Who is Marvel’s new Punisher and where is Frank Castle?

Real-life events have had a massive impact on one of Marvel’s most infamous characters, with the long-standing Punisher banished to another dimension and replaced with a new, fresh take. 

Marvel Comics’ Punisher is returning with a brand new series, but it won’t be Frank Castle dishing out vigilante justice. 

Marvel announced over the summer that Punisher would be returning with a new lead after the apparent death of Frank Castle. Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Joe Garrison joins the Marvel Universe, though how he came upon the decision to become The Punisher has yet to be revealed. 

Ahead of Marvel’s relaunched Punisher, here’s everything you need to know about both Punishers and why Marvel has replaced one of its most popular characters. 

Marvel’s new Punisher, Joe Garrison, explained

A brand-new character debuting in Punisher #1, Joe Garrison is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. wetworks agent. Like Frank Castle, he’d become a family man. And like Frank Castle, he’s suffered a great tragedy, as writer David Pepose explained in an interview with The Beat. 

“Somebody blows up Joe’s house with his family still inside. The police, not knowing anything about Joe’s record, because it’s been so heavily redacted, they think, ‘Well, we can’t find the husband, the husband must be involved. He’s a person of interest at minimum, prime suspect at best, we need to bring him in.’ And so I’ve pitched this Punisher series as John Wick meets The Fugitive, where Joe’s opening mission, and sort of our origin story with him, is him trying to figure out who set him up and why.”

Garrison brings his unique S.H.I.E.L.D. training and arsenal with him. If the John Wick comparison is anything to go off of, we can expect a much more elegant Punisher, as compared to the somewhat brutish Frank Castle. 

What happened to the first Punisher, Frank Castle?

2022’s The Punisher was something of a soft reboot of the character. Approached by ninja cult The Hand, Frank is told he’s believed to be the fist of The Hand’s god, The Beast.  

To entice Frank to join them, The Hand resurrects his late wife, Maria, and promises him a life with her and their children. Punisher becomes the satanic King of Killers and cuts a bloody swath through the world. Maria ultimately finds out about Punisher’s vendetta and is repulsed that he carried out years of murder in the name of their dead children. 

When the Avengers bring Punisher in, they also save Maria, who promptly leaves him. Seeing his mission at an end, Frank uses the last of the Beast’s power to remove himself from existence. The book ends with him in Weirdworld, having abandoned the Punisher moniker and safeguarding children who are stranded on the plane. 

Why did Marvel replace The Punisher?

The Punisher has always been a controversial character. Introduced in 1974’s The Amazing Spider-Man #129, Punisher was never meant to be viewed as a hero. He’s always been a vigilante and a murderer. 

In the real world, a different kind of controversy has surrounded the character. The iconic Punisher skull has been misappropriated by fans who misunderstood the character. Many notable Punisher creatives have spoken out against using the Punisher’s iconography while carrying out acts of violence, with writer Garth Ennis calling them halfwits and actor Jon Bernthal describing them as misguided. 

Though Marvel never officially commented on the controversy, they did make the move to remove the skull logo with the 2022 Punisher series, replacing it with a design based on the Hand’s Beast. The new Punisher returns to something resembling the skull in aesthetic but still visually distinct. 

That’s all we have for Marvel’s new Punisher, but Frank Castle fans may be happy to know the character is expected to return for Daredevil: Born Again. For more Punisher and Marvel Comics news, be sure to follow all of Dexerto’s coverage.