Not Vengeance. Punishment: The Best Punisher Fan Art Ever

Noted gun-haver and jet-ski enthusiast The Punisher is about to receive a fourth new lease on live-action life as he makes his debut in the second season of Netflix’s Daredevil, so this seems like a perfect time to take a gander at a small selection of the bullet-riddled art that Frank’s fans have blasted across the internet. 

The Punisher was created by Gerry Conway and John Romita Sr. as a would-be Spider-Man villain in 1974’s Amazing Spider-Man #129, by Conway and Ross Andru. Since his introduction, comic fans have scarcely been able to get enough of Frank Castle, and Hollywood has scarcely been able to get him right. First there was 1989’s The Punisher, starring Dolph Lundgren and Louis Gossett Jr., which was a Friday night video rental favorite for many a young, impressionable comic fan back when “video” and "rental" were both more relevant words. It got a lot wrong, but I think Lundgren would still make a great Punisher. (Or a great Cable, but that’s a discussion for a different time.)

Fifteen years later, 2004’s The Punisher featured Thomas Jane as “Florida” Frank Castle, because when you think of "The Punisher", the first thing you think of is the sun and sand of the Sunshine State. Maybe one of the people responsible for this one thought that the jet-ski was a real turning point in the character’s history and perhaps there’s a deleted scene of Thomas Jane Sea-Doo-ing off into the sunset. This was also a Punisher that went out of his way to get his bad guys in trouble with their wives and torture them with popsicles, but at least that “Dirty Laundry” fan film Thomas Jane did was pretty neat.

Then there’s 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, where Ray Stevenson took over the title role of what was supposed to be a sequel, but became a reboot. The film was an utter box office failure, but it has definitely developed something of a vocal fanbase that’s eager to turn it into a cult classic. I’ve heard people who I have known to have good opinions on movies both rave about it and trash it. Having not seen it, I’ll leave you to your own judgment on this one.

And finally we come to Jon Bernthal, who has been given a chance to succeed where every other Punisher has failed. While we’re waiting to find out how he does, why not enjoy some of the best Punisher fan art the internet has to offer.