Warning: spoilers for Punisher #3 are ahead.
Now that Marvel’s Punisher has taken over the assassin group known as the Hand, he’s put a stop to a periodic alliance between the group and another evil organization–Hydra.
In the Marvel Universe, Frank Castle is probably the most infamous mass murderer. He’s so good at killing that he drew the attention of the mysterious the Hand. The Hand is a centuries’ old group of ninja assassins whose trademark is resurrecting its members. Labeling Castle the king of killers, they recruited him to be their new leader, what they call the Fist of the Hand. The Punisher isn’t particularly known for working with others, but Frank was willing to make a deal with the Hand since they brought his wife back from the dead.
In Punisher #3, by Jason Aaron, Jesus Said, and Paul Azaceta, Frank Castle leads the Hand against those he deems worthy of punishment. In the opening pages of the book, he unleashes the Hand against the terrorist organization known as Hydra. The battle between the two groups is notable because they used to be allies. Although they are totally separate groups with distinct goals and ideologies, evil can recognize evil, and so Hydra and the Hand have pooled their forces together in order to fight their common enemies, which are typically America’s superheroes.
It’s almost ironic that the Punisher was the one to sever this relationship when another notorious killer in the Marvel Universe was not. In fact, it was the exact opposite. The Punisher and Wolverine are usually held up as brutal killers, but when Hydra and the Hand joined forces, Wolverine was completely at their mercy. The Hand brought Wolverine back from the dead and turned him into their mind controlled assassin that did Hydra’s bidding. So while the Punisher was a leader in this situation, Wolverine was essentially a slave.
Punisher #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.
