All my dreams are coming true! Well I mean not ALL my dreams, but one in particular! Apparently, Marvel and Netflix are starting work on a Punisher TV series to fit into their Defenders corner of the MCU. Granted, this is mostly speculation at this point. But if Frank Castle is received well enough during season two of Daredevil, then they'll move forward with a spin off. I lobbied for this a while ago during a previous blog post. I'm excited at the possibility but of course, we must exercise caution! The Punisher has been adapted to film THREE times with less than stellar results.
No one will ever remember you!
I'd like to share with you my thoughts on what can be done to make a truly amazing, faithful adaptation of the Punisher for a Netflix series. The first step would be to cast a great actor, luckily that's already been done with Jon Bernthal. So let's see what else will need to be done!
LEARN FROM WHAT WORKED
I'm willing to bet that a good number of fans liked the Thomas Jane/John Travolta Punisher film. It had a decent plot, good actors, etc. However, the one thing it lacked was a lot of punishing. However that can be a negative (we'll get to that). Hire quality actors, give them a meaty script, and a good director, and you'll be good to go. The action doesn't need to be bombastic and crazy, it just needs to feel real. Sure it's based on a comic book, but the Punisher, more so than most characters in the Marvel Universe, actually COULD exist in our world. The Thomas Jane film did a good job of setting Frank up in a world that felt like ours. He gave a really intense performance surrounded by ordinary people. He was the one that looked off and that's how it should be. At this point, he's the Terminator. He kills and then moves on. That's what we want to see.
LEARN FROM WHAT DIDN'T WORK
It's no secret that I really hated Punisher: War Zone. What a terrible movie! It suffered from what I like to call "The Schumacher Syndrome." Basically, the people making it thought, "Oh it's a comic book! It has to look ridiculous and over the top!" No. It doesn't. If Daredevil and Jessica Jones have taught us anything, it's that the ridiculousness of what the heroes can do is overlooked by a quality TV show. If the actors, sets, and dialogue are convincing and make us feel that it's real, then we will believe that it's real (if only for a short moment). War Zone made the mistake of having the action be too over the top to the point of camp. Even the main villain, Jigsaw, I did not find threatening because of the campy performance. Which is a shame because decent actors were cast in the film, they just were given a subpar script and direction. So, Netflix, please don't worry about giving us over the top action. Just make it look real and exciting. Remember the hallway fight in Daredevil? Yeah that! More of that please!
GIVE US A GREAT VILLAIN
Wilson Fisk and Kilgrave are easily the best villains that Marvel Studios has given us (with Loki as an obvious exception). They were compelling, captivating, sympathetic, and yet utterly terrifying. The reason they were so terrifying is because they were polar opposites of the heroes they fought. Kilgrave is manipulative and egotistical, Jessica was honest and brave. Fisk was a child from a terrible family and never matured beyond one terrible incident. Matt was raised to stand up for himself and never back down from a fight. This is a tough one with the Punisher. On the one hand, he doesn't really have a rogues gallery because he kills everybody. But if Marvel could make Kilgrave, a somewhat boring/underused character from the comics, into a terrifying antagonist for 13 episodes, then I have faith it can be done again. The only real issue is that the Punisher in and of himself is a terrifying character. How do you make someone a threat to him without going over the top? I think the answer would be to make the villain likable. The audience should question whether or not to root for the hero in this case. Why not give them a villain that is relatable and interesting? There's a reason people love Breaking Bad. The hero, Walter White, made questionable decisions from day one and became the villain of the piece. That basic idea is what we should see from Frank Castle. He might have the best intentions, but someone out there is much worse than he is . . .
JUST FILM GREG RUCKA'S RUN ON THE PUNISHER
Greg Rucka is one of my favorite comic book writers. He's really good at making outlandish, goofy ass superheroes feel like real people. His run on the Punisher was some of the best comics I've ever read. Frank didn't have much dialogue, but it was a well crafted story. It ended with Spider-Man convincing the Avengers to look for him and bring him to justice. Granted that's probably not going to happen on a Netflix TV series, but it was still a well written story. The main story took place from the point of view of two NYPD detectives (loosely based on Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt from Seven). Pitt was working with the Punisher because he supported his beliefs that evil must be punished while Freeman believed in the law. Also, there was a story of Rachel Cole-Alves. She was married for only a few hours before her whole family and new husband were killed in a mob shoot out. Frank took her under her wing and tried to teach her how to be like the Punisher. In his mind, emotion is unnecessary. You need to let go of the world and focus only on the mission. She can't do that. She's blinded by rage and vengeance. Like I said, it was a great story. Damn . . . I might go reread it now . . .
COSTUME!
It hasn't been used in years, and maybe it's just me, but I think that original Punisher costume is awesome! I mean it's spandex, like most heroes, but I think with the right tweaking it could look really great. During War Zone, Punisher pretty much wore a modified military tactical uniform with the skull on his chest. I like the idea of the Punisher having some kind of uniform. Of course, he would probably want to wear some kind of protective gear, but I don't think he would wear that much. This is a guy with a clear mission and he's going to do a job. If he dies on the job, he will consider his life complete. Granted, he probably doesn't care what he's wearing but the audience will. More importantly, his enemies will need something to remember him by, if only for a short minute before they die! It probably won't happen like I'm expecting, but I'd love to see a classic Punisher costume on screen.
These are my thoughts on what should be done with a Punisher TV series. Netflix is definitely the best way to go with this character. While nothing is set in stone as of yet, I'm confident that sometime in the near future we'll see more of the Punisher. He never stays down for long ;)
Till Next Time!
JJ - the Comic Junkie!
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