The MCU Just Ended a Big Punisher Debate for Good in Daredevil: Born Again

The Season 1 finale of Daredevil: Born Again has delivered the final word on a longstanding debate surrounding the Punisher’s relationship with cops. Also known as Frank Castle, the Marvel vigilante first appeared in live-action in the 1989’s The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren in the lead role; actors Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson played Castle in subsequent reboots. While previous on-screen iterations of the Punisher never lasted beyond a single installment, Jon Bernthal has portrayed the character since 2017, when he led Netflix’s The Punisher show and was featured in Netflix’s Daredevil series. A former U.S. Marine, Castle returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan only to witness the horrific murder of his wife and children. His desire for vengeance prompted him to adopt the name “The Punisher” and set off to eliminate criminals across New York City. Bernthal’s highly anticipated MCU debut as Castle finally came to fruition in Daredevil: Born Again. The MCU’s newest Disney+ series resolves a major discussion involving the Punisher’s real-world influence during its violent finale episode.

The Punisher Has Become A Social Lightning Rod

For those unaware, the Punisher has long attracted the fanfare of police officers and military members who see themselves as glorified dispensers of justice. Vigilantism remains a common characteristic throughout the superhero genre; however, the Punisher’s fans love his status as a merciless, non-superpowered combatant with a military history and a high kill count. In the eyes of these Punisher fanatics, Castle represents a cop fantasy in which they can disregard rules of engagement and the chain of command in taking down those they perceive as criminals. Many soldiers and law enforcement members have adopted the Punisher’s iconic skull logo through tattoos, clothing, and other attire. All of this is a completely inaccurate interpretation of the Punisher as a character, and Daredevil: Born Again makes this crystal clear in its Season 1 finale.

[RELATED: Daredevil: Born Again Wasted Four Major Marvel Characters]

Daredevil: Born Again Confirms The Punisher’s Stance on (Dirty) Cops

In the Season 1 finale, titled “Straight to Hell,” Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) is relentlessly pursued by Mayor Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) Anti-Vigilante Task Force. After briefly appearing earlier in the season, Castle shows up at Matt’s apartment to help his frienemy. The Punisher kills a slew of AVTF cops, despite Daredevil’s disapproval, and later heads off on his own to fight more goons at Red Hook Pier, where Fisk has been engaging in criminal activities outside of the city limits. Castle slaughters numerous AVTF members before the rest finally overpower and detain him.

Daredevil: Born Again blatantly incorporates cops’ bizarre infatuation with the Punisher by having the skull symbol appear on bullet casings fired by officers in the show. This comes up again in the Season 1 finale, and AVTF members are also seen with giant Punisher logos plastered on their chests. After tying Castle to a chair, the task force’s leader, Connor Powell (Hamish Allan-Headley), explains how they all admire him and would love for him to join them. Befuddled, the Punisher responds by laughing. “You’re a bunch of clowns, you know that?” he says to a whole group of cops wearing his insignia. “You think you know my pain? You think you know my loss? You admire me? What do you know about me? How I see the world?” he continues. “I ain’t gonna serve with you. I won’t f-ckin’ piss on you if you were on fire, you got that?”

The message of this scene is incredibly on-the-nose. Bernthal’s Punisher shatters the grandiose illusion shared by some police and military personnel by brazenly stating that they are not, in fact, the same. In Daredevil: Born Again, the AVTF represents the unchecked authority that fanatics dream of. They tear through the streets, arresting, beating, and killing, guided by nothing other than their own ruthless judgment while masquerading as upholders of the law. Castle, on the other hand, has never been trusted with delivering justice according to a system of rules. The Punisher’s self-appointment as judge, jury, and executioner is neither a model of morality nor the answer to eradicating crime, but his position in the world hardly compares to a power-hungry cop.

The Punisher’s Relationship With Cops Was Always Misunderstood

Those who believed that the Punisher was on the side of law enforcement were always wrong. In reality, Castle’s vigilantism shines a light on police corruption, advocates for the disenfranchised and forgotten, not the rich and powerful. Cops and soldiers’ fetishization of the Punisher’s code is deeply unsettling, as it applies Castle’s tactics to a reverse scenario. For example, the same officers who brandish the skull logo in Daredevil: Born Again fatally shoot a yielding civilian and then cover his face with a mask to make him look like a vigilante. The Punisher is an antihero whose extrajudicial violence shouldn’t exist in the real world, but any justification for his actions revolves around the failure of authority to protect society’s most impoverished and oppressed people. When authority itself espouses this lawless ideology without uprooting its corrupt system, the already flawed ways of policing and militarism quickly worsen. Thus, the idolization of the Punisher by cops and soldiers indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the character.

The Punisher’s involvement in Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 was rather limited, but the finale sets up Castle’s next chapter, which will arrive in an upcoming Disney+ special. After escaping from Fisk’s makeshift prison in the episode’s post-credits scene, there’s no telling where the Punisher will go or what he will do next. Nonetheless, Daredevil: Born Again paves the way for further development of the infamous anti-hero. For now, fans of the Punisher can finally stop debating his stance on law enforcement.

All episodes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 are available to stream on Disney+.