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By Drew Dietsch | Published
Since joining Disney, Marvel movies have taken over pop culture to such an extent that many people seem to forget about the Before Times, a world where the letters MCU had no meaning except maybe “municipal credit union.”
While the Disney era of Marvel has embraced and incorporated certain past superhero efforts, like the pre-MCU Spider-Man movies or Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, there are plenty of older Marvel movies and TV shows that seem well leave in the dust.
A popular Marvel character is seeing his entire cinematic history disappear for modern generations and I’m here to do everything I can to stop that from happening. This is why we need to save The Punisher movies.
The Punisher’s origins begin with Spider-Man
The Punisher is a controversial characterand that’s putting it lightly. Curiously, it premiered in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 just five months before the release of the hit 1974 movie death wish. The Punisher, whose real name is Frank Castle, is a murderous vigilante who wages a deadly war against crime in New York City.
After gaining surprising popularity among readers and his own comic book title, The Punisher made the jump to the big screen in 1989 with his first feature film. The problems started there.
The first Punisher film was released in 1989 and starred Dolph Lundgren.
1989 the punisher The film was produced by New World Pictures, a studio run by the beloved and notoriously cash-conscious Roger Corman. the punisher It would end up being the penultimate film produced by New World due to its financial problems. That also meant the punisher was unable to secure theatrical distribution in the United States, settling for a direct-to-video release two years after its release in international markets.
rocky iv Star Dolph Lundgren was cast as Frank Castle, and while I admit to a legitimate fondness for Lundgren’s brand of acting, it’s fair to say the punisher It is not his best moment as an actor.
It doesn’t help that The Punisher’s iconic logo has been removed from his outfit in favor of skull-themed throwing knives. Director Mark Goldblatt openly regrets this decision and I’m sure fans agree.
For an ’80s vigilante crime movie, the punisher It’s not a bad time. The film has gained a cult following over the years, proving that the power of The Punisher was still available in the world of cinema.
The Punisher returned for another film in 2004
Frank Castle had another chance at the box office in 2004, once again called The Punisher. In the wake of the comic book movie boom sparked by Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man, The Punisher was set to be another notch in Marvel’s big-budget blockbuster belt.
Until the film failed at the box office and opened at number 2 behind Kill Bill: Volume 2. It’s a shame, as The Punisher (2004) is a huge step forward from the previous film. Thomas Jane is excellent as Frank Castle and really cares about doing the character justice, to the point that he even returned to the character in a pirate short film eight years after the actual film.
the punisher (2004) takes inspiration from Garth Ennis’ comic book with the character, and the film does a good job of maintaining the tone of the comic. It’s true that John Travolta as a villain is disappointing, but Thomas Jane’s performance and Jonathan Hensleigh’s solid direction do the punisher (2004) much better than its reputation would lead you to believe.
Unfortunately, when your Marvel movie comes out two months early spider man 2You are practically SOL.
Punisher: War Zone rebooted the character again in 2008
Since the Thomas Jane version did not conquer the box office, four years later we had a reboot with Punisher: war zone. It is here that The Punisher reached his full form. Because Punisher: war zone It’s a wonder.
Drawing more inspiration from Garth Ennis’s exaggerated version of the character, Punisher: war zone Director Lexi Alexander deliberately wanted to inject more ridiculousness and dark comedy into the project, and the film is all the better for it.
Dominic West, as the villain Jigsaw, gives a bad guy performance like he’s in an episode of the ’60s Batman show. He’s great. I could watch him with that makeup and that ridiculous accent for days.
That’s not to say that Ray Stevenson isn’t doing a stellar job as a very focused, minimalist version of Frank Castle. He hits the perfect tone at every moment, whether it’s a bit of dark comedy or a real emotional beat. It’s so sad that Stevenson never got another chance with Frank Castle because he captures the dark fun of the character so well.
And any movie that shows a parkour gangster getting blown up by a missile is my idea of a good time.
Unfortunately, Punisher: war zone It once again proved to be a fatal blow for the character at the box office, opening at number 8. Frank Castle simply couldn’t catch a break.
Some of the Punishers movies are being deleted and can no longer be seen
So here we have three solidly different versions of The Punisher in the movies, and each has its merits and its fans. But it might be harder to find and gain new fans as all three films are left in the digital dust.
From this recording, Punisher: war zone – a movie that I would say is better than any MCU movie, that should get everyone talking in the comments – is only available to stream on PlutoTV at standard definition. Otherwise, you will have to rent or buy the movie to watch it.
At least, Punisher: war zone It is available on the most popular VOD services. the punisher (2004) is only available to rent or buy through the obscure streaming service Fandango at Home. No other digital store in the United States seems to offer it.
the punisher (1989) is not available in any digital store. You’ll have to track down a physical copy or get a digital version so Frank Castle will consider you a criminal.
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is the only one Marvel wants you to see
If you want Punisher to stream easily, your only access will be the punisher TV series. With Marvel committed to the MCU versions of their characters, Jon Bernthal has taken on the role of Punisher and will likely be the only Punisher many younger fans will see in the movies.
Frankly, that sucks. Part of what makes comic book characters great is that different writers and artists bring new takes and creative approaches to long-standing characters and how they are portrayed. I don’t want to live in a world where only one version of Batman is recognizable and celebrated. I want as many different and unique stories and ideas as possible to have a chance to be the center of attention.
The same goes for The Punisher. All three films deserve their fans and could use more.
