the reality. Just because a superhero exists, it shouldn't mean that he can fight an army of trained assassins while he sits and chugs ice cream for the entire day. He dances around and can stop a bullet, or lift an airplane with his bare hands. Punisher does not fall into the moorings of outlandishly fantastical concepts, I believe when Frank goes out he can take on many men, he is a marine after all and I have seen a fair share of Indian army commandos to know the special forces no matter which country, they are cut above the rest.

Moreover Frank is ruthless, angry, brave, and defiant, even the worst of men can hurt him but his willpower is so strong that he gets back at them. Frank also uses a lot of weaponry; he famously is represented via the two rifles and double barrel guns he carries with himself and he uses anything as a weapon to attack, he also wears a bulletproof vest with a monster skull painted on it.

Is the Punisher an anti-hero?

I consider Frank a hero, in his weird way he protects people by killing the powerful, hungry, and abusive lots. But that should not make him one dimensional, all the blood and gore he has done was due to reasons, the only thing that he treasured the most in his life, his wife and children were taken away from him. Moreover, in the season’s end, he does not kill his arch nemesis or JigZaw aka Billy Russo where he destroys his face and leaves him alive.

If characters are written for us to connect, we need to step in their shoes and think about the mind space they are struggling with. He has his whole life left but he lost everything. For a normal person losing something is occasional, but a person who has faced it won’t be able to commit to anything as they have faced the worst of losses. It's hard for a middle-aged guy like Frank to reimagine things, maybe a new life or family, his guilt and pain, and knows only one outlet for revenge. Hence, he kills all the culprits, abusers, and gang guys and shows no mercy. We might agree with other heroes of Marvel that they always become law-abiding folks, but Frank is a human who has superhero capabilities and he can take the pain, pressure, strain, and all forms of abuse and come out of it victoriously. His pain might never go away but his satisfaction of doing justice will.

Frank Castle: A caricature

Frank Castle played by Jon Bernthal has to be commended for this, the sheer power, rage, and strength the actor puts on each scene of how impatient, tempered, and passionate Castle is, its insane. I loved how the actor’s skill set is linear but consistent. It makes you believe him to be the real Castle. In many places showing the sensible peaceful side of Frank, we see what Frank can be like when he does not carry the entire baggage of the world in his armaments backpack. His cheerful, understanding, and loving side resembles a staunch male who was brought up in a society where masculine traits were nurtured and there was always that line that does not transition into chauvinism which many males do in today’s time and its sensibilities.

Frank Castle and love

Frank misses his wife, towards the very last when Castle inches very close to the man responsible for killing his wife, Agent Orange aka William Rawlins who ordered a fake operation to stop a drug deal at a New York Park, and in the crossfire, he killed Frank’s family; while killing orange you can see How each of his attempts at mauling everyone and everything was because he was remembering his wife and how the culprit kills them.

In the show he shares connections with a few women including Karen Page, Sarah Lieberman, and Beth Quinn (2nd season 1st episode) He also has a more father-daughter duo relationship with the character Amy in 2nd season. With Karen his chemistry is from the show Daredevil where Frank appears in Season 2, Karen also mutually a love interest of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, has some very special moments with Frank. The fandom wants Karen to be with Matt, though I feel Matt likes Elektra and is more compatible while Karen feels deeply for Frank.

I however do not understand the clear intention of the writers in painting who Karen likes, but she does blur the moral lines with Frank. She did not support Matt when she knew that he was Daredevil and he took the law into his own hands. But she knows Frank kills people but still, she stands up for him every time. Moreover, Karen herself is not a white character, she was always blamed for killing her brother in an accident, though she blames herself for it including her father.

She also shot Wesley an aide to Wilson Fisk 7 times, that was the first glimpse of why the show would be amazing, just a few episodes in they finished off an integral character like Wesley which means, they are making the narrative layered. She has towed the moral line of murdering someone hence she gives in with Frank. As emotional as Frank and Karen’s meetups are, the small moments they have are very subsuming and intimate. They both want it but care too much to have it or provide happiness to themselves.

The Punisher vs Daredevil: The battle for supremacy

Daredevil Season 3 was the best show of all time that TV can offer, the introduction of Dex aka Bullseye was a fantastical attempt at making the superhero arc more riveting and exciting. It also featured a host of personal conundrums, and compromised agencies as Fisk starts to play everyone. We see Daredevil playing safe this time and being wary about his moves, and also we see the trio of Karen, Foggy, and Matt coming together. On the personal front, Matt also discovers his parentage, and knew sister Maggie was his mother who he thought was a random person. All in whole, the Daredevil Season 3 was a cut above the rest. I still as a show however prefer The Punisher because I feel the show is very akin to better-written complexities and very nuanced screenwriting. Many people complain that The Punisher is slow, I found the show rather unfurling and more time taking and temptation-building than others. Though amidst watching Season 2 I am still not finding my footing as I feel it has tedious shots and scenes, but Season 1 was a great watch.

Daredevil too, for me is still very utopian in the way that Matt does great things but I find the grounding complexity in Frank’s character arc and his commitments and steadfast readiness to not change according to the story a much more valuable and worth-watching affair. Frank Castle is a complex person and his mental challenges, real reactions as well as temptations are worth understanding as it tells us how character writing works in broader horizons of story writing. Though I like them both, the unnerving gore and explicit violence show a necessary but required tale of heroism to be told specifically in telling superhero stories.

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