The Creator Of ‘The Punisher’ Wants To Reclaim The Iconic Skull From Police And Fringe Admirers

TOPLINE

Police and military personnel have adopted the Marvel character The Punisher’s iconic skull as a symbol of force in recent years—but the character’s creator, Gerry Conway, told Forbes that the character was never meant to symbolize oppression, and he now hopes to reshape The Punisher for this moment in history.

KEY FACTS

Key background

The embrace of The Punisher’s logo by law enforcement has caused some controversial moments. In 2017, a Kentucky police force placed Punisher skull decals on the hoods of its squad cars. Public outcry forced the police chief to backtrack and remove the decals. The Punisher logo also turned up that year at the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.  And during the recent protests, a tweet with photos of Detroit police wearing Punisher skull patches went viral. “Every cop who wears the logo on their uniform should be confronted by a protester wearing a Black Lives Matter Punisher shirt,” said Conway. “I have to be in the enviable position to say what [the logo] means.”

Surprising fact

The Punisher’s skull was partially inspired by the “totenkopf,” a skull and bones logo worn by the Nazi S.S. during World War II.

Crucial quote

“Frank Castle would beat Sean Hannity into a pulp,” Conway said. “Castle always represented a code of honor….that respects the ultimate values of American society. He’s not a conspiracy nut. Even in his most fringe existence [in the 90s and early 00s] he had legitimate enemies. A poseur like Hannity would have infuriated him.”

Big number

75%. That’s the estimated percentage of Punisher fans Conway meets at conventions who are people of color who identify with the “idea that they have been abandoned,” said Conway. “I want to deny police and militia and the military the opportunity to use this as a symbol of oppression.”

What to watch for

The Punisher to get phased out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Disney, which owns the character. “My expectation is we will never see another Punisher movie or TV series,” Conway said. “Disney knows this is radioactive. They are going to let it fade away. Which to me is a shame. Maybe seeing it in this new light will inspire them to embrace it, and bring it forward.” A rebooted Punisher, Conway said, “could be Latino or black or Asian,” since a majority of U.S. armed forces are people of color.

Further reading

How do you stop the far-right using the Punisher skull? Make it a Black Lives Matter symbol (The Guardian)

The Punisher’s Relationship With The Military — ‘He’s Like The Single Marvel Universe Operator’ (Task & Purpose)

Punisher Creator Gerry Conway: Cops Using The Skull Logo Are Like People Using The Confederate Flag (SyFy)

Deconstructing the symbols and slogans spotted in Charlottesville (Washington Post)