What if punisher spider man

screenrant.com

Follow ScreenRant

Something New

What If Spider-Man Became The PUNISHER Instead?

Peter Parker becomes the Punisher in Marvel’s «What If. » series, as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is given a deadlier role.

Things could have gone very differently for everyone’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. In 2018’s Marvel one-shot What If. Peter Parker Became The Punisher?, we get a different, darker look at Spider-Man, one who isn’t afraid to let his ingenuity and scientific know-how lead to lethal confrontations with his enemies. Known almost as much for his sense of humor, here Spider-Man is all business. Gone is his color red-and-blue costume, replaced instead with a black, utilitarian suit adorned with a giant skull.

Beginning with a slight twist to his well-known origin, Peter Parker is bitten by a «false widow,» a black spider with a skull-like design on its abdomen. He acquires his well-known spider-like abilities, and his origin plays out as expected: living with his aunt and uncle; his brief wrestling career and media fame; a home robbery turned deadly for his Uncle Ben. Confronting his uncle’s killer, though, Spider-Man makes the decision to use his great power not for responsibility, but for vengeance.

His war on the underworld finds Peter utilizing his scientific knowledge to outfit his suit with specialized weapons: an EMP pulse to deal with Electro; a flamethrower to turn Sandman into glass; electric tasers easily take down Kraven, and armor-piercing bullets turn Doctor Octopus’s arms into shrapnel. All the while, his career as a photographer for the Daily Bugle fund his endeavors, and the sensationalist headlines by J. Jonah Jameson don’t bother him at all: in fact, he embraces Jameson’s rantings of Spider-Man’s viciousness, figuring villains and mobsters would do well to be afraid.

The only persistent threat remains Green Goblin, whose armor Peter had been unable to penetrate, and whose seemingly-final confrontation leads to Norman Osborn, Green Goblin’s alter ego, amnesiac. Thinking his enemy is gone for good, Peter retires his deadly Spider-Punisher persona, and tries to enjoy his life, leaving the remaining mobsters and gangsters to fight among themselves, eventually escalating their deadly turf wars. As the street violence escalates, Green Goblin returns, having regained his memory. Kidnapping Gwen Stacy, Green Goblin confronts Spider-Man one last time, succumbing to his armor-piercing rounds, and leaving Peter vowing to never return to his crime-fighting antics, as it nearly cost Gwen her life.

The Punishing History of ‘What If?’

Get ready for ‘What If? The Punisher’ #1 with a look at some of the character’s wildest What If one-shots!

Today, everyone’s favorite maverick marksman gets an alternate reality remix in WHAT IF? THE PUNISHER #1! But it isn’t Frank Castle that gets a new look.

Instead, the question posed in this issue is «What if Peter Parker became the Punisher?» Written by Carl Potts with art by Juanan Ramirez, it’s a dark, dangerous, and dramatic sight to behold.

To celebrate this new issue, we decided to look back at the murderer’s row of What If? tales over the years that have given tantalizing looks into Frank Castles that might’ve been—or could someday be. Some of these tales offer solace to the world-weary Castle, while others prove that a man can sometimes never escape his destiny, no matter what universe he resides in.

Here are the greatest What If? Punisher stories from across the magnificently mystifying Marvel Multiverse.

WHAT IF? #10

Writer Doug Murray told a tale of destiny overtaking Frank when his family avoided being killed by the mob, but ended up getting killed by corrupt cops when Officer Castle tried to investigate them for their involvement. The Kingpin and the Arranger showed up in this alternate reality, as well as Spider-Man, who in some ways inspired Frank to become the Punisher. In addition, Frank’s son wore a “Captain Punisher” Halloween costume before his untimely death, perhaps providing further food for thought.

WHAT IF? #24

When a vampiric Wolverine lorded over his fellow mutant bloodsuckers, the Punisher became a vampire hunter to put a stake through their plans. The fascinating element here was that Frank Castle waged a finely focused war on vampires in particular — not his broad battle on all crime as on Earth-616. In the end, this one became one of those stories wherein everyone dies. And we do mean everyone.

