The Punisher

Frank Castle became the Punisher after his family was killed by the mob during a chance encounter with a gangland execution in Central Park. A decorated war veteran, he channeled his combat skills into a one-man war on crime, armed with an arsenal and an uncompromising kill-or-be-killed philosophy.

Few characters from Marvel's gritty Bronze Age have cast as long a shadow as The Punisher, who burst onto the scene in The Amazing Spider-Man #134 in 1974, courtesy of writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru. Over more than four decades of publication, this relentless figure has proven remarkably enduring, sharing pages with the likes of Deadpool and Taskmaster and headlining matchups like Deadpool vs. The Punisher that pit him against Marvel's most unpredictable personalities. With at least one key collector's issue to his name and a presence stretching from 1974 all the way to 2017, The Punisher stands as one of Marvel's most tenacious and recognizable figures — a Bronze Age original whose dark appeal has never really faded.