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THE PUNISHER is a brutal (and beautiful) reflection of modern America [Spoilers]
The last time we saw Frank Castle, he was a vigilante on the loose, determined to mete out justice for those the system couldn’t — or wouldn’t — reach. Many would argue that he was the breakout star of Daredevil Season 2, and the anticipation for his stand-alone series was sky-high.
When Marvel announced a Punisher series, the audience knew what we were in for, and we wanted all of it. Hell, the character’s name is “The Punisher” — everyone knew the series would be a roller coaster of gory murder scenes, interspersed with the philosophical musings of a self-righteous sentinel. Coupled with the stellar track record of the Marvel Netflix team and we all knew it was going to be great. It was not a question up for debate.
The writers knew this audience expectation was waiting for them and they appeased us all in a cathartic opening montage of Castle mercilessly murdering faceless goons. It was the Punisher we wanted to see and the Punisher that Bernthal is so good at portraying.
Then they subverted everything.
Sure, there are tropes and archetypes, but they way the writers intertwined and twisted them together is masterful. The plot lines are political and psychological, weaving through levels of exposition and inference that both tells…
