Happy Saturday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Top 5 Villains List. Today’s post breaks down The Punisher’s best villains. Honestly, The Punisher has a thin number of unique villains. The Punisher borrows quite a few villains from other superheroes’ rogues’ galleries, so you may see some villains on this list that are typically connected with another superhero. This isn’t to say that The Punisher is devoid of great stories; we shared some great Punisher Starter Stories a year ago, but The Punisher lacks a compelling rogues’ gallery. Still, The Punisher special presentation releases soon (I’m writing this early, so we won’t know when The Punisher Special’s release will occur), so now may be the perfect time to discuss The Punisher’s Top 5 Villains.

Honorable Mention: Bushwacker

While we typically include at least one honorable mention, I debated mentioning Bushwacker. He has a machine gun for a hand, his goals change with the flip of a coin, and his origin, at best, is flimsy. Bushwacker looks ridiculous. Is he a hired gun or a mutant killing maniac? Who knows? What we do know is that The Punisher has few unique villains, so Bushwacker makes this list as an honorable mention by default.

5: Bullseye

We begin this list in earnest with Bullseye, who typically opposes Daredevil. I’ll prepare you now. The bottom portion of this list will be dominated by other superheroes’ villains. We’ll save the top two spots for Punisher-only villains. Regardless of his affiliation with the Man Without Fear, The Punisher has had plenty of battles against Bullseye. It makes sense. Both Bullseye and Punisher can serve as mercenaries. Both have similar abilities. In the comics, the two have almost polar-opposite personalities. The Punisher resembles Batman, while Bullseye leans toward The Joker, which leads to some interesting confrontations.

4: Daken

Daken may be Wolverine’s deranged son and spends a lot of his time terrorizing the X-Men, but he’s also the man who killed The Punisher. That’s right. Daken took down The Punisher. Like most comic book deaths, The Punisher rose from the dead in Franken-Castle, but the fact still stands. Daken and The Punisher have had some epic battles. Maybe not as many as Bullseye, but plenty of great ones. I also like the idea that Daken isn’t human. He’s a mutant. Too many of The Punisher’s villains fall under the just a human category.

3: Kingpin

Yep. Kingpin is yet another primarily Daredevil villain, but he’s also a significant Punisher villain. Heck. Kingpin is the MCU’s big bad for its street-level heroes like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Punisher. He had to make this list. And the Kingpin Punisher battles skews toward rated-R. I hope we see a straight-up blood-fest between Frank Castle and Wilson Fisk. We could see a lot more scenes like the one from Daredevil: Born Again, season one, where Fisk crushes a man’s skull. More please. And mind the splash zone.

2: Barracuda

Frank Castle and the man named Barracuda are products of war. As an ex-Green Beret, Barracuda went from the armed forces to the CIA to the mob, leaving behind a trail of bodies. Barracuda is just as vicious and unforgiving as The Punisher. He’s also well-connected to powerful, evil people and employs a team of hired killers to fight by his side. And Barracuda loves to kill. He doesn’t care if his victim deserves it or not. Barracuda is one of Punisher’s greatest challenges and foes. Too bad he doesn’t show up more often in the comics. We need to see more of the Marvel Universe’s most hardened and sickest killers.

1: Jigsaw

Jigsaw is Punisher’s arch-rival. He had to take the top spot on this list. If Billy Russo had a heart at all, it’d be rotten. His face reflects his soul. Is it any wonder Jigsaw thrives against the Marvel Universe’s worst vigilante? Jigsaw fits the Kingpin mold. He can rule from afar or get his hands dirty. And boy, does Jigsaw ever get his hands dirty. The top two villains on Punisher’s list could scar viewers for life. But Jigsaw gets top billing as Punisher’s arch nemesis, because he has systematically torn apart Frank Castle’s life. Jiggy has taken out everyone and everything that Castle holds dear and framed him for it. It’ll be interesting to see if or how the MCU will handle Jigsaw. This is not a villain for the faint of heart.

That’s our list of the Top 5 Punisher Villains. Did your favorite make the list? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Do you want to get into Punisher comics and don’t know where to start? Geekly has you covered. Daredevil: Born Again continues its run on Disney+ this week, and Geekly is celebrating with yet another comic book starter stories list. Today’s list features the Punisher.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. While Frank Castle (The Punisher) may not have been around as long as Matt Murdock (Daredevil), he has an extensive catalog of comic books. We’ll have a mix of story arcs (stories composed of multiple comic book issues) and single-issue stories (which will only have one comic book to the story). The Punisher has a nice split between single-issue stories and story arcs. We’ll begin with the story arcs. Enjoy!

Story Arcs

Circle of Blood (The Punisher #1-5; written by Steven Grant and Jo Duffy/art by Mike Zeck and Mike Vosburg 1986)

The Punisher spent the first decade as a side character. His first appearance (which we’ll mention in the single issues) in Spider-Man established the Punisher as a mysterious figure, but Circle of Blood established the Punisher as a character. Originally, Marvel intended to make Circle of Blood a four-issue limited series. That changed with the series’ popularity. Circle of Blood became so popular that the Punisher became a monthly comic. Within this mini-series, you’ll find the Punisher’s origins. Frank is a Vietnam veteran who watches his family die at the hands of a gang war. Motivated by anguish he becomes a one-man army of revenge.

Circle of Blood gives readers everything they need about the Punisher as a character. There’s no better place to start reading Punisher than with Circle of Blood.

