THE PUNISHER ISN'T A ROLE MODEL

MARVEL'S POPULAR VIGILANTE SAYS SOMETHING TROUBLING ABOUT THE STATE OF AMERICA'S MILITARIZED POLICE.

- JOE LANCASTER

IN 2015, ACTOR Jon Bernthal appeared at New York Comic Con soon after the announcement that he would portray Marvel Comics' famous vigilante the Punisher in the Netflix series Daredevil. “I know how important he is to law enforcement, to the military,” he told the crowd. “I look at this as a huge honor, a huge responsibility. And I give you my absolute word, I’m gonna give everything that I have.”

Since then, Punisher iconography has only continued to proliferate among police officers. The character's skull logo has become synonymous with uncritical support for police. Even FBI Director Kash Patel is a fan. In October, MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian shared a photo of a challenge coin Patel had given out featuring a skull that greatly resembled the Punisher symbol. That trend is disheartening, both for fans of the comics character, like me, and for Americans who want a sane law enforcement apparatus dedicated to serving citizens rather than unleashing violence.

Unlike most of his superhero compatriots, the Punisher is an unrepentant murderer, focused less on restorative justice than on simply massacring his enemies. He is quite possibly the worst role model comics have ever produced. While sometimes a thrilling story of a man able to right the wrongs he sees in the world, the Punisher also functions as an indictment of feckless or corrupt police and a military that sends people off to kill but does too little when they come home damaged. Some of the people who lionize the character these days miss that point—to our detriment.