The Punisher – the latest Marvel Comics adaptation from Netflix – features not fluffy heroics but a dark and bloody affair driven by revenge and a skewed sense of justice. Its anti-hero lead is no idol to aspire to, but he does have much to teach us about God, guilt and how (not) to put the world to rights.
Frank Castle, AKA, 'The Punisher' (Jon Bernthal) is not a hero. He's a brutal, broken man on the run from the law, a gun-slinging Marine tormented by his past, a convicted serial killer not known for his mercy. But remarkably, he really grows on you. Introduced previously in Marvel's Daredevil season 2, his solo-series dives deeper into his past while following Frank's rampage through New York City: his mission to bring justice (death) to those responsible for the death of his family.
This show has no miraculous super-powers on display, and 'God' is not obviously featured. Nonetheless the big questions of morality, justice and retribution loom large. If evil has been done, who can be trusted to put it right? Corrupt judicial systems protect their own, which is why Frank opts for the more direct approach, a definitive sentence: kill the wrongdoers.
Then again, you can't expect bleeding-heart compassion from a shouty, gun wielding maniac with a skull emblazoned on his chest. He is called 'The Punisher', after all – mercifully the slightly ridiculous moniker isn't used too much. But though this show might sound excessively explicit (it is deeply violent) and profoundly unchristian, it is theologically resonant. It deals with love, loss, trauma and the immense brokenness that can result. Frank, (played with captivating complexity by Bernthal) faces both systemic corruption and the personal guilt within.
While several fantasy heroes emulate the Christian archetypes of self-giving saviour, defender of the vulnerable or heavenly redeemer, The Punisher might be our closest stand in for God as wrathful judge. Less a suffering scapegoat, more like the angel of death. Frank is so messed up that it's hardly a perfect port but he certainly embodies a passionate thirst for righteous vengeance, a conviction not so much to point people to goodness but rather to repay evil what its due.
Again, the Bible's God is, despite some caricature, nothing like Franks unhinged killer, but that's kind of the point. He points to our longing for justice whiet revealing the limits of human retribution. Frank is what the desperate might turn to in a world where divine justice seems painfully absent. His 'holy war' highlights the audacity of Christian pacifism, the choice to lay down arms, turn the other cheek and trust God to execute justice. If you want a visual parable for how violence only begets violence and always takes the innocent in its wake, the Punisher makes for a wise watch.
Again, the prolific violence on display can't be overstated, for some it may go too far. But the whole affair is sharply directed, and the action never feels gleefully indulgent. Politically, The Punisher doesn't ignore the looming question of gun violence (its release was initially delayed following October's Las Vegas massacre) and indeed the whole story seems to pose a prophetic question mark to the issue. It shows us violence is costly, corrupting and deeply damaging to those who think it's the answer.
What some might find particularly punishing is the run time of this show; it's a 13 episode, near on 13-hour ordeal. It needn't be so long, but I found Frank's story (and his superb surrounding cast) compelling and unpredictable enough that I was never too bored.
It's an explicit, bloody and sombre affair. But despite all the darkness, a humble light resounds. There's the possibility of redemption for broken systems, and even for broken men like Frank. The Latin phrase memento mori – 'remember you will die' – is invoked at one point in the story. On one hand it's a macabre warning or even a threat of impending death. But it can also be a gift, as one character urges Frank: remembering that life is finite, you're invited to embrace the gift of the given moment, to do something worthy and good, seeking life as an end, not death.
Beneath the rubble of war and beyond the traumatic trail of vengeance, there's still hope for The Punisher.
'The Punisher' is now streaming on Netflix.
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