Entertainment
Marvel Officially Confirms The Punisher’s Past Is Coming Back to Haunt Him
As one of Marvel’s darkest, most violent characters on the side of good, The Punisher is given his fair share of fittingly twisted villains to hunt down. Chief among them is Billy Russo, the criminal formerly known as Billy the Beaut until Frank Castle mangled his face, causing him to take up the name Jigsaw. He’s been a constant and deeply personal thorn in Frank’s side both on the page and in the Netflix series, committing some truly heinous crimes and finding new, demented ways to torment the vigilante, all while serving as a constant reminder of the cost of his one-man war on crime. However, there’s now another formidable foe on the prowl who became a monster after his encounter with Castle.
In Issue #5 of Benjamin Percy‘s The Punisher series, Frank took down the ghost from his past once more, though it didn’t take long for another to haunt him. The very next installment kicked off a new storyline, “The Long Bullet,” introducing Collateral Damage, an entirely new villain for Castle with a gnarly design that illustrates how much pain he’s inflicted upon him. Described as one of the Punisher’s “failures,” he’s a former victim of Frank with a metal exoskeleton piercing his infected skin to keep him alive and help him overcome spinal paralysis. More than anything, a burning rage keeps him going until he can reach Castle’s door and put a bullet in his head, not just for himself, but because he believes it’s best for the entire city.
That time has come in issue #7. The latest chapter of The Punisher finds Frank having revived his war on crime in New York after recovering from battling Jigsaw. However, it becomes clear that someone isn’t pleased that he’s back on the streets when the bodies of petty criminals and even some innocent civilians are found dead, all seemingly struck down by the same bullet. Although the authorities are quick to suspect the Punisher, they’re proven wrong when, while Frank and his old ally Microchip are patrolling and tracking the signature of the round, the bullet flies back through Frank’s hand and back to Collateral Damage. Marvel Comics has now released a preview showing the pair in the sights of the metal-clad marksman, who has rifle skills to rival Bullseye’s.
‘The Punisher’s New Villain Is a Marksman Like No Other
The few pages shared tease Collateral Damage as, well, collateral damage, someone who was caught in the crossfire in Frank’s attempts to kill someone he believes deserved it. Specifically, it’s hinted that the new villain was hurt when the Punisher sent the Kingpin to the hospital. Collateral Damage’s motive is made clear as his rifle pulls up an image of Frank and his location, and he squeezes the trigger. Killing the man who ruined his life is one thing, but completely ruining him is another, more enticing proposition made easier by having a weapon with bullets about guaranteed to hit their mark. Meanwhile, Micro reads what he can about the mystery bullet’s location while Frank is busy driving. Despite staying off the main streets, however, their attempts to track the shot go wrong when they realize the bullet is speeding their way.
Farid Karami handles the interior artwork for The Punisher #7, while the duo of David Marquez and Guru-eFX created the cover. Their art gives the best look yet at Collateral Damage, splattered in blood with his rifle in the air and a look of almost melancholy as he sets out on his hunt. Both Marquez and Guru-eFX have contributed prominently across Marvel Comics covers of late, the former notably working on Godzilla Conquers the Multiverse, while the latter counts the myriad Queen in Black and Venom comics among their recent credits.
The Punisher #7 releases on August 12. Check out the full preview in the gallery above.
- Release Date
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2017 – 2019-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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John Romita Sr.
- Directors
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Jeremy Webb, Jim O’Hanlon, Andy Goddard, Tom Shankland, Jet Wilkinson, Dearbhla Walsh, Kari Skogland, Kevin Hooks, Michael Offer, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Stephen Kay, Stephen Surjik, Antonio Campos, Iain B. MacDonald, Meera Menon, Alex Garcia Lopez, Stacie Passon, Jamie M. Dagg
- Writers
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Steve Lightfoot, Dario Scardapane, Felicia D. Henderson, Bruce Marshall Romans, Christine Boylan
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