1. The Punisher
What Is It? Im pretty sure everyone knows this story already, but here we go again. Vietnam War veteran Frank Castle was enjoying a picnic with his family, when they were caught in the crossfire of a gang war. Castle was the only survivor and traumatized by the loss of his wife and children, he began using his military training to wage a one-man war on crime. Equipped with an arsenal of military weaponry, Castle adopted the identity of The Punisher, often dressed in black with a large white skull emblazoned over his chest. Over the years, Castle has directed most of his efforts to the mob, but has also gone up against human traffickers, corporate raiders, terrorists, and even the occasional superhero, and his methods frequently bring him into conflict with other superheroes, who have codes against killing.
How To Do It Right? Marvels tried. Four times. The first was the 1989 film The Punisher, starring Dolph Lundgren. Then they tried again in 2004 with a reboot, also called The Punisher and starring Thomas Jane. And the most-recent was yet
another reboot, Punisher: War Zone, and starring Ray Stevenson. Each film got some things right, but others so very, very wrong. Another attempt was made recently as well, this time a
TV show for FOX, and it seemed like it was put together by people who had never bothered to read a Punisher comic in their lives. If you havent yet, its absolutely crucial that you watch
Dirty Laundry, a short film directed by Phil Joanou and featuring Thomas Jane reprising his role as Frank Castle (and also starring Ron Perlman).
This is how The Punisher
needs to be done. So how can you do it for television? I'm glad you asked, because I have an idea. Disney now has a
licensing deal with Netflix. The success of Netflixs adaptation of House of Cards shows that the video streaming service is capable of producing extremely high quality, adult-oriented entertainment. While the Disney/Netflix deal seems to be mostly for streaming existing movies, theres no reason that rules out the possibility of Disney creating original content for Netflix, and it would certainly be one way for Marvel to build an audience for some of their lesser-known properties. Thomas Jane is clearly keen to play Frank Castle again, and this could be his chance to do the character in the way hes always wantedviolent and uncompromising. Take a note from Garth Ennis Punisher series published by Marvels mature audiences imprint, MAX. This series didnt take place within the mainstream Marvel Universe and didnt feature any superheroes or supervillains. And when supervillains did appear, like the Kingpin or Bullseye, they were retooled for this more realistic take. The Punishers been attempted a few times in film, but its time for a new approach, and a mature TV series could be just what he needs.
Like this article? Agree or disagree? Which Marvel shows would you like to see? Let us know in the comments section below.