In 2023, Marvel Comics quietly retired the original Punisher. However, Frank Castle is back with a new miniseries that will renew his violent one-man war on crime. Indeed, Punisher: Red Band promises to be the most violent comic in the anti-hero’s history.
The decision to retire Frank Castle was made after several years of controversy. The character was held up as a hero, and his logo was misappropriated by several law enforcement and military groups. This was not in the spirit of The Punisher, whose life was meant to be a cautionary tale rather than an inspiration.
After several stories made it clear Frank Castle was no hero, he was given a send-off in Punisher (Vol. 13) #12. Stranded in the realm called Weirdworld, Frank found a new war worth fighting, acting as the guardian to a group of orphaned children. A new Punisher, former SHIELD agent Joe Garrison, was introduced later in 2023. However, he failed to develop a following with comic readers. It didn’t help matters that Marvel Television was planning to reintroduce Frank Castle into the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again at the same time.
Punisher: Red Band will be “gritty and bloody”
Punisher: Red Band will bring Frank Castle back into Earth-616. It will be written by Benjamin Percy with art by Julius Ohta. Frank will be as brutal and driven as ever, cutting a swath through the underworld of New York City. However, while his fighting skills are still strong, The Punisher has no memories of who he is or why he fights.
“Frank Castle — that dark-hearted, vengeance machine, that monster who fights monsters — is one of my all-time favorite characters,” shared Percy. “Punisher is a series I’ve been gunning to write for a long, long time. Not only is Frank back in black, but this is a Red Band book. You know what that means. I’m going to lean in fully and push the very limits of my favorite genre: hairy psychopaths. This is going to be as gritty and bloody as it gets. Street-level mayhem awaits you. And Julius Ohta — who I collaborated with previously on Hellverine — is bringing all the blood and fire and rage to the page with his beautiful, terrifying art.”
Three preview pages from Punisher: Red Band #1 may be viewed below.
Punisher: Red Band #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on September 10, 2025.
