Wasteland Elder: One one-shot story has Punisher go to an isolated town in the desert to help a Vietnam buddy against a Mega-Corp which is after their mineral-rich land. The local leader, Roland Hugh, is a tinfoil hat-wearing Conspiracy Theorist who seems to be the oldest person there. Weaponized Stench: One comic has Frank deal with two mooks following him around by hiding in a diaper treatment center, where the horrible smell distracts them long enough for him to ambush them. Cold-Blooded Torture: Frank: (looking down at a merc who'd just fallen into a pit full of sharpened stakes that Castle had dug for him) "Two through your chest. One through the groin, it looks like. You'll die if you don't get medical attention soon." Merc proceeds to tell Castle everything he wants to know. When he's finished, he asks weakly "...that medical attention...?" Frank: " No." Of course, said merc was already dying; even if Frank wanted to, he couldn't have saved him. Born (2003) — A four issue mini series that details Frank's third and final tour of duty in Vietnam, which was later became the starting point for the MAX series. Also written by Garth Ennis.

An Alternate Universe version is a major character in the Spider-Gwen books, where he's portrayed as being somewhat less stable than the mainstream version. Yet another has Frank booby-trap a building where various organized crime members are having a meeting. He pushes down the detonator, making it clear that if he dies, everyone dies, and promptly starts shooting the helpless criminals. Cop to his rookie partner: "Kid, the Punisher's the best thing since sprinkles on donuts. Remember that." Punisher (2022) - a series written by Jason Aaron that repositions the Punisher as a sword-wielding killer and leader of ninja-clan The Hand.

The Punisher provides examples of the following tropes:

Gas Station of Doom: Frank Castle runs into one in Louisiana, that's actually a front for an inbred Cannibal Clan (MAX only). The big difference between him and, say, Batman? Castle kills the criminals that he fights. A lot. Often several dozen at a time. note His confirmed "high scores" to date are approximately 2,000 in the Marvel Universe with a nuke, and 68 in one night, with 32 in a single location in the MAX continuity. Wizard magazine also had his death count as slightly above 1,000, pre-Ennis and later in MAX, this is mentioned to have climbed to 2K. Combine all that together, and the total death toll comes around to an astounding four thousand bad guys. He uses machine guns, explosives, a certain amount of martial arts, knives, and on occasion, wildlife (most notably, the time that he punched a polar bear in the face to get it riled enough to eat some Mafia hitmen). He can be very, very sadistic. He tends not to get along with Marvel's actual superheroes, especially when he's written by comic-book scribe Garth Ennis; many fans think Castle and Ennis were a match made in heaven. The Villain Must Be Punished: It's his name, after all. Unlike heroes like Spider-Man or The Avengers, he doesn't content himself with just stopping criminals, he wants to make them pay for their crimes with their lives. In a Take That! to several real-life police groups that have begun superimposiong the Punisher logo over the "Thin Blue Line" flag, another story features a couple cops who come across him proudly displaying his logo on their cars, who are a part of a group of other officers who want to emulate Frank's example. Frank is not amused, and tells them in no uncertain terms if he finds out that they've broken their oaths as officers, he'll be gunning for them next because the police are supposed to be better than him, not sink to his level.

Criminals that are currently being processed by the system (e.g. in court or custody) he leaves alone. He also doesn't go after defendants who have been legitimately cleared by a court of law. Now, if they get off when they're clearly guilty, then they become fair game once more. Though at times, he has killed prisoners he deemed deserving while they were were held in custody. He's also more willing to spare kids and teenagers, under the logic that they're young and will learn from his little visit to not be involved anymore. Let's You and Him Fight: In their very first meeting, Punisher and Wolverine attempted to kill each other because they mistook each other for poachers. They form a strong friendship soon after.

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Space: Punisher (2012) — An Alternate Continuity miniseries with a version of Frank avenging his family's murder by a galactic crime syndicate led by some very familiar Marvel characters. With premium sculpting and design, this helmet is an impressive addition to any Marvel collection. The helmet interior and the faceplate are detailed to evoke the electronic design, while the exterior boasts a remarkable attention to detail and a beautiful finish. Collectors, fans, and Marvel enthusiasts alike can imagine suiting up and create their own vigilante adventures! Stealth Hi/Bye: While Frank doesn't do this much in his own books, it is a fairly common way for him to take his leave at the end of a superhero team up. Enemy Mine: Very rarely, Frank will team up with a criminal, usually to take out another, worse criminal. This usually ends with both criminals dead, either because You Have Outlived Your Usefulness or trying to pull a gun on Frank. Frank's Ultimate Marvel counterpart is even more fanatic about his crusade than Frank is. Even having the Ultimate Marvel version of Ghost Rider, an agent of Satan, telling him " keep up the good work" doesn't dissuade him from his killing spree. He thinks the message comes from his family, or maybe even God himself. He's also even more suicidal than the regular Frank, to the point that, when he thinks he's accidentally killed an innocent person, he demands to be "Punished".

Hero-Worshipper: While Frank has little love for superheroes in general, he idolizes Captain America, allying with him in both Civil War and Secret Empire. He actually had a ten-issue series titled "Armory" dedicated to showing off his guns and other equipment. Frank also has a disdain for other "amateur" vigilantes, as shown when he calls out the "Vigilante Squad" (a trio of Punisher fanboys who don't have as much scruples) for being Ax-Crazy Knight Templars before gunning them down. a b George, Richard; Schedeen, Jesse (2008-05-31). "War Machine: Director of SHIELD". IGN . Retrieved 2023-09-10.

Pay Evil unto Evil: Pretty much the cornerstone trope of The Punisher is doing bad things to even worse people. He even provides the trope's main image. Blood Knight: Why does Frank kill? 33% for revenge, 33% for justice, and 33% because he likes it; the remaining 1% is just plain crazy. Handy Cuffs: Frank was captured by a minor gang leader named Machete, who insisted on killing a cuffed Castle in a machete duel. Castle rejects the machete, and kills the guy with his bare hands.