From Drew Dietsch
| Published
Since combining with Disney, Marvel films have taken over pop culture to such an extent that many people seem to forget the Before Times, a world in which the MCU letters had no meaning except perhaps “municipal credit union.”
While the Disney era of Marvel has embraced and incorporated certain superhero efforts like the pre-MCU Spider-Man films or Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, there are plenty of older Marvel films and TV shows that they’re fine with leaving in the dust seem.
A beloved Marvel character is having his entire film history disappearing for modern generations, and I’m here to do my best to see that that doesn’t happen. That’s why we have to save it Punisher Films.
The Punisher’s origins begin with Spider-Man
The Punisher is a controversial characterand that makes it easy. Oddly enough, it premiered The Amazing Spider-Man #129 just five months before the hit’s release in 1974 film Death wish. The Punisher – real name Frank Castle – is a murderous vigilante who wages a deadly war on crime in New York.
After gaining surprising popularity among readers and his own comic book title, the Punisher made the leap to the big screen in 1989 with his first feature film. The problems started there.
The first Punisher film debuted in 1989 and starred Dolph Lundgren
1989 The Punisher The film was produced by New World Pictures, a studio headed by the beloved and notoriously cash-conscious Roger Corman. The Punisher Would be the second to last film produced by New World due to their financial problems. That meant too The Punisher I was unable to secure theatrical distribution in the US and found a direct-to-consumer release in international markets two years after its premiere.
Rocky IV Star Dolph Lundgren has been cast as Frank Castle, and while I admit a legitimate fondness for Lundgren’s brand of acting, it’s fair to say The Punisher is not his finest moment as a thespian.
It doesn’t help that the iconic logo for the Punisher was removed from his outfit in favor of skull moters. Director Mark Goldblatt openly regrets this decision and I’m sure fans agree.
For an 80s vigilante crime film, The Punisher is not a bad time. The film has gained a cult following over the years, proving that the power of the Punisher was still up for grabs in the film world.
The Punisher returned for another film in 2004
Frank Castle got another shot at the box office in 2004, once again called The Punisher. Following the big comic book movie boom of Blade, X-Men and Spider-Man, The Punisher became another notch in Marvel’s big-budget blockbuster belt.
Until the film flopped at the box office and opened at #2 behind Kill Bill: Volume 2. This is a bummer as The Punisher (2004) is a major step up from the previous film. Thomas Jane is excellent as Frank Castle and really cares about doing the character justice – so much so that he even returned to the character in a bootleg short eight years after the actual film.
The Punisher (2004) takes inspiration from the Garth Ennis comic book run with the character, and the film does a good job of maintaining a comic book tone. John Travolta The villain is admittedly underwhelming, but Thomas Jane’s performance and Jonathan Hensleigh’s solid direction Make the Punisher (2004) much better than its reputation would have you believe.
Unfortunately, if your Marvel movie releases two months ago Spider Man 2you’re pretty much Sol.
Punisher: War Zone relaunched the character in 2008
Since the Thomas Jane version failed to conquer the box office, we have a reboot four years later Punisher: Warzone. This is where the Punisher reached his full form. Because Punisher: Warzone is an explosion.
Get more inspiration from Garth Ennis’ over-the-top overview of the character, Punisher: Warzone Director Lexi Alexander intentionally wanted to add more ridiculousness and dark comedy into the project, and the film is so much better for it.
Dominic West gives a villainous performance as villain Jigsaw, as he is in a ’60s episode Batman show. It’s amazing. I could watch him for days in that makeup with that silly accent.
That’s not to say Ray Stevenson doesn’t do an excellent job as a very focused and minimalist take on Frank Castle. He gets the tone right in every moment, whether it’s a bit of dark comedy or a real emotional beat. It’s so sad that Stevenson never gets another shot with Frank Castle because he nails the dark fun of the character so well.
And any movie with a parkour gangster getting blown up by a rocket is my idea of a good time.
Unfortunately, Punisher: Warzone Once again proved a fatal blow for the character at the box office, opening at #8. Frank Castle just couldn’t catch a break.
Some of the Punishers movies will be deleted and no longer available to watch
So here we have three solidly different takes on the Punisher in films, and each has its merits and its fans. But it may be harder to find and make new fans as all three films are left in the digital dust.
At the time of this recording, Punisher: Warzone – A film that I would argue is better than any other MCU Movie that should let you talk in the comments – only has streaming availability on Plutotv in Standard definition. Otherwise, you will have to rent or purchase the film to watch it.
At least Punisher: Warzone is available for the most popular VOD services. The Punisher (2004) can only be rented or purchased at home via the obscure streaming service Fandango. No other digital storefront in the US appears to carry it.
The Punisher (1989) is not available on digital storefronts at all. You must either track down a physical copy or obtain a digital version in such a way that Frank Castle will consider you a criminal.
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is the only one Marvel wants you to see
If you want to stream a Punisher without any hassle, your only access is The Punisher TV series. With Marvel committing to their MCU versions of their characters, Jon Bernthal has taken on the Punisher Mantle and will likely be the only punisher many younger fans ever see in theaters.
Honestly, that sucks. Part of what makes comic book characters great is that different writers and artists do new takes and creative approaches to long-standing characters and their portrayal. I don’t want to live in a world where only one version of Batman is recognizable and celebrated. I want as many different and unique stories and ideas as possible to get a chance in the spotlight.
The same applies to the Punisher. All three films deserve their fans and they could use more.
