Monster Eating...

What a way to end the semester – truly, this war of ideologies exemplifies just how complex the issue of heroism vs monstrousness really is. At no point in this comic is there a moment where I can safely say who is right and who is wrong. So, I won’t do that. What I will say, is that Daredevil is the hero of this story.

I think his role is made clear not only be his willingness to see people as generally good – I feel that sort of optimism is central to the character of a hero these days, and heroes that don’t possess a similar mindset are few and far between – but also where he ends up at the end of this six-part series. That is to say, he continues on his merry way doing Daredevil-things. But what about Frank?

Well, The Punisher ends up in prison – which is extremely fitting. To be frank, pun intended, The Punisher is a monster. A wild animal. And wild animals get put into cages for the safety of others. However, doing good or doing what is right is not solely within the purview of heroes. Monsters like Frank do “good” on a few levels:

First of all, within the context of the comic there’s no denying that “the system” is highly flawed, and Frank helps remedy that issue by working outside of the system. He serves to cross the line other heroes are not willing to cross in order to get the job done, and permanently removes threats to society from its confines – the only thing protecting them from punishment is plot-armor. Here’s an analogy: Biologically speaking, a “good” cell is programmed to kill itself if it ever becomes unviable for the good of the macro-organism. Cancerous cells, however, typically lack this property, and continue to wreak havoc and propagate until they’re dealt with or the body can no longer function. Additionally, the body doesn’t always recognize them as threats. So, like a really good white blood cell, Frank hunts these cancers down and ends them in an effort to remove the cause of the degradation of his society. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior is regarded as more or less intolerable by society – the sliding gray-scale of society also makes it impractical – and Frank’s an unstable person that makes mistakes.  

Additionally, and let me jump back to number five of those seven theses from Monster Culture for this one, The Punisher and characters like him serve as a call-to-arms for the heroes of their stories. They unveil the ugliness of their settings, and challenge the righteous to step up their game, lest their more merciful methods be left by the wayside.

In short, Frank’s a monster that eats monsters. He’s not acceptable by society’s standards – and wouldn’t the world be bleak if he was – and he’s not really a hero, regardless of the good he sometimes does. However, he does keep the line between the common folk and the other monsters in check, and offers heroes a look at just how bad it can really get…

Y’know, I think Nietzsche had a quote about hunting monsters.

Resources:

Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. "Monster Culture: Seven Theses." From Monster Theory: Reading Culture.

Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996. 3-25.

Lapham, David. Daredevil VS Punisher: Means and Ends. Marvel Comics.