Everything You Need to Know About ‘The Punisher’ If You Can’t Remember ‘Daredevil’
Frank Castle got his origin in Season 2 of Netflix’s ”Daredevil“ and uncovered a conspiracy — here’s what you need to know before watching ”The Punisher“
(Note: This post contains spoilers for Netflix’s “Daredevil” Season 2.)
The latest standalone Marvel series to come to Netflix isn’t quite as standalone as most viewers might expect. The story told in “The Punisher” is a direct sequel to the events of the second season of “Daredevil,” and knowing what went on in that story is important to following the events of the new series.
When we first meet Frank Castle, the vigilante nicknamed “the Punisher,” he’s in New York hunting bad guys. But through the course of “Daredevil,” we learn a lot about Frank’s backstory and what’s driving him — and it’s a lot bigger than just taking out a few random baddies.
If you can’t remember the goings-on of “Daredevil,” though, you might be a little lost when you fire up “The Punisher.” Here’s a quick rundown of everything that’s happened to Frank so far.
When we first catch up with Frank Castle in “Daredevil,” he’s attacking three gangs in New York in retaliation for the murder of his family. Castle, a decorated Marine, served in the Iraq War. On the second day after he returned home to his wife and two children, he took them to Central Park to ride the carousel there. The family wound up in the crossfire of a three-way gang fight between the Kitchen Irish, the Dogs of Hell biker gang, and a Mexican drug cartel. All three were killed, and Frank was shot in the head and lapsed into a coma.
While he was in the hospital, District Attorney Samantha Reyes put a Do Not Resuscitate order on Castle. Frank survived despite briefly flatlining and then escaped the hospital, but at the time, didn’t know about the DNR order or where it came from.
Frank sought revenge against the three gangs and started executing their members with military precision. His vigilante attacks earned him the nickname “The Punisher” from the New York DA’s office.
Castle was eventually captured after running up against Matt Murdoch (Daredevil’s alter-ego), who tried to stop him from killing the gangsters and whose law firm defended one of the gangsters Castle failed to kill. Castle was eventually arrested, and Murdoch, his partner Foggy Nelson and their assistant Karen Page, wound up defending him.
But there was more to the shooting of Castle’s family than it appeared, and it soon came to light that Reyes’ DNR on Castle was to cover up her involvement in the shootout in Central Park. Reyes actually organized the meeting between the three gangs as part of a sting operation in an attempt to catch a drug kingpin called the Blacksmith. But the Blacksmith never showed, the sting failed and the three gangs wound up in a shootout together, killing Castle’s family.
Castle was convicted, but managed to escape prison. After he did, someone killed Reyes and other people responsible for sending Castle to prison. When Karen was targeted, Castle saved her, and in so doing convinced her that he wasn’t responsible.
Castle eventually tracked down the Blacksmith and discovered his real identity: Colonel Schoonover, Castle’s commanding officer during the war. Schoonover got into the heroin trade in New York using product he sourced during his time in the Middle East, and it was his actions that helped cause the death of Castle’s family.
At the end of “Daredevil” Season 2, Castle killed Schoonover and saved Karen. He stole Schoonover’s arsenal of guns to go on being the Punisher, and Frank’s story ended with him receiving a CD from a mysterious person called Micro.
“The Punisher” picks up almost exactly where “Daredevil” leaves off, with Frank still hunting the last of the gangsters responsible for his family’s deaths.
Every Marvel Comics Live-Action TV Show Ranked, from 'Incredible Hulk' to 'Daredevil'
The recent high-profile shows on Netflix, ABC and FX aren't the first ones Marvel has taken to the small screen. Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Blade and even knock-off-ish X-Men had a go before the current golden age. Here are all the Marvel shows, ranked from goofiest pajama costumes to best character-driven dramas.
18. “The Amazing Spider-Man” (1977-79) A 1977 attempt at a live-action “Spider-Man” is a fun throwback -- but in a purely ironic way because Peter Parker’s wall-crawling "special effects" are pretty cringe-worthy. Watching Spider-Man fight guys using extremely hokey choreography gives the whole thing a pretty goofy vibe.
17. “Spidey Super Stories” (1974-77) Spider-Man takes on some super-boring villains. He goes up against The Prankster (a school principal who keeps pranking his students) and The Spoiler (who just likes to everyday things for people) in these goofy sketches in PBS’ “The Electric Company.” Worth a few minutes of watching on YouTube.
16. "Mutant X" (2001-04) Delightfully 2001 in every way, the syndicated “Mutant X” is the knock-off "X-Men" TV show with a low budget a lot of people probably wanted. With obviously pulled punches and early CGI, “Mutant X” scratches an itch for a brand of superhero show that’s completely rooted in the world of 20 years ago.
