The Defenders #3

[cyberghostface]

Comments

[silicondream]

Don't you think the Punisher is both funny and scary in this scene? He's jumped by two very competent superheroes, including a guy who can tear a tank in half with his bare hands. Does Frank surrender? Nope, he whips out a bottle of acid and dumps it on Luke Cage while they're wrestling. That's pretty dang hardcore. Does it work? Of course not, but it's hardcore nonetheless.

I don't see anything here as tearing the character down; this is exactly the level he's supposed to operate at in mainstream continuity. When you're an obsessed, murderous vigilante with no superpowers who operates in Marvel NYC, you get in fights with superheroes a lot and you usually end up getting your butt kicked in the end. Remember, the Punisher was working with the Jackal and trying to kill Spider-Man in his very first appearance!

[wizardru]

Motto.

The problem is that for some folks, the Punisher has risen to Batman levels of competence...the ultimate professional who always has three plans, five escape routes and is never surprised or off-guard. But he's been shown repeatedly to be a very competent but very normal human. He's not taking down the U-Foes, he's fighting Jigsaw.

Against Daredevil, he has a chance (in part because Daredevil won't open a lethal can of death on anyone), but as noted by others, Frank usually comes out on the bottom of those exchanges. Against Luke Cage, a guy who literally has gone to toe-to-toe with Ultron, Proxima Midnight, Venom and Bullseye simultaneously and Doctor Doom...to name a few. Frank's good, but NO. It's not making him look bad to show Luke Cage manhandling him. As you note, he's really dangerous in this fight...but Luke isn't a guy he has the capacity to hurt, here. Luke Cage jumps from the top of Avengers Tower and walks away and takes pumpkin bombs to the chest and is annoyed at his clothes getting ruined. It isn't character assassination to show that an unprepared Punisher can be taken down.

[locuatico]

There is also the more simple fact that Luke's "Meta Power" is "being immune to bullets". Of the street level heroes, he is the one character who Frank should not be able to beat since he is immune to Frank's entire weaponry.

[tigerkaya]

Even when Frank fights dirty on panel 11 his tactics are meaningless to Luke. I could just hear Frank screaming.

Frank: Waaaa! I miss my Garth Ennis he always treated me as his Batman!

Another thing I loved about the comic was how Daredevil disregarded Frank's tiresome rant about hard choices the anti heroes make. As if Matt has heard this from several other cliche anti heroes.

[shadowpsykie]

The problem is that for some folks, the Punisher has risen to Batman levels of competence

Oh, Frank, you will NEVER be batman... you MIGHT be Damian (and I LIKE Damian...) but you will NEVER be batman....