The Punisher (Modern)

When his family was killed in the crossfire of a Mafia shootout, 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 Corps officer Nationality: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record, listed in USMC records as a deserter Place of Birth: Queens, New York Known Relatives: Maria Elizabeth Castle (wife, deceased), Lisa Barbara Castle (daughter, deceased), Frank David Castle (a.k.a. Frank Jr., son, deceased), Mario Lorenzo Castle (father, deceased), Louisa Castle (mother, deceased) Base of Operations: Mobile

History: Franklin David Castle was born the son of Mario and Louisa Castle. His father, Mario, was born Mario Castiglione and was an Italian immigrant who left Sicily to escape pressure from an organized crime syndicate and changed his surname to Castle. After graduating from high school, Castle went on to study for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary. 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. He 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 the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot. During weapons qualification training, he displayed a natural ability for handling all types of weapons. After boot camp, he then went to the Marine Rifleman Course at the School of Infantry. Afterwards, Castle was assigned to 2nd Battalion 8th Marines within the 2nd Marine Division as a rifleman. He later attended the Marine Corps Close Combat Instructor Trainer's Course where he gained a highly proficient expertise in hand-to-hand fighting.

After three years in the Marine Corps, Castle applied for and was selected for the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program. Under this program, he could attend any school that had a NROTC Program. Castle decided to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While at MIT, he began dating a Cambridge, Massachusetts local named Maria Elizabeth Falconio. Castle graduated from MIT with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Soon after, he married Maria. They would eventually have two children: Lisa Barbara Castle, usually called by her middle name; and three years later, Frank David, a.k.a. Frank Jr.

After The Basic School and the Infantry Officer Course, Castle was assigned as a rifle platoon commander in 3rd Battalion 6th Marines within the 2nd Marine Division. He was later made a weapons platoon commander and then a mortar platoon commander. Eventually, he became a company executive officer. Attaining dockets, Castle was permitted to go through U.S. Army Airborne School and U.S. Navy Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, becoming qualified as a Navy SEAL. Soon after being promoted to Captain, he applied to join Force Reconnaissance. Upon completing the Force Recon selection and training pipeline, Castle was assigned to Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion. He later saw combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. For heroism in the line of duty, he was decorated with numerous medals.

Shortly after a tour in Afghanistan, Castle was given leave time. The Castle family used the time for sightseeing in New York City. Castle, his wife, Maria and their children were in Central 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, Maria, Frank Jr. and Barbara died on site, with only Castle surviving.

New York Post reporter Mike McTeer first discovered the grisly scene and alerted police. Castle was rushed to Mount Sinai Medical Center, and detectives John Laviano and Stan Witts began the investigation of the murder scene. Castle 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 Castle. To stop McTeer, Bruno Costa's brother, Frank, sent hitman Billy Russo to take out the reporter and Castle. Castle's extensive military experience alerted him to Russo's presence, and he narrowly escaped the bomb set by Russo. After finding McTeer dead, Castle realized the legal system had failed him and decided justice would only be served if he took the punishment into his own hands.

Castle 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 New York City, 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, Castle 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: Blue Hair: Black

Abilities: The Punisher is the recipient of multi-disciplinary military training from the U.S. Marine Corps. While a Marine, he also received training from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. From this training, the Punisher is proficient in not only basic infantry skills, but in special operations, which includes the use and maintenance of specialized firearms and explosive ordnance. He is highly trained in infiltration into heavily-guarded enemy territories and structures for the purpose of assassination, 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 Navy UDT 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 then 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.