The Punisher might be adapting ‘The Slavers’ storyline next season
The first season of The Punisher was a violent and brutal journey but it looks like the series might be getting even darker.
New character breakdowns hint towards the show adapting one of Garth Ennis’ infamous storylines, “The Slavers” next year. The critically acclaimed comic book run was a part of Marvel’s MAX line and is one of the darkest in history. Despite being a bit disturbing, “The Slavers” has long been heralded by fans of the anti-hero and it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Netflix tried to bring the story to life on the series.
Two new women are poised to be introduced next season, one a scrappy teenager from the streets named Annie and the other is a middle-aged therapist named Kim. That Hashtag Show managed to get their hands on the Marvel casting call and was quick to point out the similarities to a couple of women in Garth Ennis’ “The Slavers” storyline.
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Annie is compared to Viorica, the young girl who Frank Castle saves in the comics which inadvertently leads him to discover a sex-slave ring in New York. Her story is incredibly tragic as one of the slaves that Castle rescues during her escape because it’s later revealed her captors murdered her baby. The moment Frank decides to help her by annihilating these people, it’s a defining moment for his character. While The Punisher mainly existed to get vengeance for his own family or to fulfill his sense of justice, he’s taking them down so Viorica receives some semblance of closure.
Kim has quickly been compared to Jen Cooke, the social worker who reluctantly helps Frank during his take-down of the sex-slavery ring. She’s a good-hearted social worker who’s dedicated her life to volunteering at soup kitchens and raising awareness to illegal prostitution. Even if The Punisher chooses not to adapt “The Slavers,” Kim ending up being a character like Jen Cooke would be a great addition to the series.
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As someone who prides herself on being a good part of “the system,” Cooke is disgusted by her desire to see Castle murder the slavers and by her part in giving him the information. She would serve as a good foil to Karen, who embraces the dark world that Frank lives in, because of her disdain for his sense of street justice.
Showrunner and writer, Steve Lightfoot has said multiple times that he would like to see more of Ennis’ characters show up in The Punisher so the speculation for “The Slavers” to be adapted isn’t too far-fetched. However, comic book fans know just how intense and disturbing the arc is. While the Netflix-Marvel series have approached a much darker tone than the other adaptations, “The Slavers” might be too gruesome for even the streaming service to depict.
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One thing is for sure, if Kim and Annie are an early setup for the series to follow that storyline, then Marvel is going to have to make some changes to Ennis’ run.