The Punisher

Netflix's brand new show, The Punisher, is definitely a mixup from the traditional superhero movies we've seen together in the past.  The show, even from the first episode, is filled with guts and gore, eludes to controversional and divisive societal issues of today's world, and centers around the main character who does not possess any abnormal superhero powers.  The Punisher presents former marine, Mike Castle, who struggles with settling back into a normal lifestyle after his time in the marines.  What doesn't help though, is that the viewer finds out that all of his family has been killed, including his wife. From the first episode, it becomes apparent that, mentally, Mike is not in a good place.  The Punisher offers a deviation from the quintessential Marvel movies that we've grown accustomed to seeing.  

Mike's background as a marine and the missions he took on while serving, provides much of the driving force behind the show.  Episode 1 begins by showing Mike committing a series of murders, even a long range sniper shot.  As far as a typical Marvel hero, so far Mike does not fit the mold.  Moreover on Mike's tattered past, the viewer learns that there is a investigator looking into a case that concerns possible drug traffking by U.S. soldiers while stationed overseas.  Additionally in order to cover this up, the soldiers killed an Afghani official.  The investigator even brings Mike's name up as a possible suspect.  Clearly, Mike's marred past is not only causing him mental issues, but it's also lending toward legal issues.  Next, on several occasions throughout the first episode, Mike has visions of his life before his family was killed.  The same images repeat; his supposed wife walks into the room while he is sleeping and greets him while he wakes up.  Shortly after, he wakes up from the dream, discontent with how his life is now.  It will be interesting to see how Mike gets over his mental problems and how far his dreams of the past will push him toward insanity. 

Next, Mike's cold nature sets him apart from other Marvel heros.  It should be noted that, as a Marine, the brutal violence and coolness of nature should be expected.  When the viewers get a look into Mike's past, he is seen bursting through the bathroom stall door of someone who, supposedly, had a part in killing Mike's family.  Before Mike does his worst, the man tells Mike that he has a family of his own.  Mike coldly responds that he has no family of his own.  Earlier in the show, Mike is seen chasing two men on motorcycles while he is in car.  Mike shoots the tires of both the cyclists and then runs them over.  Once again, his absence of compassion and pure hatred for those who killed him family shows.  Lastly, while protecting a coworker, Mike begins to brutally throw around a sledgehammer.  By far one of the more disturbing shots in the show, Mike bashes heads, breaks limbs, and then tosses the bodies into a cement mixer.  As mentioned before, Netflix's The Punisher, is hardly anything like typical Marvel movies due in large part to Mike's brutality as a character.

Although the show is not like a normal superhero movie, that certainly does not mean it is a poor show.  Certain elements of Mike character offer an sense of unpredictably, which is not always something present in Marvel movies.  Additionally, while Mike may not be a hero, he may take more after Deadpool, an antihero.  Finally, how Mike develops past his mental trauma and finds closure to his family's death could make for an interesting story.