Daredevil Season 2: 10 Reasons This Is The Definitive Punisher

In the year of superhero versus superhero, the pairing of Daredevil and Punisher may not have been the most epic, but it was an excellent display of two fundamentally different crime fighters going head-to-head. But the real fight is less Daredevil versus Punisher and more Matt Murdock versus Frank Castle.

Episode 3’s epic rooftop battle of beliefs is the perfect distillation the conflict between these two men. Daredevil argues that his “no kill” rule is what sets him apart from the criminals he’s trying to stop, while the Punisher maintains that those limitations make him a “half-measure”. Both men are allowed to express their point of view in rational and reasonable ways and the show doesn’t push a decision as to which man is right.

And even better, they don’t leave the debate to simple words. Frank brutally shows the flaws in Matt’s rules by forcing him to choose whether to kill Frank or let Grotto die. And in response to that, Matt saves Frank’s life by dragging him through an entire building while fighting off dozens of thugs and not killing a single person.

Giving the Punisher this kind of combative relationship helps to explain his own thoughts while showing that for all his reasons, his mission may be problematic.