The Punisher (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

"Somebody ask you to put on that costume or you take it upon yourself? You know what I think of you, hero? I think you're a half-measure. I think you're a man who can't finish the job. I think that you're a coward. You know the one thing that you just can't see? You know you're one bad day away from being me."

- Punisher belittling Daredevil

Once a war veteran, Frank Castle's world was shook when his family was brutally killed during a gang war, turning the broken man into a dangerous, unstoppable and ruthless vigilante who killed criminals in highly brutal fashions with firearms, named The Punisher. Eventually Castle dedicated his life to destroying all people who murdered his family and hoped to kill the mastermind of it all, the Blacksmith. However Castle's violently cruel methods soon caught the eye of another vigilante in Hell's Kitchen, Daredevil who soon went to war with the Punisher until he was brought to justice. He later went to trial when, despite the help of Nelson and Murdock was sent to prison. However he was quickly able to escape thanks to the assistance of Wilson Fisk. After which he was able to locate the Blacksmith and kill him on the spot. Then Castle helped Daredevil in his war against the Hand and finally left Hell's Kitchen to locate a figure from his past called Micro and make the world a better place.

He is portrayed by Jon Bernthal.

Enlisting
Castle enlisted into the Marine Corps when he was eighteens just after the 9/11 attacks. He was placed under the command of Colonel Ray Schoonover and would later take part in the Battle of Fallujah and countless other historic combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Castle came into contact with Flash Thompson as his unit provided support when Thompson's team was ambushed resulting in the loss of Thompson's legs. For his heroic action he recieced a Medal of Honour.

Coming Home
Castle returned home that day from Iraq and reunited with his wife and children at school. But because of his time in the war he became weary, presumably exacerbated by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He began neglecting his routines and family traditions, becoming distant to his family.

The Central Park Massacre
One day Castle took his family to visit a caourasal at Central Park where a three-way gang war took place. Everyone was massacred, including the entirety of Castle's family and he was shot in the head hit survived however at the hospital a Do Not Resuscitate order is placed on him. Although he flatlined for a few seconds he came back to life without any medical aid.

Revenge
Castle began hunting the three gangs who were involved in the firefight which killed his family. He began with the Kitchen Irish whom he killed during a massive shootout. Castle's bullets were so powerful that they shot through the gang members bodies. He was able to kill the enitre room, except one who escaped. Later on he killed most of the Mexican Cartel and hung their half-dead bodies on meat hooks.

Hunting Grotto
To locate any surviving member of his attack on the Kitchen Irish, Castle went to an illegal pawn show where he spoke to the manager Cline whom he paid a considerable amount of cash for police radios and the shells for his shotgun. Once he had what he needed Castle prepared to leave in silence but Clint tried to sell him a pornographic movie involving a 12-year old. After which he locked the door and proceeded to violently beat Clint with a metallic baseball bat.

After learning that the last surviving member of the Kitchen Irish, Grotto was incapacitated in the Metro-General Hospital as the wound Castle inflicted upon him soon worsened. He charged into the hospital with the full intent of finishing his dirty work. Becuase of his extensive military background he was able to make short work of the security and began shooting his way through the halls. Grotto was saved however with the help of Karen Page who rushed him out of the hospital.

While Grotto and Page were about to escape the hospital, Castle reached the roof and mounted a sniper rifle. He fired several shots bit did his best to avoid shooting Karen Page becuase he didn't wish to harm innocent civilians. With Grotto in his sights he prepared to fire the finishing shot but was ambushed by Daredevil. The two engage in a violent fistfight with Castle firing several shots at his opponent. Once when it appeared Daredevil was winning Punisher aimed a gun at the vigilante, knowing he was a vigilante as well he non-fatally shoots him in the head.

Attacking the Dogs of Hell
Castle was about to be baited by Samantha Reyes and the District Attorney by using his target, Grotto as bait. Knowing an ambush was inevitable, the Punisher was prepared to protect himself and at the same time kill Grotto. Castle attacks a base for the Dogs of Hell, another gang who was involved in his families death and kills all the gang, excluding one and uses a truck to help him and his plan.

