The Punisher: A Brutal but Ultimately Empty Addition to the Marvel/Netflix Universe
One of the weaker links in the Marvel/Netflix TV universe, “The Punisher” is heavy on violence, gunfire, and chases, but light on meaningful plot progression. Frank Castle, the Punisher, comes across as dull and brooding when left to his own devices.
Having evaded imprisonment thanks to Karen Page’s intervention, Frank Castle, known as the Punisher, not only retains his life and freedom but also completes his mission of eliminating the remaining individuals responsible for his family’s demise. However, this brings him no peace, as he continues to be haunted by nightmares and visions, which he attempts to suppress through relentless work. Despite his efforts to avoid trouble, Frank’s nature inevitably draws him back into criminal entanglements, from which he can only escape with the help of David Lieberman, a fugitive intelligence analyst. David, too, is forced to fake his death and hide even from his own family as he tries to unravel the details of a CIA conspiracy that nearly cost him his life. They soon discover that both fugitives are connected to a bloody, dirty crime committed in Afghanistan, and only exposing the higher-ups will help clear Lieberman and Castle’s names.
The Punisher: A Character Best in Small Doses
The Punisher, a character from the Marvel comic universe, is one of the most controversial superheroes (or villains, if you prefer) and has had a string of unsuccessful film adaptations, with three solo movies that all fell flat. Introducing this divisive character into the narrative web of Netflix’s Daredevil comic adaptation seemed like a risky move, but surprisingly, the new Punisher proved to be quite successful and, more importantly, fitting in the realistic, depressing, and somewhat dark TV universe of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Viewers also took a liking to Jon Bernthal in his brutal military gear, so it’s no surprise that Netflix decided to greenlight a separate Frank Castle story.
While the introduction is promising, the problem with the Punisher is that his origin story, the tragedy that led to his family’s death, and his relationships with former “brothers in arms” are the most interesting and vibrant aspects of the character. Beyond that, there’s not much to extract from Castle; he’s simply a killing machine, a gun or machine gun that a good or bad character pulls the trigger on. To some extent, the Punisher is used as a weapon in the comics – he’s needed where superheroes with good reputations shouldn’t get their hands dirty, he’s not bound by generally accepted morals, although he has his own code of rules, and Frank Castle can finally be a “justified victim,” a soldier who knows what he’s getting into, his contract with death signed long ago.
Retreading Familiar Ground
So, what does the series offer us? Like the Daredevil episodes, the Punisher solo series focuses on Frank Castle’s past. Now, it turns out that his problems are not only due to Irish bandits and a biker gang, but also to former colleagues and command. The authors dust off the worn-out record about Afghanistan and Kandahar, about drugs transported from the Middle East to the United States, about secret prisons with brutal torture, and about contract killings of civilians. This is perhaps the most boring thing that could have been conceived about Castle’s past, and the colorful scenes of breaking through alone or beating a CIA special agent do not dilute this boredom at all – it is far from “Homeland,” and it does not smell like “American Sniper.”
A Lack of Compelling Characters
Perhaps Castle is more interesting in peaceful life in the present? Not at all. Trying not to stand out, the hero behaves as if he is asking to be caught or shot by the police. He goes where he shouldn’t, imagining himself as the only fighter for justice. In the case of such inflexibility of the character, the authors usually add a frivolous, energetic, humorous accomplice, but here, too, everything is sad for the Punisher – David Lieberman frankly does not pull on at least some fascinating hero. Yes, his situation with his family is interesting, but only for the first couple of episodes.
And there are, forgive me, thirteen of them! And we are again faced with the same problem for which Netflix has been criticized more than once: it is not nice to viewers to tell for 13 hours about what fits in a couple of episodes. The same rule works in The Punisher as in Luke Cage or the first Daredevil: “The interesting thing will start around the eighth episode.” You can lead by the nose once, twice, but the third time you just want to turn off the TV. At the same time, the plot arc of the series itself cannot be called exquisite - from the first minutes it is clear who the villain is, who is really good, and how it will all end. So what is the point of watching?
Violence for Violence’s Sake?
Only for the sake of violence? A dubious bonus. Yes, Frank is washed from blood a dozen times in the series, bullets and knives fly into him, he falls from a height and finds himself in the epicenter of the explosion. He beats, maims, kills, and shoots even more people from a sniper rifle – and all this is colorful, cheerful, with an abundance of blood and picturesque bruises (the scene of the shot in armored glass is really wonderful), but how many such episodes does the viewer need? Has The Punisher overdone it with this?
After the end of the painful viewing, I want to cheer myself up - everything is not so bad! Indeed, Jon Bernthal is the best Punisher to date, Ben Barnes and Amber Rose Reva are good in their roles, and the characters of C. Thomas Howell and Daniel Webber turned out well, and Deborah Ann Woll, finally, adorns this colorful company. But what does the Marvel/Netflix universe have in the dry residue? The overall plot has not progressed at all, paths for continuation have not been outlined, and the Punisher has remained apart from the Defenders. So is this a success? Alas, but the Punisher himself is as interesting as the life of a hammer or a screwdriver is fascinating. You can, of course, shoot series about life in a toolbox, but it will work no more than once. The Punisher has already used his “once.”