Originally written December 17, 2017

It’s definitely no secret by this point that I love Marvel. In particular, I’ve loved the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, and have seen everything that I could possibly see of it. When the MCU started to expand to have Netflix shows, I thought this was a great choice. I thought that both Daredevil and Jessica Jones were top notch shows, perhaps some of the best superhero shows I’ve ever seen. Since then, I think that the Netflix shows have been consistently good, but I haven’t really been blown away by any of them since the previously mentioned two. Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders were all great, but nothing special. I thought that maybe I just got acclimated to these types of shows, but now The Punisher has come along and changed that for me. This is the first time I’ve been really blown away by one of these shows in a while.

You may feel the need to do some prerequisite viewing before watching this show. See, the character of The Punisher was first introduced in season 2 of Daredevil, where he served as a main antagonist to Daredevil. We got to see the origins of his story as he began to hunt down and kill the men responsible for murdering his family. All of this is seen in season 2 of Daredevil, and now The Punisher has gotten his own spin-off series to continue his story. So, if you’re not already familiar with this story, you may want to be, but if you don’t have an interest in watching Daredevil then I’m sure you can piece this along too. Basically, Frank Castle has been living in anger ever since his family was murdered. Since the world believes him to be dead (again, see Daredevil for this), he has to keep quiet, but the feelings of vengeance are as loud as ever. After some secrets come to light, Frank comes out of hiding to continue going after the people that murdered his family.

It may not sound like much more than a simple revenge plot on the surface, but there’s a lot that the show does with it that makes it impressive. There are also numerous other side characters and side plots going on that make the show incredibly worth it. I think the best thing that the show does story-wise is how it handles war veterans adjusting to normal life. This is explored a bit in Frank’s own life, but a lot of this spotlight is given to other characters, and some of the results are pretty wild. I’ve never been one to care much about war stories, but this was pretty interesting. There are also plenty of fun relationships that the show explores, such as between Frank and his “partner” (Frank prefers to work alone) Micro, and a homeland agent who is hunting him down. The plot is straightforward, but it’s damn effective.

Honestly, though, the thing that’s probably going to make or break the show for most people is the violence. It’s not like previous Marvel shows haven’t had their fair share of violent moments (Daredevil can get pretty rough sometimes), but considering that The Punisher isn’t the type of hero who cares about if someone lives or dies, the violence here is cranked up to 11. This provides some of the most brutal moments that I’ve seen in a show before, easily in the superhero genre. I really loved the violence in the show, but I can understand how it can be a turn-off for some. However, if you’re into those gritty and brutal action scenes, The Punisher delivers on every level.

I feel like a character like The Punisher would be hard to adapt as a leading man for a TV series, yet it’s handled expertly here. The show doesn’t shy away from the fact that The Punisher will kill any enemy in his path, yet it also doesn’t purely rely on that to be a good show. There are plenty of great character moments and storylines to add to the experience. I don’t know, while I have enjoyed all of the Marvel Netflix shows so far, there’s just something about The Punisher that sets it apart. It’s definitely one of my favorites so far.

4.5/5