11 Comic Book Origins That Were Very Different In The Movies

The 2004 Punisher film swaps one classic macho origin to another for Frank Castle, changing his background from a soldier who had been in Vietnam, to an FBI agent 'one day from retirement'. While the FBI storyline does justify Frank's fighting prowess, it doesn't quite work as well in explaining where his bloodthirst came from, which is unfortunate because this trait is roughly 90% of Castle's character.

Similarly, the film places the blame for the death of the Punisher's wife and children squarely on Mafia boss Howard Saint's shoulders, having him be the sole 'big bad' of the film, whereas the comic Punisher blames basically every criminal in existence, targeting the entire Mafia instead of one specific don.

Although it still packs the grit and punch of its ink-and paper brethren, this Punisher film is one that dodges much of the character's initial origins, which does lead to it lacking some of the complexity that the comic provides.