Warning! The preview pages ahead for Punisher: Red Band #3 contain graphic imagery and language. Viewer discretion advised.
Marvel’s latest Punisher story reminds readers that the vigilante doesn’t judge himself by a “good or bad” value system when it comes to killing. Instead, Frank Castle considers what he does “necessary.” This highlights the fact that while fans argue over whether the Punisher is a hero, anti-hero, or villain, Castle doesn’t concern himself with such labels.
AIPT released a preview for Punisher: Red Band #3, written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Julius Ohto. The preview pages pick up in the midst of an action scene, and feature a particularly brutal Punisher kill.
It also strikes a contemplative note; as Frank Castle takes another life, the narration offers insight into how he feels about it.
The Punisher Views His Actions As “Necessary,” Not As “Good” Or “Bad”
Punisher: Red Band #3, Written By Benjamin Percy, Art By Julius Ohto; Available November 19, 2025 From Marvel Comics
“It doesn’t feel good to kill,” the narration states in Punisher: Red Band #3, right after the notorious Marvel anti-hero shoots a man in the head. “It doesn’t feel bad either,” the narration adds in the next frame. So, how does Frank Castle feel in combat? “It feels necessary,” the issue explains.
The prose of Punisher: Red Band #3, but it speaks volumes. The Punisher doesn’t revel in killing, but he doesn’t mourn his victims either. That is because he is consumed by his moral vision of the world, which doesn’t qualify his vigilante actions as “right” or “wrong,” because he considers himself a “necessary” response to the wrongs of others.
In other words, this version of the Punisher views himself as playing by a different set of rules than the people he kills. They do wrong, they’re bad; he does what he believes he has to. In just a few lines, the story presents a morally complicated view of its protagonist, one that refutes reductive answers about Frank Castle’s hero status.
The Punisher Is A Natural Born Killer, Guided By What He Believes Is “Necessary”
Author Benjamin Percy Nails Frank Castle’s Character
The narration of Punisher: Red Band #3 concludes its brief treatise on how killing feels to Frank Castle by stating: “It feels like breathing.” Meaning it comes disturbingly naturally to the Punisher, flowing for him like an autonomous function. This adds one more dark layer to author Ben Percy’s portrayal of the character.
Like Dexter Morgan, the “serial killer who kills serial killers,” Frank Castle recognized his innate talent for wet work, and as such, has committed to directing that at other dangerous people, according to his moral code. Yet at the end of the day, readers still have to decide for themselves if his kills are as “necessary” as he believes.
Like most Punisher stories, this Red Band series pits the vigilante against criminal antagonists who are unequivocally savage in their actions. Still, the story is effectively made more complicated by its simple, yet illuminating portrait of the Punisher, exploring how Frank Castle approaches the use of lethal force against his foes.
Punisher: Red Band #3 will be available November 19, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
- Release Date
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2017 – 2018
- Showrunner
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John Romita Sr.
- Directors
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Mark Goldblatt, Lexi Alexander
- Writers
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Gerry Conway