WHAT IF? #26

Diverging from the classic DAREDEVIL #293, Frank accidentally killed Daredevil in this story by Kurt Busiek, then found himself confronted by a rage-fueled Spider-Man. The Punisher won the initial battle, but when Spidey’s secret identity came out and his Aunt May was killed for it, the wallcrawler beat Frank to a pulp. Once again, the Kingpin loomed large over the proceedings, as in the Punisher’s proper reality, and even managed to kill Castle before dying in a bomb blast himself.

WHAT IF? #44

Busiek returned to dreaming up alternate Punisher plots for this issue, where Eddie Brock dodged a bullet when the Venom symbiote attached itself to Castle to create a Punisher far worse than anything anybody had ever imagined before. It’s hard to think of an even more violent vigilante than what we see in the regular Marvel Universe, but that’s what we get here. After a confrontation with Spider-Man and Moon Knight, Frank tried to compromise with the alien entity by threatening to destroy himself thereby balancing both their thirsts for blood.

WHAT IF? #51

Another direct divergence from an existing story—CAPTAIN AMERICA #212, to be exact. Blinded by the Red Skull, Captain America sought a substitute to sling the famous shield, and after several trials with others, decided upon the Punisher. In this reality, Castle was already the Punisher we know and fear, but inspired by a pep talk from Steve Rogers, something wonderful happened in this issue: Frank became a better man while wearing the stars and stripes.

WHAT IF? #57

From one form of service to another, military man Frank Castle joined super-spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D. in this tale by Chuck Dixon, bringing his special brand of justice to the ongoing battle with Hydra and the Yellow Claw. This tale offered yet another possible path to a better Frank as it pondered what service to S.H.I.E.L.D. might look like for the ex-Marine—but of course really provided his inner-Punisher with avenues to adversaries he was itching to take out.

WHAT IF? #58

Remember back when the Jackal hired the Punisher to kill Spider-Man in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #129? Well, in this alternate shot, writer Chuck Dixon pushed Castle to follow through on the dirty deed, but also managed to help him claim his revenge on the vile villain who set him up to take the fall for the job. The story was set up as a fascinating flashback in Frank’s mind as he was about to kill the Jackal, which brought him right up to his own demise at the hands of the police.

WHAT IF? WOLVERINE #1

We already tend to think of the Punisher and Wolverine as cut from the same cloth in many ways—chief among them being their opinion on the use of lethal force against evil. But this tale literally melded the two personalities into one alternate take on both their legends. In it, long-lived Logan adopted the look and style of the Punisher to clash with 1920s-era Chicago gangsters in a dark drama of crime and consequences. Frank wasn’t present in the flesh, but his ideals and motifs appeared to blend with Wolverine’s own unique style for one heckuva alternate take.

Witness the latest story in this long lineage by going to your local comic shop for WHAT IF? THE PUNISHER #1 today!

‘What If? Punisher #1’ Toys with Spider-Man

Every iconic superhero has a defining trait. For Superman, it’s unyielding idealism. For Captain America, it’s “American values” at their most pure. For Spider-Man, it’s exercising power and responsibility. At this point, Spider-Man is such an icon that it’s hard to imagine associating him with any other characteristics. It does, however, inspire an interesting thought experiment.

What if Spider-Man’s concept of power and responsibility were different?

Any time a hero operates under entirely different laurels, it often undermines the core of that character. Spider-Man acting like Wolverine just doesn’t work because it requires him to radically change his personality. For most of these scenarios, there’s no way to keep a superhero character true to their core, especially someone as well-known as Spider-Man.

However, there are a select few stories that offer alternative takes to a superhero that don’t require that they act completely out of character. What If? Punisher #1 offers a different path for Spider-Man, but one that mixes his notions of responsibility with the more brutal tactics of the Punisher. Logistically speaking, Spider-Man is better-equipped to utilize these tactics than Frank Castle. While Castle is a highly-trained soldier, he doesn’t have super-powers or a spider sense. In theory, Spider-Man might actually be a better Punisher than Frank ever could.

