5 Kick-Ass Punisher Moments

Season 2 of Daredevil has been released and one of the most prominent additions to the show was the inclusion of the iconic and morally ambiguous anti-hero The Punisher. This time Jon Bernthal portrays him, but he’s been portrayed in different mediums on more than one occasion. What makes this character unique is that he is a superhero that exists within the Marvel universe and doesn’t just stop his enemies. He ends them. This trait of killing his enemies is what makes him stand out and what has kept him around as a popular character. With this in mind and the timing being appropriate it is time to quickly look over 5 kick-ass moments from the character in both film and in comics.  This list won’t be in any particular order and I know that with any list like this I will leave out a fair amount of great Frank Castle moments so feel free to leave your favorite moments from any medium in the comments. Now on to the list!

  1. Punisher V.S. The Russian – The Punisher (2004)

The Punisher hasn’t had a great run when it comes to his live action film appearances, but in this scene Thomas Jane portrays a Frank who has to deal with a foe that is more than twice his size. In a film that is mainly just mediocre this action scene is actually a well shot and staged moment. The fight is contrasted with a classical score making this scene even more interesting to watch take place. The difference in size between the two is also handled very well and it is just a great moment that I didn’t want to neglect when compiling this list.

  1. Punisher Kills Hostage Takers – Punisher: War Zone (2008)

One of the words that would not be used to describe Punisher War Zone is “Subtle”. The film is filled to the brim with over the top and ridiculous violence and gore that make this film very silly. It’s a bad film, but has moments of gore and humor that make it fun to watch. One of the most brutal of scenes takes place when the thugs are holding Angela, her daughter, and the detective hostage. One of the thugs goes to check on things and when his back is turned Frank grabs, him spins him around and quite literally punches a hole through the mans head and if that wasn’t enough he ends up shooting the other thug in the house in the head with his shotgun. It’s a brutal scene in a film filled with moments that could easily fill up this list.

  1. Punisher Blows Up Parkour Thug – Punisher: War Zone (2008)

In probably the funniest moment on this list Frank outdoes himself in this scene. The film has a group of 3 violent thugs who love to jump from rooftop to rooftop and raise hell. In a particular scene we see the three jumping between roofs and mid-jump for the second one a rocket comes out of nowhere and completely blows the man up. His friends who are stunned look over to see Frank putting away his rocket launcher and pick up his rifle and quickly dispatch of the third guy with a bullet to his head. He follows that up by shooting the first guy in the legs only to gain information from him. It’s another great moment that highlights the brutality of the character and captures the dark comedy of that film.

  1. Punisher Kills Street Thugs – Dirty Laundry (2012)

Adi Shankar has brought life to comic book properties before. He was an executive producer on Dredd, but he’s also made his own short fan films. One of these films was Dirty Laundry. In this short a group of street thugs are terrorizing a local neighborhood to the point that Castle can’t sit back and watch anymore. He proceeds to walk over to them with a big bottle of Jack Daniel’s and graphically brutalizes and kills each one of the thugs in a quick and stylistic scene that’s highly brutal. It’s a great moment in a short that is a must watch for Punisher fans. You can watch it here:

  1. Punisher Saves Spider-Man Takes Beating From Captain America – Civil War

In the comic that will be inspiring this year’s blockbuster Marvel film, Civil War featured Castle in an important moment. Two villains corner spider-Man after being severely injured, but before he could be killed by these villains Castle dispatches of the two of them and rescues Spidey. Shortly afterwards Castle brings him back to Captain America’s base of operations. Cap is hesitant about having Castle on the team, but reluctantly lets him join. Later on in the story 2 villains come to join the cause and Punisher kills them in cold blood. Cap begins to brutally beat his as he screams at Castle to fight back, but Castle refuses because of his respect for Cap. This is a fantastic moment in the comic that not only shows how far off Cap is acting, but also shows Castle’s code of ethics. It’s a powerful and memorable moment.

The Punisher is one of my favorite characters and these are just some of his great moments. He’s an anti-hero that has left his mark among comic book fans and I have no doubt that his popularity will only grow with Daredevil Season 2 premiering. He’s already given us a bonus awesome moment with Jon Bernthal’s delivery of the line “You’re one bad day away from being me.”

Christian Michael Stoic

Christian Michael Stoic

Christian Michael Stoic is a writer, filmmaker, and comic lover from Los Angeles, CA. Heroic Hollywood is his introduction into the world of Journalism which...