15. "The Inhumans" (2017-current)
Nobody seemed able to get over bad wigs and CGI of "The Inhumans" when it first started, and the show didn't improve much from there. Thin plots and boring characters make this the least interesting of all the modern Marvel shows.
14. “Blade: The Series” (2006) Spike TV took the successful “Blade” movies and made a TV show. It’s a decent precursor to the grittier Marvel takes that would later show up on Netflix. Violent, blood-splattered vampire hunting couldn’t hold an audience in 2006, though.
13. “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (2013-current) For much of its run, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has been more or less answering the question, “Hey, what are the normal people up to?” That can be pretty engaging, although keeping the show up with the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity on a budget sometimes reigns it in.
12. "The Defenders" (2017) After four separate, individual series, Netflix and Marvel unite Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage and the Iron Fist to save New York in "The Defenders." The culmination of several series' stories and the combination of all four different personalities makes "The Defenders" a lot of fun, but the short series winds up confusing and a bit anti-climactic in its final few episodes.
11. "The Incredible Hulk" (1977-82) Green Lou Ferrigno helped carry “The Incredible Hulk” through five seasons. The formula of David Banner wandering around America, getting into adventures and helping people, is pretty standard for TV. But there’s plenty of wrong-doers to trigger the Hulk’s rage and get him involved — for justice.
10. “Spider-Man” (1978-79)
A pretty deep departure from the Marvel Comics stories, the Japanese take on “Spider-Man” is worth a look just for the way Spider-man pushes a button on a bracelet that shoots out his suit. This version fully understands to folly of trying to make a serious Spider-Man thing in the '70s and goes gleefully the other way with plenty of self-awareness.
9. "The Runaways" (2017-current)
Hulu's first Marvel offering takes a different tack than its other shows. Focusing on a diverse group of teenagers, it's much more about a mystery concerning the parents -- who might, in fact, be evil -- than a bunch of people punching each other.
8. “Agent Carter” (2015-16)
TV gives Marvel the chance to dig into smaller side stories adjacent to its movies. “Agent Carter” takes that idea to its logical extent, turning out a period show led by a woman and Captain America pal. It gets to explore minor characters pretty intimately, while adding depth to the world when it comes time to turn on an “Avengers” movie.
7. "The Gifted" (2017-present)
Spinning off from the realm of "The X-Men," "The Gifted" starts out as a pretty standard superhero story. But with a family angle, some interesting and involving characters, and story topics that go beyond the usual "X-Men" fugitive angle, "The Gifted" is evolving into an interesting new take on the "X-Men" idea.
6. “Luke Cage” (2016-current)
Giving a different perspective on superheroes than anything that’s come before it, Netflix’s “Luke Cage” adds breadth to the MCU that shows how deep and interesting it can be. It’s also very aware of its time and place in culture and doesn’t shy away from the issues inherent in focusing on a bulletproof black man.
5. “Daredevil” (2015-current)
The first of Netflix and more down-to-earth superhero TV shows that take place in shadow of the Marvel Cinematic Universe does a great job of making Daredevil seem like a mostly regular dude. It’s also full of great, visceral fight scenes that pack an intensity that CGI can’t really achieve. And season 3 took the series to a whole new level, elevating it from simply fun to watch to legitimately good.
4. "Iron Fist" (2017-2018) The first season was really, really rough in every way, but season 2 was a whole different animal. It's fun and adventurous in a way none of these other shows are -- basically masterful trash.
3. “Jessica Jones” (2016-current)
Another lower-key superhero story, “Jessica Jones” brings heroes and villains down to their very human flaws. The way it taps into and explores feminist themes gives a whole different take on the idea of superpowers in the Marvel universe.
2. “Legion” (2017-current)
Visually gorgeous, this slow-burn look at one of the “X-Men” universe’s most powerful mutants does, so far, a phenomenal job of exploring its anti-hero. The focus on the mystery of David’s sanity digs deep into what it’s like, and how to cope, with being a mutant in a way that’s very different from other “X-Men” takes.
1. "The Punisher" (2017-current)
The best of the Netflix Marvel shows so far is "The Punisher." Following the exploits of former soldier Frank Castle, it spends most of its time concerned with a bunch of characters struggling to deal with their own personal tragedies. It also has some of the better action scenes Marvel has yet put in its Netflix series.
1 of 19
There have been more shows based on Marvel Comics than you probably know
The recent high-profile shows on Netflix, ABC and FX aren't the first ones Marvel has taken to the small screen. Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Blade and even knock-off-ish X-Men had a go before the current golden age. Here are all the Marvel shows, ranked from goofiest pajama costumes to best character-driven dramas.
