I really don’t get it. I realize this is likely a me thing. I’ve never read any his comics. He doesn’t have any powers. He just shoots people. I think he shoots only bad guys, right? Seeing people get what they deserve is nice but you could also do that with a robot mech suit or giant green imaginary weapons or laser beams from your eyes. I could go on. He wears all black, so he’s emo, and shoots people. I just don’t get it.
I mean… James Bond is also just a guy who shoots people. Most non-action movies are just a series of conversations. How the story is told is often far more important than the boiled down concept.
rudyharrelson@lemmy.radio 2 days ago
It’s certainly a personal preference, but I’ll give some insight as a casual Punisher fan:
A character doesn’t need superpowers to be interesting. People can enjoy the Punisher despite him being “just a guy who shoots people with a gun” in the same way people enjoy “John Wick”, “Judge Dredd”, “Taken”, “Jason Bourne”, “Die Hard”, or any movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The archetypal “one man army with nothing left to lose” story is cliched and perhaps “basic”, but can also be written in a compelling way depending on the author. Lots of different authors have written for The Punisher over the years, some being better than others.
I personally think a fun aspect of the character is his understanding that he isn’t a good guy; he (in most continuities I’ve read) hates what he has become and only does it because it’s all he knows. He doesn’t characterize it as “justice”, either. He does what he does as a means of punishment, vengeance, and retribution (and considers it a preventative measure when the criminal is irredeemably evil).
Some of his better stories explore the consequences of this judge-jury-and-executioner approach he takes. For example, killing an undercover cop who had infiltrated a gang that was on Punisher’s hit-list. In that particular instance, he was willing to let the undercover cop’s widow execute him as penance for his mistake. The widow lets him live because she doesn’t want to be like him.
thermal_shock@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
I’d say hes easier to relate to without super powers.
saltesc@lemmy.world 2 days ago
How did you get through all of that without pointing out Batman?
ApollosArrow@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Likely because 99% of the time he doesn’t shoot people.
rudyharrelson@lemmy.radio 2 days ago
Cause I was thinking of characters who use guns, which isn’t really Batman’s vibe (aside from his very early years)
EfficientEffigy@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Came here for this
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Conan had a gun?
nocturne@slrpnk.net 2 days ago
Two actually.