Carl Potts and Juanan Ramirez make a strong case that there’s some validity to this storytelling theory. It doesn’t even require that Spider-Man’s story radically change. The most critical elements of his traditional path are still intact. He gets bit by a radioactive spider, he fails to stop a burglar, and his Uncle Ben dies because of his inaction. Unlike other What If? stories, this one doesn’t try to reinvent the character. It just adjusts the circumstances.

In this case, it’s just a matter of Peter’s encounter with the burglar who killed his uncle going differently. Some aspects are similar to the “other” Spider-Man, but they’re altered enough to significantly change Spider-Man’s understanding of power and responsibility. While Spider-Man still operates under that iconic axiom, his idea of what it means is a lot less merciful.

Granted, Peter Parker on his worst day is nowhere near as violent as Frank Castle at his best, but this version of Spider-Man is not exactly friendly. There are fewer wisecracks and more bullets in his tactics. Like Frank Castle, he approaches his responsibilities the same way a soldier approaches war. Instead of using that genius-level IQ to make fat jokes about the Kingpin, Peter channels it into functional battle tactics. It’s debatable how much this is in keeping with his personality, but there’s no denying the results.

True to his punishing persona, this version of Spider-Man doesn’t stop at just tying villains up in webs and leaving them for the NYPD to collect. He uses both his power and his brilliance to effectively kill his opponents. This, in and of itself, marks the biggest turning point for Peter Parker’s journey as Spider-Man. Like Batman and Daredevil, Spider-Man makes a big deal about not killing his enemies. This iteration has no such qualms. From his point of view, it’s a responsible use of his power.

To be fair, Peter tries to be merciful at first, but quickly learns this doesn’t stop these people in the long run. It just makes them more enraged when they try to get back at him. Pragmatically speaking, he has to use lethal force in order to protect innocent people. It’s because he’s willing to go that far that some of those he couldn’t save in the mainline universe are alive in this alternate timeline. These kinds of differences are not trivial. If anything, it highlights a profound flaw in Spider-Man’s traditional tactics.

As the Punisher, Spider-Man doesn’t have to endure countless battles with the same enemies. He takes them out and they’re no longer a threat. The likes of Sandman, Doc Ock, Mysterio, and Vulture never get a chance to become bitter rivals. On top of that, they never get a chance to hurt more people or cause more damage.

While that means many iconic stories and epic battles can no longer occur, it also means that the people of New York are safer. Peter Parker’s family and loved ones are safer. All the collateral damage, hardship, and spectacle from seeing Spider-Man battle the Green Goblin for the millionth time never happens. On paper, this version of Spider-Man is more responsible than any other version, including the mainline version.

As a result, What If? Punisher #1 has major implications for the entire concept of Spider-Man. It exposes the flaw in Peter’s idea that not killing his enemies constitutes responsibility. The end of the story implies that the cost of this approach isn’t very high. In fact, it comes with significant benefits, both in terms of his personal life and his overall effectiveness as a superhero. There are still consequences to this approach, but few of those consequences ever manifest.

Either this constitutes a flaw in the story or it exposes the unspoken ineptitude of the mainline Spider-Man. It’s not clear whether Potts and Ramirez are trying to do either. Intentional or not, the message is clear. Spider-Man is more responsible when he’s willing to kill his enemies instead of sparing them. Crime actually goes down in New York. The people he loves are alive and safer.

There’s also no indication that killing his enemies causes Peter any undue guilt. His willingness to do so comes off as a minor issue, which feels like an oversight. Frank Castle is a soldier who was conditioned to kill. Peter Parker is just a high school student who got super powers by accident. Even with the alterations to his backstory, he seems to embrace these tactics too easily. He’s never haunted by his decisions or plagued with doubt. He just shrugs it off because in his mind, it’s a responsible use of his powers. By nearly every measure, he’s not wrong.

