The Punisher has a new logo

[cyberghostface]

In likely response to his 'skull' being co-opted by certain groups of people, Marvel has redesigned his logo and it's... well...



The new status quo has him as a warlord of The Hand and serving The Beast. More info here.

Comments

[dc2houseofmystery]

Looks like it's a story-relevant change, and probably not permanent. Interesting. Love Saiz's art.

[akodo_rokku]

The reporting on this is hilariously bad, trying to turn a complete non-story into a political football to get clicks during a slow news week.

[tinygaylaura]

It sure is a good thing that white supremacists don't have a history of creepily fetishising Asian women or else trying to counter the whole "A lot of racists have co-opted the Punisher symbol" thing by making the Punisher, a white man, the supreme ruler of a secret Japanese murder cult and making his symbol be all about how he, a white man, is supreme lord and master of this organisation made up entirely of Asian people might really be a bad idea

[christianconnor]

That's just unlikely, isn't it. That Marvel would ever do something problematic with a white person taking on an Asian role. I'm sure the EIC would step in there.

[blues32]

He isn't the leader of the Hand, just a high ranking member, it seems.

[thanekos]

Brilliant move, turning Frank Castle from Mack Bolan to Remo Williams.

[donnblake]

If The Punisher winds up fighting someone whose plan is to prop up the American healthcare system by training Swedish Elkhounds to sniff out and murder senior citizens in the early stages of cancer, I... don't have an end for this sentence, that was just the plot of the one Remo Williams book I read.

[mazway_75]

But who becomes his Phoenix Force?

[donnblake]

Kind of misguided, I think, if that is the reasoning. The Punisher logo spread because the idea that the Punisher represents*- that self-directed violence, unrestrained by petty hindrances like due process, is an appropriate way of engaging with the parts of the world one objects to- resonates with fascists and 'warrior' cops.

(That is, of course, more broadly the ethos of most superhero fiction, except that for some cases you can sub out 'self-directed,' with 'state-directed,' but the Punisher stands out because of his particular propensity towards lethal force and the relatively reality-grounded nature of his default genre.

*I am, yes, aware of the various times writers have had Frank reflect on the flaws of his approach, or explicitly disavow the idea that other people should follow his example.

[blues32]

Frank should never reflect on the flaws to his approach. I doubt he sees it as a choice. The Punisher is who he is now. I don't even think he feels rage towards most of his targets anymore. Some still do. The more depraved ones, perhaps. But the rest of them, he probably feels nothing. Just operating on autopilot.

Disavowing others from following his example, yes. Hell, he should punish those that do like that trio that wanted him to join their group as their leader. Not for following his example, exactly, but doing it with reckless abandon or targeting people that simply offend their own sensibilities. Perhaps those who co-opted his symbol would feel less inclined to do so if they saw themselves being blown away by him.

[skinrash]

Wasn't the Punisher logo already similar to a pirate flag minus the crossbones? Dunno what "groups of people" the uploader is referring to, but are they any more problematic than pirates who have a history of murder, robbery and even rape spanning centuries?

[tinygaylaura]

Yes, they are

[cyberghostface]

I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic but that’s a pretty disingenuous comparison. A skull is a skull. No one sees a skull by itself and goes “is that a reference to the pirate flag?” Conversely when right-wing groups, militias and white supremacists use the Punisher logo specifically that is itself a direct reference to the character.

[onsokumaru]

Can't say I missed the Punisher. The only outcome I wish from this is Frank getting the Marvel Universe rid of that bunch of murderers whose only contributions to the greater good have been to resurrect the Spot.

[agent8]

Did he also go through a de-aging process? Because he looks awful young for a guy who fought in Nam. If that's part of the Hand's recruitment and and on-boarding process where can I sigh up?

Personally I think Marvel missed a bet when they didn't retire Castle and introduce a new Punisher from a more recent war. God knows there've been enough of them to pick from.

[onsokumaru]

Frank Castle never fought in Vietnam. I mean, not anymore.
Like Reed and Ben never fought during WWII.

IIRC Marvel replaced Vietnam with some fictional country that will always have been at war with the USA one or two of decades ago.

[agent8]

I'm sure they'll try to co-opt this one too. I'm betting Marvel at least trademarked it so cease & desist orders will be easier to enforce.

[cyberghostface]

I don’t see that happening on a wide scale at least just because the original symbol is still iconic and recognizable.

[blues32]

What a repulsive notion...

[stubbleupdate]

Because...?

[silverhammerman]

He's wearing the classic logo on the cover and it's tied to a very temporary-sounding status quo, so I don't think this is as big a deal as the article makes it seem. As tainted as the Punisher logo has become, I sincerely don't believe that Disney would drop the traditional logo, no matter its associations.

Interesting that Jason Aaron is writing the Punisher again after having done PunisherMAX before, which seemed like a pretty definitive statement. It's certainly a very different premise from the sounds of it, so I wonder if this will be more Aaron in his pulpy violence mode than his gritty dudes mode.

[blueprintstyles]

Unless they're bringing the Punisher back to the MCU they really should let the character retire or just put him in prison for the next 10 years or so. The character's just tainted with real-world BS.

[beeyo]

If this was in reaction to all the idiots out there co-opting the skull symbol, wouldn't they have done this a helluva lot sooner?

[cyberghostface]

The character has been on hiatus for over a year. They were probably considering their options.

[leahandillyana]

He joined the Horde.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Reminds me a little of a certain freelance peacekeeping agent. A new change of career might do Frank good, yes?

[krait]

So instead of "a skull," it's now "Hellboy's skull" in particular?

This is giving me horrible crossover thoughts...

[dan_ingram]

So instead of tackling Castle's ideological bulletproof shield...they just change his logo.

Coo', coo'...

[nyadnar17]

Frakenpunisher was fun. I don't see any reason why this shouldn't also be a blast.