The Punisher has delivered dozens of kills over the years, but his most infamous attacks aren’t about spectacle alone, but revealing just how cold and calculating he can truly be when revenge is what he’s after. With that in mind, these Marvel Comic moments define the character at his darkest and most brutal. Everyone has their favorites, but this list of Punisher’s most brutal, unforgettable, and horrifying kills is just getting started.
5
The Long Death of Ma Gnucci
Punisher #12 (2000)
When The Punisher made his return to New York City in his 12-issue 2000 series, the “Welcome Back, Frank” storyline by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon rolled out a whopper of a challenge. Not happy to take on one criminal or mobster, Frank instead set out to completely dismantle and slaughter the Gnucci Crime Family, saving its matriarch Ma Gnucci for last. And even if she was tougher than many of Frank’s other victims, her path to the grave was hard to forget.
Watching as members of her organization were picked off one by one, Ma eventually led a gang of her men into the Central Park Zoo in pursuit of a wounded Punisher. While it’s not entirely clear how much Frank had planned or was improvising, a chain of animal-assisted murders led to the final act. Leaving Ma in the polar bear exhibit, she somehow survived the brutal loss of all her limbs (and scalp). Frank eventually scared off the rest of her men, and burned her house down with Ma inside.
4
Frank Finally Gets His Revenge
Punisher: The Cell (2005)
What begins with a prison riot in Riker’s seems random, with the carnage leading five high-ranking mafia men into the security of their deepest prison cell. Only when a guard emerges to cripple them with gunfire do they realize the trap they’ve landed themselves in. But still don’t realize the role they all played in murdering their attacker’s family years earlier.
This contained revenge story by Garth Ennis and Lewis LaRosa is less over-the-top, and less absurd than many other of Frank’s most memorable kills. But as a contained story the Frank waited years to achieve, it’s guaranteed to etch itself into the memory of any Punisher fan who reads it.
3
The “Soup” Slaughter
The Punisher MAX #28 (2006)
There are many different moods experienced by Frank Castle, depending on the creative team, the series, or the caliber of criminal he’s up against. And in the infamous “Slavers” arc, Frank found a class of gangster he simply hated. After being tipped off to a large human trafficking ring by an escaped victim, Frank set out to clean house. And to do it, he came up with a well-planned blend of precision and cruelty.
Relying on an open kitchen window to drug the entire house’s supper, Frank was able to stroll in a few hours later to find all of his would-be attackers unconscious. All except one, who had the unfortunate honor of kicking off the slaughter, as Frank unloaded his shotgun on the entire group. He saved the worst for their boss, but the carnage on display here was a rare sight. And the culling wasn’t over.
2
Vera’s Shatterproof Window
The Punisher MAX #29 (2006)
The following issue of the “Slavers” arc is equally unforgettable, for entirely different reasons. Having gained an informant with his prior assult, Frank learns the entirety of the operation, including those leading the worst aspects of the group, to minute details. All of which leads him to the office of Vera Konstantin, to unleash pure hatred.
The sight of Frank putting away his firearm is hard to interpret at first, but the scene which follows makes Frank’s thinking crystal clear. As clear as Vera’s shatterproof windows, which Frank proceeds to test, using Vera’s far less shatterproof frame. It’s the definition of brutal, and demonstrates just how far Frank can go when he’s against an enemy who has earned his rage, not just his punishment.
1
Barracuda’s Last Stand
The Punisher MAX #54 (2008)
There is just no other villain like Barracuda, and whether you love him or hate him, nobody will ever forget seeing his battle with Punisher come to a bloody finish. Kidnapping Punisher’s baby daughter to set a trap that kills two generations of Castle, Barracuda soon finds all his scheming turn to nothing, with only a brutal fight with fists, knives, guns, and finally, a fire axe to decide their deathmatch.
There are few comic panels of the final fight in Issue #54 that we can actually show here, but everything leading up to this final moment could rank among the most gruesome and next-level violent attacks Frank ever committed. A final tribute to Barracuda that it took all of them to finally kill him.
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