The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe

[cyberghostface]

This was Garth Ennis's first Punisher story for Marvel. There's a lot that could be said but... well, that cover speaks for itself, doesn't it?



Flash forward to the present and the X-Men and the Avengers are having a battle with an alien attack force in Central Park. Frank Castle's wife and kid were at the park at the time.



He ends up shooting some other X-Men but is knocked out. Wolverine ends up slashing his face.


Castle is freed from prison by a secret society.


Spider-Man is fighting Venom in the sewer when Venom ends up getting fried by rigged electrical wires.





Punisher gets help from Microchip, who in this universe lost both of his legs to Dr. Octopus. He manages to kill the Hulk (after he turns back into Banner) and the Kingpin. He gets arrested but is broken out again by the society.

He goes after Dr. Doom next.



Frank steals all of Punisher's equipment, which includes a nuclear bomb.





Wolverine was in Japan at the time on a false lead from the Punisher. They later meet up again.





I think it should be said that Wolverine has actually been reduced to his skeleton before in actual canon and he's been able to regenerate his muscle and skin.

Punisher is arrested again.



Punisher escapes again and months later he's fighting Captain America. Cap tells him that he used to be soldier, but now he's just a disgrace.



The Punisher's last target is Daredevil. Beforehand he ends up killing the leader of the cabal when they want to keep him as their own private weapon against any future threats.

Comments

[palgrave_goldenrod]

On the one hand, that's fair -- it's basically giving you what the title says it's going to give you, and if that's all you want, fair enough.

On the other hand, though, even for a schlocky action fest, it just seems a bit too... easy. I mean, okay, an schlocky action comic where Frank Castle figures out how to overcome the many handicaps he has against the powerful beings of the Marvel Universe in order to take them out, I can see that being interesting; one lone man with a gun vs. walking gods, there's a challenge there. I can see the appeal of this comic.

But I can't imagine even people who just want to read a schlocky action-fest where Frank Castle kills all the Marvel superheroes being particularly satisfied by seeing Frank somehow contrive a reason to get all the X-Men on the moon just so he can drop a nuke on them, or shoot Captain America in the back because Captain America's dumb enough to turn his back on someone who's trying to kill him. That's not a schlocky action-fest, that smacks more of an author coming up with slightly lazy handwaves so his pet character can win a fight that deep down he knows he's outclassed in.

I mean, at least when authors have Batman fight Superman they usually give him a Kryptonite power-suit or have him something to even the odds. They at least pay lip-service to the fact that Batman would otherwise be totally outclassed if he didn't do something to level the playing field a bit. This is just Ennis doing his "hyper-competent man who does what needs to be done" thing without ever really justifying it in this case.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

It being a one-issue one-off probably plays into it, too. I imagine if it were, say, a series? Then things would play out a little different as it moves towards the promised goal.

But killing everyone in one issue? Gotta trim the fat, I guess.