Following the riotous protests in Washington DC that rocked not only the United States but the entire world last week, Marvel is now under extreme pressure from some people to have the Punisher character retired after the iconic Marvel vigilante's logo was spotted on several rioters at the Capitol.
The Punisher character is best known for the huge skull symbol on his chest which has been associated with the Marvel hero since his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 back in the 1970s. However, several protest groups have decided to adopt the said symbol which has now become somewhat synonymous with domestic terrorism.
Marvel has yet to sound off amid the growing pressure from people to have the entire Punisher character scrapped but actor Jon Bernthal, who played Frank Castle in Marvel's Netflix shows, including his standalone The Punisher series has addressed the issue, saying the character doesn't embody terrorism and stands for something else.
Retweeting a fan's marvelous artwork on his Twitter page, Bernthal expressed his support for the fan's sentiment about The Punisher by writing: "I'm with you. Beautiful work. These people are misguided, lost, and afraid. They have nothing to do with what Frank stands for or is about. Big love. J."
Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail in the end because calling for an iconic comic book character to be retired for reasons Marvel has no control over is just downright silly to me. The Punisher as a ruthless vigilante may abide by his own moral code but it's long been established that he's on the side of good. Meanwhile, I'm glad Bernthal went out of his way to defend the character and what Frank Castle truly stands for.
Netflix's The Punisher ran for two seasons.
Also Read: Kevin Feige Confirms Marvel Studios' Plans for a Fifth Avengers Film
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Marvel