Veteran Comic Book Writer Says Marvel Hates The Punisher
Marvel comic book veteran Chuck Dixon called out Marvel for undermining one of his most popular creations, the armed vigilante the Punisher.
The Punisher is a anti-hero created by Marvel Comics in 1974 and is described on Marvel’s website as a “Family man turned crime-fighting vigilante, Frank Castle embodies the persona of the Punisher to avenge personal tragedy and ensure all criminals receive the justice they deserve.”
An a Youtube video, Dixon claimed that Marvel doesn’t like The Punisher because of his working-class origins.
“They don’t like him for the same reason that DC doesn’t like Guy Gardner and fans like the Punisher for the same reason they like Guy Gardner,” noting that “There’s very few superheroes that have blue collar origins” and are “average guys driven to extremes.”
“They Hate You For Liking It”
Dixon went on to explain, that he believes Marvel is burying Frank Castle, and doesn’t want fans to either.
“People response to these characters because of those origins and because they have blue collar origins — when they’re written correctly — they say stuff and do stuff that other comic book characters won’t. They don’t have the same mores, the same code,” he said.
Dixon insisted, “The main reason they wanted to get rid of the Punisher is because they hated the Punisher. And they hate you for liking it. It’s that simple.”
The longtime comic book writer then took things a step further, saying that Marvel was actively trying to alienate parts of its audience, a change that came, he claims, when new management took over the comic book giant.
“New people took over at Marvel and they were just really, really just embarrassed about everything about the Punisher. Particularly his audience. They didn’t like the Punisher, and they didn’t like the people who liked the Punisher,” he said.
The Last Straw?
The last straw, he asserts what the final straw was when “military and police began using the Punisher skull symbol on uniforms” noting it had been famously seen “on the sides of armored personnel carriers and Bradly fighting machines in Iraq”
The Punisher In Recent Years
Dixon’s criticisms are odd, as the character has been fairly prevalent in Marvel media in recent years. Following Dixon’s 1994 series The Punisher: A Man Name Frank, the character took another turn. during Garth Ennis 2004 run that added dark humor to the character. Subsequently, Castle met his demise in 2009’s Punisher #12.
Additionally, the character was portrayed in Netflix’s Daredevil, before getting his own spin-off The Punisher.
Despite Dixon’s misgiving it seems like The Punisher is still apart of the Marvel family. Hopefully, he will be for years to come.