Marvel Comics recently launched an all-newUltimate Universe, and within that universe are variants of a number of familiar Marvel characters, including thePunisher. Earth-6160 is an alternate reality taken over by the Maker, who used time travel to shape it to his liking. So far in this continuity, fans have gotten stories featuring the Ultimates (Avengers), Black Panther, and Spider-Man - but it’s missing one more: the Punisher. And there’sone comic writer who’d be perfect to tackle anUltimate Punisherseries.
InThe Ultimates#2 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, Captain America is preparing for his first mission since being unfrozen. He decides to catch up onthe history of the Ultimate Universeand learn about everything he missed between the 1940s and the present day. Standing in a high-tech Stark device, Cap gets a virtual history lesson, andin the 1970s, there’s one person who’s particularly noteworthy: the Punisher.
The Punisher’s inclusion in the Ultimate Universeamounts to little more than a cameo, but it’s enough to pique one’s interest. The image Captain America sees is that of a man withthe iconic Punisher skull insigniaon his chest, wielding two guns. Bodies litter his path on the streets of New York, while others cower in fear before him. As ifa mashup of Paul Kersey, Travis Bickle, and John Rambo, this version of Frank Castle is the epitome of a ‘70s vigilante. And now, it’s time Marvel told his story.
Marvel’s New Ultimate Universe Perfectly Sets Up a Self-Contained Punisher Series
The Maker Created the Perfect Landscape for Amazing Punisher Stories
While the Punisher does exist within the wider Marvel Universe, meaning he canonically operates in the same world as the likes of costumed heroes like Spider-Man and the Avengers,Punisher’s best stories have always been those that were self-contained. The Punisher is a grounded and brutal character, an antihero with no superhuman abilities, and absolutely no qualms about killing those he believes deserve it. Marvel’s superheroes don’t like him, and he doesn’t like them, so they naturally tend to avoid each other whenever possible - givingthe Punisher and his storiesroom to be as hardcore as possible.
Punisher’s best stories have always been those that were self-contained.
Given thatthe Punisher’s best stories are superhero-free, the Ultimate Universe is the perfect setting for an all-new series. The Maker was able to conquer Earth-6160 by traveling to different points in the universe’s history, systematically erasing the existence of every superhero. The Maker either killed, depowered, or found a way to control every superhero in this Marvel Universe, leaving no one to stand in his way. While that would later change with the rise of the Ultimates, that didn’t happen until the present day, meaning there were decades where the world was without superheroes altogether.
The Maker’s evil superhero-erasing schemes are detailed in the miniseriesUltimate Invasion, which is the comic that establishes the new Ultimate Universe!
In the ‘70s,the Punisher was the only thing that even resembled a ‘costumed vigilante’, which basically meant that he existed in his own continuity.Punisherstories that take place in Earth-616 have to basically just pretend that other superheroes aren’t around, but in Earth-6160, there’s really no one else except for the Punisher. Not only does this mean there’s limitless storytelling potential within this new continuity, but this setup is also perfect for one comic creator who is no stranger to the Punisher: Garth Ennis.
Garth Ennis has Already Proven that He’s the Best Writer for an Ultimate Punisher
Ennis is the Obvious Choice to Shape the Punisher’s Continuity in the Ultimate Universe
Garth Ennis is famously the co-creator ofThe Boys, which is perhaps how most comic book fans are familiar with him. However,Ennis has also consistently written Punisher comics for more than two decades, and is arguably the bestPunisherwriter in history.
Every Garth EnnisPunisherComic (in order of release)
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Artist: Jacen Burrows
2024
Garth Ennis always manages to capture the Punisher’s indomitable brutality, while also applying the perfect level of black comedy to his booksin the form of over-the-top death scenes and mature humor. And another thing all these books have in common? No superheroes. And if there are superheroes, the Punisher is either unceremoniously killing them (like inPunisher Kills the Marvel Universe), or utterly dominating them (like inPunisher(2000) when Frank chains up Daredevil).
Garth Ennis famously hates superheroes, something the comic creator has admitted himself and something that’s painfully obvious in series likeHitmanandThe Boys- andThe Punisher. When Ennis wrote the Punisher in Marvel’s main continuity, he avoided including superheroes at all cost. And when Ennis tackled the Punisher in Marvel’s MAX continuity, he didn’t have to worry about superheroes, as that world was without them. Now, the same is true forthe Ultimate Universe, making it perfect for Garth Ennis to craft an all-new superhero-freePunisherseries.
10 Unforgettable Moments From Garth Ennis' Original Punisher Run
Garth Ennis wrote The Punisher from Vol 5 into Vol 7, with the first 12 issues of Vol 5 being perhaps the most memorable. Here’s the 10 best moments!
TheUltimate Universeperfectly set up anUltimate Punisherseries with its Frank Castle cameo inThe Ultimates#2, and since the established continuity of Earth-6160 already explained that no superheroes existed during Castle’s time as thePunisher, that makes this proposed new series perfect for Garth Ennis to tackle.
The Punisher
Cast
The Punisher stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, who first appeared on Netflix’sDaredevil. Frank is a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper veteran who is highly skilled in martial arts, stealth tactics, guerrilla warfare, and knows how to use a variety of weapons. The death of his wife and two children led him to take matters into his own hands, and he has been killing criminals indiscriminately ever since. Despite being beloved by fans,The Punisherwas canceled in early 2019. Thankfully for fans of Bernthal’s character, it was announced in 2023 that he would be joining the MCU by appearing inDaredevil: Born Again, starring Charlie Cox.
