The Punisher (Los Angeles)

When his family was murdered by gangsters, Frank Castle put his military training to use -- waging a one-man war on crime. As the Punisher, Castle reinvented himself as the merciless scourge of the underworld. The mere mention of his name causes criminals everywhere to cringe in fear, because they all know the Punisher plays for keeps -- and someday, he may come gunning for them!

Real Name: Franklin David Castle Identity: Publicly known Occupation: Vigilante; former U.S. Marine Nationality: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record, listed in USMC records as a deserter Ethnicity: African-American Place of Birth: Queens, New York Known Relatives: Marie Elizabeth Castle (wife, deceased), Lisa Barbara Castle (daughter, deceased), Frank David Castle (a.k.a. Frank Jr., son, deceased), Michael Lawrence Castle (father, deceased), Louise Castle (mother, deceased) Base of Operations: Mobile

History: Franklin David Castle was born and raised in Inglewood, California, the only child of Michael and Louise Castle. He grew up in the Morningside Park district in eastern Inglewood. After Frank graduated from Morningside High School, he went on to study for the priesthood at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California. However, after just five months he left the seminary because he could not understand why God would allow so much hatred and suffering in the world. Frank also disagreed with the Church's teachings - believing that before there can be forgiveness, there must be punishment.

Hoping to make a difference in the world, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and entered recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. During weapons qualification training, Frank displayed a natural ability for handling all types of weapons. After boot camp, he went on to the Marine Rifleman Course at the School of Infantry at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Afterwards, Frank was assigned to a rifle platoon in 2nd Battalion 7th Marines at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County, California. A little while later, he began dating a local resident named Marie Elizabeth Falconer. Frank and Marie were married a little over a year after meeting. They would eventually have two children: Lisa Barbara, usually called by her middle name; and three years later, Frank David, a.k.a. Frank Jr.

Soon after becoming a fire team leader, Frank attended the Basic Reconnaissance Course and was subsequently assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Shortly afterwards, he attended the Marine Corps Combatant Diver Course and then the Basic Airborne Course at the U.S. Army Airborne School. Frank later went through Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training. He eventually rose to the position of a reconnaissance team leader and was later assigned to a reconnaissance platoon attached to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. After receiving his promotion to Gunnery Sergeant, Frank was made the platoon sergeant of a Force Reconnaissance Platoon.

Shortly after a deployment, he was given leave time. The Castle family used the time for sightseeing in Los Angeles. Frank, his wife, Marie and their two children were in Griffith Park for an afternoon picnic when they witnessed a mob gangland execution; an informant had been hanged from a tree. Seeking to eliminate all witnesses, the mob leader, Bruno Costa ordered his men to execute them in cold blood. Caught in a hail of gunfire, Marie, Frank Jr. and Barbara died on site, with only Frank surviving.

Mike McTeer, a reporter with the Los Angeles Times, first discovered the grisly scene and alerted police. Frank was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and detectives John Laviano and Stan Witts began the investigation of the murder scene. Frank easily identified all five of Costa's men, but the mobsters used their connections to halt the investigation. Determined to see justice done, McTeer collected information on the Costa family and turned it over to Frank. To stop McTeer, Bruno Costa's brother, Francisco, sent hitman Billy Russo to take out the reporter and Frank. Frank's extensive military experience alerted him to Russo's presence, and he narrowly escaped the bomb set by Russo. After finding McTeer dead, Frank realized the legal system had failed him and decided justice would only be served if he took the punishment into his own hands.

Frank dropped out of sight for several months. He was baptized in a new understanding: Society was fiction. The scene and the enemy had changed, but the war never ended. He decided that the only punishment criminals might receive is that of physical destruction. When the former Marine resurfaced, he had adapted his fighting skills to wage a one-man anti-crime campaign -- rooting out evil in every corner of Los Angeles County, taking no prisoners. Outfitted in a battlesuit bearing a large death's head on the chest and equipped with enough weaponry to arm an entire battalion, Frank sought out and executed criminals he believed to be associated with the gangsters who had killed his wife and children. Since then he has waged a one-man war upon crime, taking the name The Punisher.

Height: 6'1" Weight: 200 lbs. Eyes: Brown Hair: Black

Abilities: The Punisher is the recipient of multi-disciplinary military training from the U.S. Marine Corps. He is not only proficient in basic infantry skills, but in special operations, which includes the use and maintenance of specialized firearms and explosive ordnance. The Punisher is highly trained in infiltration into heavily-guarded enemy territories and structures for the purpose of targeted killing, captures, reconnaissance and military intelligence. Also, he is trained in various forms of camouflage and stealth. From his airborne training, the Punisher is able to pack and maintain his own parachute rigs, as well as professionally control his landings, in daylight and at night. From his combat diving training, the Punisher is well-skilled in extended underwater operations, including demolitions. He is skilled with a great many types of explosives, ranging from simple dynamite to plastique to improvised explosives. His hand-to-hand combat skills are more than sufficient to allow him to incapacitate and kill men much stronger than he is, as well as to deal with groups of armed and unarmed enemies, killing them all without weapons if he deems it necessary. He is also extremely deadly in knife training, preferring the knife he learned to fight with in the Marine Corps: the ka-bar. Additionally, he is an extraordinary marksman. He is thoroughly trained and experienced in unconventional ("guerrilla") warfare. He is an armorer, a gunsmith, and an expert in field medicine.

Weapons: The Punisher employs an exhaustive arsenal of portable weaponry. His ever-changing arsenal of weaponry includes various automatic and semi-automatic rifles, and an array of handguns, fragmentation and tear gas grenades, other explosives, and combat knives. A personal favorite is his ballistic knife, which can launch its blade with lethal force. He commonly uses M16 .223 caliber automatic rifles, Sterling Mark 6 9mm, semi-automatic rifles, 9mm Browning Llama automatic pistols, .45 caliber automatic frame rechambered for 9mm. ammunition, .223 caliber Derringers, and Gerber Mark II combat knives.

Paraphernalia: The Punisher has a Kevlar uniform which protects him from most gunfire, though he can still suffer concussive injury or penetration from sufficient or repeated impacts.