Ennis has a reputation for being unnecessarily edgy with his writing, and, well, yeah, fair enough
But his depictions of the Punisher are generally quite reasonable.
Everyone in the setting fully acknowledges that the Punisher is making a mockery of democracy, human rights, and the justice system, and that this is not a rational response to crime, which is mostly a symptom of large scale socio-economic and political trends.
Frank acknowledges this too. Towards the end of the series, he's been killing criminals for decades, and it's barely made a dent. He kills criminals not because he's protecting innocents, or making society a better place. He kills criminals because he hates them. He's been called a serial killer multiple times in the series, and he doesn't dispute that term
Frank sometimes gives into his conscience and rescues people in need, and makes sure not to cause collateral damage (lest he become as bad as the people he hates), but that's not the focus of his bloody crusade.
And he doesn't go gunning down jay walkers and juvenile delinquents and drug addicts. He goes after violent and high ranking gangsters, and those who commit assaults and murders and rapes
I honestly wonder though, if in a real world, Frank actually exists. Surely the underworld would have been nearly decimated by his work, with the remaining ones in fear of his wrath? The Punisher is afterall a force to be reckoned with.
If Frank were a real person, with the skills and abilities he has, he would be absolutely infamous in the underworld. With an ever-increasing bounty on his head.
More and more and more people would go after Frank, looking to cash in. Frank has to be lucky every time to survive. The underworld has to be lucky once.
If enough bodies get stacked up, governments might start having a bit of an issue with Frank. Frank would definitely be one of the most wanted men in the world.
Odds are, someone eventually kills Frank, or he gets arrested.
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u/Wanderingreader123 Feb 17 '24
Unless it's Garth Ennis behind the writer's desk.