A Righteous Kill?

One of the more complex characters of the Marvel Universe is the Punisher (Frank Castle). Although he attempts to bring peace to Hell's Kitchen, his methods are somewhat unorthodox in comparison to other superheroes. For example, he has no moral quarrel with killing people as long as they are deserving of such a fate in his mindset. A former soldier, the Punisher's unique approach to instilling justice is the polar opposite of his counterpart, Daredevil, who prefers to let the legal system judge the individual's innocence. Daredevil's moral code prevents him from killing. As the Punisher states, "I'm not like him. I'm a soldier. Trained to kill" (Lapham, 17). The actions of the Punisher within the comic leads one to question his/her own morality as to what is correct in a situation of vigilante justice. Are there limitations in the pursuit of justice? Is there such a concept as a righteous kill? Personally, I do believe that in certain instances killing is permissible. However, the constant path of killing appears to have taken its toll on the Punisher, forcing him to view death as the only option in the end.

So far, the Punisher has been lucky with the victims that he chooses to terminate. Most people would agree that the individuals within his sights lacked innocence and escaped justice for too long. However, when he accidentally shoots a bystander during his altercation with Daredevil, the Punisher feels remorse for the individual because of his perceived innocence (Lapham, 20). Like Daredevil, the Punisher possesses a moral compass himself, directing his actions. He would call this moral barrier "the line" (Lapham, 20). To the Punisher, he has already determined his target's guilt and views the finality of death as the only punishment he/she deserves. The problem with the Punisher's ideology is that no one is fully innocent. Therefore, anyone could be his next target. In fact, by completing the killing, one could make the argument that the Punisher is no saint either because of the path of vengeance he undertakes as a result of his family's murder. His method is a final solution to a problem that never ceases to exist.

But is the Punisher justified in his actions? Since his victims are involved in heavy criminal activity, most people can push aside his deeds since that means there is one less criminal on the streets of Hell's Kitchen. Daredevil's methods work for a short period, but eventually, the criminals he puts behind bars find their way back to the same activity they pursued before their arrest. The Punisher believes that he is on a righteous cause. However, at this point, I consider him beyond the point of saving, revealing no strain of humanity within his being.

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I pledge that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this assignment. Anthony King

Sources:

Lapham, David. "Daredevil Vs. Punisher (2005) #4." Marvel.com. Marvel Comics,13 Nov. 2007.

             Web. 27 Nov. 2016.