25 Things You Need to Know about The Punisher on Netflix

17. Frank Castle Became The Punisher After His Family Was Murdered

Every superhero has his origin story, and most of them surround personal tragedy. Peter Parker chose to become a superhero when his Uncle Ben died due to Peter’s negligence. Bruce Wayne became Batman because he watched a thief gun down his parents. Matt Murdoch became a superhero because his father died at the hands of a mobster.

The Punisher became a cold-blooded killing machine antihero because mobsters gunned down his wife and child. While some men became heroes to protect people from the evils that lurk in the shadows, Frank Castle’s mind splintered, and he chose a different route. He decided to kill everyone who committed crimes to protect the public from these people ever hurting anyone again.

The original Marvel Comics showed that Frank was back from Vietnam and was picnicking in a park with his wife Maria and their children. The Castle family witnessed a gangland execution, and since they found themselves as witnesses to the crime, the Costa crime family killed them. Castle tried to help the police put them away, but the family remained untouchable due to corruption.

On that day, The Punisher was born.

The origin story, as it is in comics, changed somewhat over the years but the one thing that remains the same is that Frank’s family died at the hands of the mafia and The Punisher chose vengeance over a cape and mask.