By Drew Dietsch
| Published
Since their association with Disney, the Marvel films have invaded pop culture to such an extent that many people seem to forget the days before, a world where the letters MCU had no meaning except perhaps “co-op of municipal credit”.
While the Disney era of Marvel has adopted and integrated some past superhero efforts, like the pre-MCU Spider-Man films or Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, there are many older Marvel films and TV shows that seem to be well left in the dust.
A popular Marvel character is having his entire cinematic history disappear for modern generations and I’m here to do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen. This is why we must save the Punisher movies.
The origins of the Punisher begin with Spider-Man
The Punisher is a controversial characterand that’s putting things lightly. Interestingly, it was created in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 just five months before the release of the 1974 hit movie Death wish. The Punisher – real name Frank Castle – is a murderous vigilante waging a deadly war on crime in New York.
After gaining surprising popularity with readers and his own comic book title, The Punisher made the jump to the big screen in 1989 with his first feature film. The problems started there.
The first Punisher film debuted in 1989 and starred Dolph Lundgren
1989s The Punisher The film was produced by New World Pictures, a studio run by the beloved and notoriously money-conscious Roger Corman. The Punisher would end up being the penultimate film produced by New World due to their financial problems. This also meant The Punisher was unable to secure theatrical distribution in the United States, settling for a direct-to-video release two years after its premiere in international markets.
Rocky IV Star Dolph Lundgren was cast as Frank Castle, and while I admit to a legitimate fondness for Lundgren’s acting, it’s fair to say The Punisher is not his finest moment as an actor.
It doesn’t help that The Punisher’s iconic logo has been removed from his outfit in favor of skull-themed throwing knives. Director Mark Goldblatt openly regrets this decision and I’m sure fans agree.
For a detective film from the 80s, The Punisher It’s not a bad time. The film gained cult status over the years, proving that The Punisher’s power was still up for grabs in the world of cinema.
The Punisher returned for another film in 2004
Frank Castle got another chance at the box office in 2004, again titled The Punisher. Following the big comic book movie boom brought on by Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man, The Punisher was created to be another notch in Marvel’s big-budget blockbuster belt.
Until the film failed at the box office, opening in second place behind Kill Bill: Volume 2. It’s a shame, because The Punisher (2004) is a major step forward from the previous film. Thomas Jane is excellent as Frank Castle and really cares about doing the character justice, so much so that he even returned to the character in a bootleg short eight years after the film itself.
The Punisher (2004) takes inspiration from Garth Ennis’ comic strip with the character, and the film does a good job of maintaining the tone of the comic strip. John Travolta because the villain is certainly disappointing, but the portrayal of Thomas Jane and the solid direction of Jonathan Hensleigh make The Punisher (2004) much better than its reputation suggests.
Unfortunately, when your Marvel movie comes out two months early Spider-Man 2you’re pretty SOL.
Punisher: War Zone rebooted the character in 2008
The Thomas Jane version not having conquered the box office, we were treated to a reboot four years later with Punisher: Warzone. This is where The Punisher reached his full form. Because Punisher: Warzone it’s a blast.
Drawing further inspiration from Garth Ennis’ outlandish version of the character, Punisher: Warzone director Lexi Alexander deliberately wanted to inject more ridicule and black comedy in the project, and the film is much better for it.
Dominic West, as the villainous Jigsaw, plays a bad guy like he’s in an episode from the 60s. Batman to show. It’s great. I could look at him in that makeup with that goofy accent for days.
That’s not to say that Ray Stevenson doesn’t do a remarkable job as a very focused, minimalist version of Frank Castle. He sets the right tone in every moment, whether it’s a dark comedy or a real emotional beat. It’s so sad that Stevenson never got another chance with Frank Castle because he portrays the fun, dark side of the character so well.
And any movie featuring a parkour gangster getting blown up by a missile is my idea of a good time.
Unfortunately, Punisher: Warzone Once again, it was a fatal blow for the character at the box office, opening in 8th place. Frank Castle just couldn’t catch a break.
Some Punishers films are deleted and can no longer be watched
So here we have three very different versions of The Punisher in the films, and each has its merits and its fans. But it might be harder to find and gain new fans since all three films are left in the digital dust.
From this recording, Punisher: Warzone – one film, I would say, is better than any other MCU movie, this should get you talking in the comments – it’s only available to stream on PlutoTV in standard definition. Otherwise, you will have to rent or buy the movie to see it.
At the very least, Punisher: Warzone is available on the most popular VOD services. The Punisher (2004) is only available to rent or purchase via the obscure streaming service Fandango at Home. No other digital storefront in the United States seems to offer it.
The Punisher (1989) is not available on any digital storefront. You will either have to track down a physical copy or obtain a digital version so that Frank Castle considers you a criminal.
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher Is The Only One Marvel Wants You To See
If you want a Punisher to stream easily, your only access will be The Punisher TV series. With Marvel committed to their MCU versions of their characters, Jon Bernthal took over the Punisher mantle and will likely be the only Punisher many young fans will ever see in theaters.
Frankly, it sucks. Part of what makes comic book characters great is that different writers and artists come up with new and creative takes on long-running characters and how they are portrayed. I don’t want to live in a world where only one version of Batman is recognizable and celebrated. I want as many different and unique stories and ideas as possible to have a chance to be in the spotlight.
The same goes for The Punisher. All three films deserve their fans, and they could use more of them.
