Marvel’s latest incarnation of The Punisher has pitted Frank Castle against a slew of dangerous enemies — and it looks like some new adversaries are in store. The events of this week’s issue set up an altercation between Frank and the Thunderbolts, in a way that only this series could.
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Spoilers for this week’s issue of The Punisher, “War on the Streets Part Two”, below! Only look if you want to know!
The issue saw Frank returning to New York City with a vengeance, attempting to find Baron Zemo by any means necessary. Unbeknownst to Frank, Zemo was spending his time meeting with (and clearly annoying) Wilson Fisk, trying to suggest a way to get Frank off of the map while helping them both.
As the issue went along (and Frank confronted the military’s obsession with his alter-ego), Zemo explained exactly what this plan was — a special task force that would get the job done in a way that any other resources would not be able to.
As Fisk soon realized, Zemo’s “special task force” was a sort of whos-who of costumed antiheroes and villains – Jigsaw, Ghost, Moonstone, Fixer, and Radioactive Man.
While Fisk clearly did not like the idea, he went along with announcing the group to the public anyway. As Fisk told reporters, the Thunderbolts would be able to bridge the gap between the U.N. soldiers deployed to face Frank, and the V.I.G.I.L. task force that Fisk had recommissioned to do the same.
This marks the latest Marvel Comics appearance of the Thunderbolts in several years, after the group’s last standalone series wrapped up in 2017 as part of the “Secret Empire” storyline. Most of the members of this new team have previously been in the Thunderbolts in one way or another, with the exception of Jigsaw.
There’s no telling exactly how long this incarnation of the team will appear in The Punisher, much less how they will fare against Frank Castle. Considering the fact that essentially all of Zemo’s recent comic appearances have centered around him hunting Frank, it’s safe to assume that the team will largely operate within this solo series. And considering the fact that Frank has already gone up against a slew of Marvel heroes and basically all of Bagalia in this series thus far, it will be interesting to see what threat this group ultimately poses.
What do you think of The Punisher bringing back the Thunderbolts? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
The Punisher #13 is available in stores now. Issue #14 will be released on August 7th.
