The Punisher was set up by his environment to become who he is. He is a Vietnam War veteran, and thus learned a kill-them-before-they-kill-you mentality while on search-and-destroy missions. Although it is not mentioned in Means and Ends, Frank most likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. When his family accidentally stumbles upon a mob execution, they are all shot and killed on the spot - except for him. He fails to protect his family and is left to bear this burden for the rest of his life. Frank thinks of his deceased wife, Maria, often, and becomes captivated with a girl named Mary due to her resemblance to Maria--he even initially calls Mary "Maria." With such a horrific past, it is only understandable that he would become a troubled vigilante. How could we not sympathize with a man that doesn't need to be convicted, but receive help for all of the psychological pain he's endured?
The Punisher continues to protect the innocent and is devastated when he accidentally shoots an innocent bystander. He yells out in shock with a look of horror on his face and immediately starts running to the man, thinking he may be able to get the man to the hospital and save his life.
"I lost control. I have crossed the line."
The Punisher also becomes involved with the Bastelli family and protecting Martin from the mob. The Punisher chases after Martin once he leaves the hospital, finding him at the family apartment. As predicted, the mob was waiting and the Punisher must fight them off in a shoot-out. Daredevil arrives, and mid-altercation, the mob has returned, shooting Martin dead and injuring Daredevil. The Punisher stares at Martin's body, devastated yet again that he has failed to protect the innocent.
Daredevil puts the criminals in jail - but it is evident that this doesn't stop them from managing to communicate with the outside and orchestrate crimes. In Part IV, Daredevil confronts a woman after visiting her imprisoned husband and unknowingly relaying information for a judge to be assassinated. Hell's Kitchen is a bottomless pit of criminals, and putting their leaders in jail doesn't prevent them from organizing crimes. At the end of Part VI, Daredevil reads in the newspaper that the crime rates continue to escalate even after the Punisher is imprisoned. He then merely looks out the window pensively, as though he wonders if he's done the right thing by taking the Punisher off the streets.
Reference:
Lapham, Dave (w & a), Edgar Delgado (c), Chris Eliopoulos (l), Mike Sellers (l), and Joe Caramagna (l). Warren Simons, ed. Daredevil vs. Punisher: Means and Ends. New York: Marvel, 2006.
Sarah-although I do see how you could easily sympathize with the punisher, I think we have to learn to or our own feelings aside sometimes and look at the bigger picture. While I have a lot of sympathy for those with mental illnesses and understand some things are merely out of our control, we can't ignore the fact that he's killing so many people. If we sympathized with the punisher, then what about other people? Couldn't any crazy mob man gain our sympathy if we knew about his past? At some point we have to draw the line or the whole justice system will fall apart.
ReplyDeleteI like that you bring up Frank's history as a war veteran - in a way, he's enacting his own war against crime and the forces that took his family from him. I think that his past as a soldier is equally as telling as the murder of his family, as it reveals a lot about the way he thinks. He's procedural and structured, his thinking is very black-and-white. He finishes the job, he works the problem. He is goal-oriented and focused on results. And Punisher's methods are successful; his absence sees an increase in crime. We see that traditional methods (and Daredevil's too) aren't working... so, what solution is more permanent than death?
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