Preparing the Ambush
Castle strapped the last surviving member of the Dogs of Hell to the driving street of the truck and forced him to drive to the point where Reyes expected him to attack Grotto. As the soldiers attacked the truck the driver is killed and the vehicle crashes with Reyes and her soldiers no idea of the Punisher's real nature. Once again Castle took a sniping position and aimed to kill Grotto but was once again interrupted by Daredevil. As the Punisher and Daredevil engaged in a fight SWAT teams began shooting at them. Eventually the two of them fell through a glass ceiling and Castle was able to take a wounded and unconscious Daredevil hostage to another rooftop for interrogation and discussion.

A Friendly Debate
When Daredevil woke up he was chained to a chimney on top of a roof where he was meeted by the Punisher. As he tried to pull himself free Castle greeted the vigilante in a mocking tone while pouring himself coffee Daredevil still aggressively tried to free himself. The two begin engaging in a heated debate, both claiming that their methods of justice were more effective with Daredevil claiming that Castle was insane and Punisher describing him as a coward. Daredevil paused and warned him that a man was coming.

Castle greeted Jerry, a tenant at the apartment he and Daredevil were at top and tried to locate the noise and he says he was smoking as to avoid his unpleasant sister who Jerry thinks is a woman named Betty. As Daredevil attempts to free himself Punisher aimed a silenced gun at his head through the door as to send a message for him to no longer make any noise. Soon the pair discovered that they both had military background and Jerry left Castle to smoke in silence

Grotto's Confession
After continuous insults Punished knocks Daredevil out and when he awoke Grotto was chained and beaten at his feet. Castle explained how he was trying to escape by stealing a car and forced him to tell the story of how he had murdered a man and a woman for the Kitchen Irish. As to goad him more Castle explained when Grotto's victim had left a husband and child once he had killed him.

The Punisher gives Daredevil an ultimatum and throws him a gun. He left him with a choice as to either kill him or Castle would kill Grotto. He began counting down from five ignoring both the pleas of Daredevil and Grotto. Not wanting to become a psychopathic killer like Castle Daredevil shoots the chains restricting him and attacks Punisher however before he could stop him Grotto is fatally shot and slowly succumbs to his demise. Castle takes a shot at the Dogs of Hell, destroying their bikes and before he could take a shot at Jimmy the Bear he is knocked out by Daredevil but before he is killed by the Dogs of Hell he awakes and escapes his death.

Personality
Castle was a hardened and thuggish individual with a great capacity for violence and completely remorseless towards the people he killed, brought on by the trauma of his family being murdered by a gang war, turning him into an almost sociopathic man who was highly determined on stopping all crime in Hell's Kitchen and avenging his family murderers. He is highly desensitised to the violence he enflicts on others, being comfortable with torture and hanging the Mexican Cartel on meat hooks, simply a testament to how he doesn't view the criminals he kills as people. Because of this many people believe he possesses sadistic attraction to what he does however when asked by Daredevil, Castle remains silent but during his trial he yells that he was begging to kill again but there was a chance this was a rouse to get him closer to Fisk in prison. Despite his cold, brutal and apathetic nature Castle is furthermost a man who dearly misses his family even years after their deaths.

Though a mentally unhinged and ruthless man with very few ethical lines to cross, Castle surprisingly has few morals. He only kills criminals and is extremely careful when it comes to harming innocent civilians and does his best to avoid collateral damage, such as while hunting Grotto in a hospital he non-lethally incapacitates the guard and assures Karen Page that she was in no danger of being killed despite being in the same car with his target. He also killed the illegal pawn dealer Clint, when Castle discovered he possessed a child pornography movie and told the Kitchen Irish about the location of the money he stole from them so his pet dog would not get tortured. He is also a man who believes in repaying debts and helped Daredevil fight the Hand in his final battle because the latter rescued him from torture at the hands of the Kitchen Irish.

Castle is a man who views the world in a very black-and-white, cynical and morse view. He doesn't expect criminals to change and has never once considered Daredevil's way of justice, he sees it as a necessity to kill criminals and instinctively finds his methods more efficient. As well he deems Daredevil a coward who can't "finish the job" because he won't kill criminals but despite this they do seem to have a mutual respect for another, Castle even helped Daredevil fight the Hand and Mattnew Murdock tried to defend him during his trial.