10 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About The Punisher

3. His Inspiration

Anyone who's anyone will know that the concept of a grief-stricken, highly trained vigilante going on a revenge-driven rampage is fairly ubiquitous throughout pop-culture - what with all the Liam Neesons, Bruce Willises and Kevin Costners of the world rehashing that trope fairly well for the last two or so decades - so it should come as no surprise to learn that the Punisher isn't a particularly original concept either.

Although comparisons have been levelled between the character of Frank Castle and the Paul Benjamin character from Death Wish, comics historians commonly point towards Don Pendleton's Executioner series for having inspired the Marvel hero. The similarities are certainly stark, with both leads sporting a battle van of sorts, a similar narrative style (a war journal was used in both series), and an equally familiar gallery of rogues.

Gerry Conway cited the Pendleton novels specifically when he described the creative process that birthed the character, and given the popularity of those books at the time, it makes sense. They even bear a similar namesake, and while the Punisher has done much to distance himself from the Pendleton character throughout the years, there's no getting away from the fact that his origin - tragic as it may be - is fairly derivative.