Summary
Contains spoilers for The Ultimates (2024) #2!Marvel’s newUltimate Universeis leaning into its political commentary, and that includes the newPunisher, whose logo has been adopted in-universe by militias, much like in the real world. The use of the Punisher skull logo has been controversial off the page for years, but this is one of the most direct references to the phenomenon that’s been made in a comic. It’s a clever use of the character, and a reminder that Punisher is, above all else, a guy who murders people.
InThe Ultimates (2024)#2 by Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee and Travis Lanham,the Punisher is reimagined as a historical figure who continues to inspire militias, a reflection of those who’ve adopted the character’s logo in real life.
In the issue, readers see a flashback to the Punisher as a gun-toting vigilante who apparently killed numerous civilians. A later flashback then shows his symbol being adopted by an armed militia. This mimics how the Punisher’s logo has become a controversial symbol in the real world, used topromote police forces during the BLM protests, or toted by militias involved in the January 6th United States Capitol attack, the Punisher’s logo has been problematically claimed by various real-life groups.
Captain America Predicted The Punisher Controversy Years Before
Years before it happened, Captain America predicted the controversy that would force Marvel to retire the Punisher’s logo and reboot the character.
Ultimate Punisher is a Commentary on His Logo’s Use in Real Life
This new Ultimate Universe is Earth-6160, an authoritarian world ruled over by a council formed by The Maker, an evil alternate Reed Richards.The United States dissolved in 1969, and in this issue, a newly unfrozen Steve Rogers gets a crash course on the history of the former USA. All the issue’s virtual flashbacks are undated, but Punisher’s mop of hair and the panel’s placement in the issue points towards the character existing in the 1970s or ’80s. In real life, the Punisher debuted in 1974, so this could be when the panel is set.
This time frame also puts the new Punisher in conversation withfictionalvigilantes of the time, fromRambo, who sports a similar red bandanna, toDeath Wish’sPaul Kersey, toTaxi Driver’sTravis Bickle. The latter two of these feels the most relevant, as they are both urban vigilantes who decide to “clean up their cities.” The visual similarity to Rambo could also be an indication that this Punisher shares the original’s Vietnam War backstory. The later undated flashback of the militia also feels in conversation with militias of the 1990s, from Ruby Ridge to Waco, on top of the aforementioned modern relevance.
Marvel’s Response to the Use of the Punisher Logo Has Been…Mixed
It’s interesting to have this new Punisher lean into the real-world problems with his logo at a time when Marvel often feels like it’s avoiding the question. While the company has occasionally enforced the logo’s copyright when used for specific merchandise, there are still countless examples where Marvel has been either unable or unwilling to go after bad actors using the skull.Marveldidchange the logo for the 2022Punisherseries, which most read as an implicit response to the use of the old logo, but a single comic series doesn’t fix the wider issue.
For their part, several creators associated with Marvel have been very vocal about the misuse of the logo. Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway is first and foremost among them, having always stressed that Punisher is a villain, andcriticizing “Blue Lives Matter” police groupsfor their adoption of the logo. Writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Szymon Kudranski underlined the latter point inPunisher (2018)#13, withFrank Castle criticizing the policefor using the skull. While these efforts, like theUltimate Universe’snewPunisher, are welcome and offer interesting commentary, they only go a small way to addressing the larger problem.
