Don’t have time to rewatch Daredevil season 2 to refresh your memory on everything that happened to Frank Castle, aka The Punisher? We’ve got your six.
Frank Castle made an explosive entrance into Matt Murdock’s life when he was introduced in Daredevil season 2, episode 1, “Bang.” He wasn’t the only new player in town, but unlike Elektra, Jon Bernthal’s Punisher got its own spinoff show, which drops on Netflix this Friday, November 17.
Are you ready for the next chapter of Frank’s life? …Are you sure?
Everything you need to know about ‘The Punisher’ from ‘Daredevil’ season 2
About the man
- Frank is introduced as a man who kills those who deserve to be killed — murderers, molesters, drug dealers, or anyone else who has gotten away with a crime that endangers the welfare of innocent people.
- An unstoppable force meets and immovable object when Frank comes up against Matt while he’s clad in his Daredevil suit. Matt doesn’t disagree with Frank’s ideology that criminals need to be punished, but he certainly doesn’t believe in his methodology. Frank Castle shouldn’t be playing God.
- Frank isn’t crazy. He doesn’t feel guilty for killing those who deserve it, but he is not without emotion. He will not kill an innocent person and even sometimes goes out of his way to actively protect them.
- This goes back to Frank’s time in the military, where he was a part of clandestine operations. It’s where he learned his skills in combat and as a sniper. It’s where he learned to protect those who needed to be protected.
- Frank has his own moral code, and although his black-and-white view of the world doesn’t sit well with everyone, he’s not exactly the worst guy on the street. He cares about misrepresenting the horrors of PTSD. He cares about Karen.
About the crime
- Karen learns that Frank’s wife and two kids were killed in a shootout involving the Mexican Cartel, the Kitchen Irish, and the Dogs of Hell.
- Frank was shot in the head and landed in the hospital as a vegetable, but when he was unplugged, his heart began pumping on his own. He wasn’t ready to die yet.
- When he recovered, Frank decided to get revenge on those who murdered his family. He thought it extended only to the criminals involved in the shootout that day, but the setup and subsequent cover-up leads him to the D.A.’s doorstep.
About the punishment
- Frank’s mission in life is to take out everyone who was involved with the murder of his family, even if it puts the whole city on the edge of a gang war.
- His mantra is “One shot, one kill,” and he does exactly that with calm precision.
- Daredevil captures Frank and turns him into the police. Nelson & Murdock are set to represent him and broker a deal with the D.A., but Frank pleads not guilty in the hopes that more of the District Attorney Samantha Reyes’ wrongdoings will be exposed.
- He even goes on to tank the trail in order to get closure about what happened to his family. Enter Wilson Fisk.
- Fisk points Frank in the direction of Dutton, who was there the day Frank’s family was killed.
- Dutton says The Blacksmith set up the operation, in order to broker a deal regarding the sale drugs in New York City, but bowed out when he got wind that it was a sting operation, letting the three gangs get caught in the crossfire.
- Frank kills Dutton, and everyone else on his cell block when Fisk traps him in there. Instead of killing Frank, however, Fisk helps him to escape. The deal is that Frank will get the bad guys off the street, which benefits Fisk because all his competition will be gone when he’s finally released.
- The D.A. and the coroner both admit to being part of the cover-up over Frank’s family. They’re both killed by The Blacksmith, who sets it up to look like Frank did it.
- When Karen discovers The Blacksmith is Frank’s former commanding officer, Colonel Schoonover, she’s taken hostage. Frank rescues her and then kills the Colonel.
About ‘The Punisher’
- In the final moments of Daredevil season 2, we see Frank pull a CD labeled “Micro” out from behind a framed picture on his wall. He then sets fire to his home and walks away, the Punisher symbol emblazoned on his chest.
- The trailers for Frank’s spinoff show reveal that the massacre of his family wasn’t just about a sting operation gone wrong. Frank was part of a classified operation during his time in the militaary and is the only living witness to the wrongdoings that went on there.
- Now that Frank knows the hit on him and his family goes beyond what happened with the D.A. and The Blacksmith, Frank gears up to continue punishing those who murdered innocent people.