War Zone (The Punisher War Zone #1-6; written by Chuck Dixon/art by John Romita Jr., John Buscema, and Joe Kubert 1992)

During the early Nineties, The Punisher had two monthly titles. The original Punisher series was strong enough, while Punisher War Journal devolved into “Punisher make things go boom and die.” Punisher War Zone’s first storyline breaks from the norm—at least the first half of the storyline does, which is why I included #1-6, instead of #1-11. The Punisher goes undercover and unearths a mob plot. Throw in someone who may or may not be Kingpin, Kingpin was in hiding at this time, and Punisher War Zone is a great place to see the Punisher working with the police on the down low and flexing his detective and heroic muscles.

Welcome Back, Frank (The Punisher #1-12; written by Garth Ennis/art by Steve Dillon and Jimmy Palmiotti 2000-2001)

Marvel produced this twelve-issue limited series in 2000-2001. First-time Punisher scribe Garth Ennis made a huge splash with Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe (which almost made this list) and this series gave him a second opportunity to write for the character. This won’t be Ennis’s last entry; Ennis will dominate this list. Welcome Back, Frank continues to depict Frank as a Vietnam War veteran. He announces his return to New York City by taking on the Gnucci crime syndicate. Publicly, the NYPD opposes Frank’s actions. Secretly, the police condone the Punisher’s actions. With the help of the police and his neighbors, Frank dismantles the Gnucci’s crime operation. Welcome Back, Frank showcases the Punisher’s tenuous relationship with the police and highlights the smaller good deeds, that I won’t spoil here, that make Frank Castle who he is. Welcome Back, Frank is a Punisher must-read.

Born (Born #1-4; written by Garth Ennis/art by Darick Robertson and Tom Palmer; 2003)

I warned you. Garth Ennis will dominate this Punisher reading list. Born is another great Punisher mini-series; a lot happens in this four-issue run. Born follows Frank Castle as he serves in the United States Marine Corps during his final tour in Vietnam in 1971. Half of Frank’s fellow Marines are addicted to heroin. Their commanding officer is an apathetic alcoholic who pretends he has malaria whenever the superiors plan an inspection of the base, Valley Forge. Of course, we see military combat. One by one, Castle’s unit falls, and he finds himself surrounded by the enemy. I won’t spoil any more of this heart-pounding series. If you’re interested in what made Frank Castle the man he is, you should read Born.

Barracuda (Punisher #31-36; written by Garth Ennis/art by John McCrea and Steve Dillon 2003-2004)

Barracuda refers to the man who could be the Punisher’s greatest villain. Screen Rant said this about Barracuda. “Far and away the most popular villain from the Punisher MAX comics, Barracuda has become one of the most iconic enemies Frank Castle has faced.” Barracuda is every bit the Punisher’s equal. Honestly, he may be more terrifying. Barracuda didn’t need a tragedy (like losing his family) to become a killer. While in elementary school, he shoved his thumbs into a classmate’s eyes. He castrated someone while in a youth detention center. This propensity for violence made Barracuda the perfect Green Beret. So, now he has special ops training and a massive frame to back up his nastiness.

There’s no better place to start with getting to know one of the Punisher’s greatest enemies than with this comic book run. The last thing you want to see is a smiling Barracuda.

The Slavers (Punisher #25-30; written by Garth Ennis/art by Leandro Fernandez and Scott Koblish 2006)

The Slavers storyline shows Frank Castle’s softer side. As the title implies, this story revolves around slaves and the people who keep them in bondage. Specifically, The Slavers is about a forced prostitution ring. I won’t get into too much detail here. On one hand, I don’t want to spoil the story. On the other hand, The Slavers is not for the faint of heart. While this story arc is one of the Punisher’s best (and of course, it’s written by Garth Ennis), it comes with a strong trigger warning. The Slavers proves that the Punisher has a heart of gold, even if his methods are savage.

Single Issues

“The Punisher Strikes Twice!” (The Amazing Spider-Man #129; written by Gerry Conway/art by Ross Andru, Frank Giacoia, and Dave Hunt; 1974)

“The Punisher Strikes Twice!” marks the Punisher’s first appearance. Narratively, this Punisher looks very different from the one we see in any other Punisher story on this list. Punisher is little more than a hired gun. A new costumed character called the Jackal hires Punisher to slay Spider-Man. Antics ensue.

After this first appearance, the Punisher would team up with Spider-Man. Eventually, he would make cameos in other titles, teaming up with Captain America and Nightcrawler until Frank Miller would contrast Daredevil’s crimefighting style against the Punisher’s. “The Punisher Strikes Twice!” may not be the character we know of as the Punisher, but a Punisher fun should read the comic that started it all.

“The End” (Punisher: The End #1; written by Garth Ennis/art by Richard Corben; 2004)

And we’re back to another Garth Ennis-penned Punisher story. “The End” is a Punisher one-shot story set in the wake of World War III. This post-apocalyptic story is a product of its time. Frank is tasked with finding a hidden bomb shelter beneath the former site of the World Trade Center. With the War on Terror in full swing, “The End” mirrors American fears.

“The Cell” (Punisher: The Cell #191; written by Garth Ennis/art by Lewis LaRosa; 2005)

Within the darkest corners of Riker’s prison, old men control their criminal empire. These old men are given a new neighbor on their cell block: Frank Castle. The Punisher uses a prison riot to weaken the crime lord’s defenses. When they attempt to wait out the chaos, the Punisher strikes. “The Cell” shows a Punisher who can play the long game. This Punisher bides his time and waits for the perfect moment to attack.

This list is by no means exhaustive. We could’ve added a few other Punisher stories. Let us know which Punisher stories you’d add to this list in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Tag: barracuda

Top 5 Punisher Villains