Warning: SPOILERS for Punisher #7The Punisher is one of the many Marvel characters without any superpowers, but he just obtained one of the more fantastic abilities – and uses it in a fight against his friend Daredevil. Frank Castle and Daredevil’s relationship is quite rocky, mostly because Daredevil is strongly opposed to Castle’s method of killing criminals instead of apprehending them but sparing their lives. But Punisher #7 reveals Frank’s newest weapon in a fight against the Man Without Fear: the strange powers given to him by the mysterious and controversial Beast of the Hand…which includes the ability to fly.
In current comics continuity, Marvel has changed the Punisher’s status quo in massive ways. Punisher has put aside weapons in favor of swords and other bladed weapons, he has an army of ninjas at his command, and he is now known as the High Slayer. The drastic changes have come about thanks to the High Priestess of the Hand’s “gift” to Castle: the resurrection of his wife Maria. Maria’s fate is in the High Priestess’s hands – and if she leaves the Hand’s compound or misses regular doses of a mysterious potion, she will die once more. Naturally, the Punisher leading an army of criminals instead of executing them alarms Daredevil, who travels to the Hand’s base in search of Castle.
In Punisher #7, written by Jason Aaron, Jesus Saiz and Paul Azaceta, Daredevil begins a war with the Punisher in an attempt to loosen the Beast’s hold on him. As a last resort, Daredevil prepares an exorcism spell to remove the “evil influence” from Castle’s soul. Unfortunately, it has no effect: Castle reveals that he’s not possessed and he’s entirely in control of his actions (“I am not a puppet. I am not a lost soul in need of salvation” he says during the fight). He isn’t possessed by the Beast, he’s using it – and proves this by levitating in the air while grabbing Daredevil by the throat.
The Punisher’s Deal With The Devil Allows Him To Fly
This power is not presented as a triumphant expression of strength, but rather a sign that the Punisher has strayed from his path. He might not even be in control of this power entirely; it could simply be his anger getting the best of him. Even so, to see Frank Castle flying in the air like Superman is rather stunning to long-term fans of the character; Frank’s lack of powers tie into the fact that he is merely an ordinary man on an extraordinary mission to eradicate crime and the criminal element.
There is, however, hope for the character yet: Punisher lets Daredevil escape rather than kill him (an outcome that the Hand would have preferred). Frank Castle is blinded not by revenge, but by love; Maria’s return from the dead means he will do anything to ensure her continued existence, even betray his ironclad principles. The current Punisher run will almost certainly end with Frank rejecting these evil powers, allying with Daredevil once more, and destroying the Hand…but at the cost of his wife’s life once again.
