The Defenders: Why The Punisher is the most important, but non-member of the Marvel crew
Marvel has struck gold in their pairing with Netflix in terms of TV ratings with the 4 solo superhero shows. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage have brought fans who would otherwise watch Reality TV into the love affair that is everything Marvel. Daredevil was an instant success in its first season, however, it was the second season that provided us with the best character on the small screen Marvel has ever let loose. Frank Castle aka The Punisher provided no comic relief in Daredevil but he may be the most important non-member as The Defenders series gets ready to hit this summer.
What makes Frank so appealing is that he’s not like the rest of the crime fighters in New York. So why is he not included as a member of The Defenders?
The Punisher is not your normal crime fighter per say. His intentions are to stop the bad guy but he does so on a different level than the others. He’s more Wolverine than Scott Summers. If The Punisher gets involved, more than likely someone is going to end up dead. And for that reason alone, he does not fit with Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jones or Cage.
While they will display brute force, neither will go as far as to kill to stop someone. Each hero has their own demons which can make them equally if not more dangerous than any villain but they know what could happen if they were to travel down that route. The Punisher, on the other hand, he doesn’t care. He has one goal– to kill anyone who gets in his way.
As The Defenders get ready to join forces for the first time, Frank will make an appearance later on in the series. If he’s being called upon that means that the team is down to their last chance to stop whatever villain they’re up against and need his special set of skills. It’s only so much kicking in the face or throwing someone against a wall you can do before you have to get your hands dirty. This is what The Punisher represent for The Defenders. He’s the cleanup man.
While Castle is not an official member of the team he’s still a part of it whether he likes it or not.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
