History of the MC2: The Punisher

I'm working on making a complete timeline of events covering the history of the MC2, spanning the nebulous 15 year stretch of time after the Main Marvel Universe (or Universe-616) split off and became the MC2 (or Universe-982) and before the next-generation of heroes began to debut starting with J2 #1, A-Next #1 and What If #105.

Today's focus will be a short companion piece to my previous post about The Punisher in the MC2 because we only have a small amount of information to examine regarding Frank Castle's history in the MC2. We get all the relevant MC2-exclusive history on The Punisher in the Spectacular Spider-Girl mini series. In issue #1 Frank notes in his War Journal that the 'masks' have kept the streets clean for 'nearly a decade', giving us a rough idea of how long it's been since The Punisher ended his war against the mob. 

Continuing his journal entry, Frank also mentions he stationed himself near drug traffickers in South America when he 'retired' so that he could keep relatively active (Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #1). 

It's in the next issue, Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #2, that we get the final piece of information. We learn from Normie's research that Don Silvio Barraca was the last of the criminal organization known as the Maggia. Castle shot Silvio in the spin, crippling him; choosing to leave the mobster alive as a warning to others. Considering his mission complete, Frank faded into the background, his war over.

Based on Frank's statement that it's been 'nearly a decade,' we can assume this is when The Punisher ended his war on the mob and left New York. So with all of these facts, we can construct a rough timeline of events:

•  The Punisher war reaches it's end when he shoots the last of the Maggia leaders Don Silvio, crippling the mobster as a warning to others.

• Frank Castle retires to South America, positioning himself near drug traffickers to stay sharp over the following decade.

That's all we have regarding The Punisher's history, unless I've missed something vital. In which case, please reach out and let me know.

Until I get a gnarly facial scar and retire to South America, I remain

frogoat

The Punisher in the MC2

With the second and very likely last season of The Punisher now out on Netflix, it's as good a time as any to take a look at the character's appearances in the MC2 Universe.

Frank Castle makes his MC2 debut in the final pages of the Spider-Girl story published within Web of Spider-Man Vol. 2 #7 (or more accurately, the story was first released on the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited service as Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 1 #11).

In the Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #1 we learn what old man Frank has been up to. This is a back-to-basics pared-down version of The Punisher, as Frank notes himself in the opening pages.

This direction is particularly interesting because it allows readers to ignore some of the more outlandish or over the top adventures published over the years. Frank narrates via his War Journal that he was never the psychopathic vigilante who sought to eradicate crime, merely a soldier who declared war on the mob. It's an important distinction. With his mission finished, Castle had retired (more or less) to South America, stationing himself near drug traffickers to keep himself sharp. When news reaches him (thanks to a tip off from a certain crime lord) that the last of the mob, Silvio Barraca aka Silverback is attempting to become the new Kingpin of crime, Frank makes his return to New York (Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #1).

We learn more about Frank's past with the Maggia (Marvel's answer to the real world Mafia) in Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #2. Castle finished his war with the mob by crippling Silvio Barraca as a warning to others. With the Maggia finished, The Punisher disappeared. With the news of Silvio's return to power (thanks to his new exoskeleton) Castle makes his presence known to the seedy underbelly of New York, attempting to learn of Barraca's whereabouts.

When Spider-Girl finds herself staring down the barrel of The Punisher's gun, the two do battle until the fight is interrupted by Wild Card (more on him another time) and Castle is forced to change opponents. Knocking out Wild Card, Frank tracks down Silvio's enforcer Man Mountain Marko and engages him in hand-to-hand combat (Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #3).

Having gained the advantage, Castle is attempting to 'convince' Marko to give up Silvio's location when he is stopped by The Black Tarantula, Silvio's rival for Kingpin. The Black Tarantula offers to trade Marko's life for Silvio's by giving Frank his target's location. When Frank offers instead to kill both Marko and The Black Tarantula, the crime lord reminds the old soldier of his mission's main objective (Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #4).

However, upon arrival at Silvio's mansion, Frank finds himself in the midst of a full blown war between Silvio 'Silverback' Barraca, his men and his puppet master The Hobgoblin and the combined forces of the NYPD, The Warriors, American Dream, The Buzz and Spider-Girl. Castle once again finds himself in conflict with Spider-Girl before she is snatched up by the Hobgoblin, leaving Frank webbed to a chimney as the villains turn the tide in their favour (Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #4).

Assessing the situation, Frank determines that the assembled heroes are outmanned and outgunned and, using a flash-bang grenade to free himself, launches a final assault on Barraca by lunging at the mob boss with a combat knife. Easily stopped by Silvio, Castle is mocked for bringing a knife to a super-fight as the crime lord begins to choke the life out of Frank. Castle inaudibly utters his last words as Barraca leans in closer to hear his enemy's dying words. Suddenly realizing, Barraca snaps Castle's neck as The Punisher shoots the last of the old mob dead. The Punisher has completed his mission and ended his war (Spectacular Spider-Girl Vol. 2 #4).

The MC2 depiction of The Punisher is honestly one of the best, giving us a straightforward and down to earth take on Frank Castle and his mission. I love his scarred, grey and haggard appearance, his stripped down iconic uniform complete with knee brace and his single-minded focus on completing his mission. This is one of my all-time favourite story-arcs. The art is gorgeous on all counts, the writing is sharp and on-point and the whole thing just culminates so perfectly.

Until I run out of pages in my War Journal, I remain

frogoat