It’s certainly been a year to remember if you’re a fan of The Punisher, now hasn’t it? In addition to winning over True Believers with the new Netflix series starring Jon Bernthal, Frank Castle has found yet another way to turn heads on the comic book side of things.
As you may recall, James Rhodes unfortunately met his end during the events of Civil War II. But, as it turns out, his War Machine armor didn’t go to waste because – get this – Castle picked up where Iron Man’s best buddy left off. That’s right, the deadliest mech suit around has fallen into the most dangerous hands possible.
Originally, I scoffed at this idea because I like seeing Castle as more of a stripped down vigilante who can easily exist outside of the Marvel Universe – and often has in his feature films. But when I really thought about it, I couldn’t help but open myself to the possibility of seeing the Punisher mowing down fools with Gatling guns mounted on his shoulders. If I could swallow Death Wish 3’s over the top third act, then I can surely buy into this, right?
With the new status quo having been firmly established in issue #218 last month (be sure to check out our five-star review here), it looks like Frank is more than ready to customize the War Machine armor as he sees fit. In fact, we’d say the men in his presence (pictured above) had the right reaction when seeing him in the next chapter of the ongoing saga. Really, it’s entirely understandable if they were to soil their trousers.
To find out what happens next, be sure to pick up a copy of The Punisher #219 when it arrives in comic shops this Wednesday, December 13.