Warning: contains potential spoilers for Marvel Knights: Punisher #2!
Marvel is set to unleash the Punisher’s most ruthless era in 24 years. The character was foundational to the legendary Marvel Knights imprint. Today, Marvel’s new incarnation of the line keeps the spirit of the original going, as seen in a preview for Marvel Knights: Punisher #2, which promises to be Frank’s most brutal outing yet.
The preview pages for Marvel Knights: Punisher #2, which will be written by Jimmy Palmiotti and drawn by Dan Panosian, show the Punisher as the new “El Zombie.”
Frank is now the mindless slave of the man he was sent to kill, and the Punisher wastes no time getting started on his new, murderous mission.
The Punisher Is One of Marvel’s Oldest, and Most Controversial, Anti-Heroes
Garth Ennis’ 2000s Marvel Knights Take on the Punisher is an All-Time Great
The Punisher is perhaps the most controversial character in the Marvel Universe, but one that has endured for over 50 years. While always depicted as a violent and bloodthirsty vigilante, different creators have varied how they approach the character. One of the best ever occurred during the first Marvel Knights imprint.
When Marvel Knights started in the late 1990s, the Punisher was one of the first heroes to join the line. However, his Marvel Knights debut got off to a rocky start: he was retooled as a supernatural vigilante. Understandably, long-time Punisher fans were left puzzled by this take, leading Marvel to backpedal on it within a few short years.
Then, writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, who had just finished up the highly-acclaimed Preacher for DC’s Vertigo imprint, took over the creative reins of the Punisher. Once again published under the Marvel Knights banner, this book was peak Punisher. Ennis’ dark humor, refined on Preacher, served the Punisher well, and the run is still fondly remembered.
A “mature readers only” Punisher book appeared a few years later. Ennis returned to write Frank, but now the character was totally divorced from the outside Marvel Universe. The powers that be decided that someone like the Punisher would not be allowed to work in the mainstream Marvel Universe. As a result, no Marvel villains appeared in it.
The Punisher’s Controversies Nearly Killed the Character
The Punisher Is Ready for a Return to Greatness
Garth Ennis’ 2000s run on the Punisher is, for many, the definitive take on the character. In recent years, the Punisher has become bogged down in controversies surrounding the appropriation of his logo by white nationalists. This led Marvel to nearly retire the character during Jason Aaron’s tenure on The Punisher. However, Frank has risen above the scandals.
Now unbothered by controversy, the Punisher is free to realize his potential as a character once again. Writer Jimmy Palmiotti has a history with both Marvel Knights and the Punisher. The Punisher worked best under that label, and now he has returned to Marvel Knights, ready for his greatest era in two decades.
Marvel Knights: Punisher #2 is on sale November 26 from Marvel Comics!