There are a lot of dynamics that What If? Punisher #1 doesn’t delve into, which makes the story feel incomplete. The ending also comes off as contrived in how it attempts to tie Peter Parker’s story with that of Frank Castle. That story still raises a lot of questions about what it means to be responsible and too many of them go unanswered. Even if the narrative is frustratingly condensed, it still succeeds in proving that Spider-Man’s unwillingness to punish his enemies is extremely irresponsible.

Peter Parker as the Punisher. And More Marvel What Ifs Coming this Fall

Spider-Man, Magik, Ghost Rider, Thor, the X-Men, and the Punisher get the What If treatment!

What If something else happened? What If an event—poised on a knife edge—fell in the other direction? What If the Marvel Universe was…different?

These are the questions posed, explored, and brought to their dramatic, reality-defying conclusions in the legendary Marvel What If books—and this fall, they return!

Six brand-new What If stories, each examining classic Marvel characters and narratives turned on their heads, are set to drop this October! Investigate the unknown as Spider-Man, Magik, Ghost Rider, Thor, the X-Men, and the Punisher each enter realities that readers never dared to imagine…until now!

Get all the details about the new What If issues below.

WHAT IF? THE PUNISHER #1

Written by Carl Potts with art by Juanan Ramirez and a cover by Christopher Stevens, WHAT IF? THE PUNISHER #1 hits on October 10.

When Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben is ruthlessly killed by a burglar that Peter let escape, he vows to never let the same fate befall another innocent bystander. From then on, he stands as a figure of cold retribution. Criminals beware – the guilty caught in this spider’s web will be punished. But will Parker stand triumphant…or shattered by this twist of fate?

The friendly neighborhood takes a different turn in this WHAT IF? adventure, positing a very different sense of responsibility for the man who will be known as the Punisher, as his battles against villains like the Green Goblin take a new path!

«WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT…PUNISHMENT?! PUNISHER and SPIDER-MAN are two very, very different characters, but could they be two sides of the same coin?» asks editor Mark Basso. «They’re fueled by different philosophies and use different methods, but how many kicks to the other side does it take to turn a Peter Parker into THE PUNISHER!? Everything you think you think you know (not a typo!) about your favorite heroes and anti-heroes will change after you read this book!»

WHAT IF? MAGIK #1

Brought to life by writer Leah Williams, artist Filipe Andrade, and with a cover by Jeff Dekal, Illyana Rasputin enters a new reality on October 31.

Before she was Magik, Illyana was just a kid whom Limbo chewed up and spit out seven years older. So it’s no surprise that, at 15, she wants nothing to do with the X-Men. nothing to do with the New Mutants. and nothing to do with her own powers. It’s not even surprising that she runs away. but where—and who—she ends up? Well, that’s something you’ve never seen before.

«Illyana Rasputin deserves better,» explains book editor Annalise Bissa. » As much as we all love a character who’s been aged up, down, grown up under the thumb of demons, watched her parents die, died herself, come back, been evil, been good again, had more power changes than you can shake a stick at. any X-Fan might start to wonder who Magik would be in a world where her mutation isn’t ruled by these crazy ups and downs—where she has the chance to embrace her power early and grow from there, this is the book for you. If you like Magik, magic, or any other word for all things mystical and mysterious and maybe a little bit murderous, read WHAT IF? MAGIK #1.»

WHAT IF? GHOST RIDER #1

On October 17, writer Sebastian Griner, artist Caspar Wijngaard, and cove r artist Aleksi Briclot, present WHAT IF? GHOST RIDER #1.

You’ve only heard whispers of this real-world/Marvel Universe crossover until now, when moral decline and budgetary shortfalls have combined to lower our lawyers’ resistance! Sebastian Girner and Caspar Wijngaard recklessly bring you the tale of the first and only true Nordic black metal band to visit the Marvel Universe through the insanity of likeness release waivers! What role does Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes play, and will your mind survive the brutality!?

Editor Kathleen Wisneski says, «Before you read this comic, you’re going to need THREE things, friends. ONE: an extra pair of pants. TWO: some kind of eyeball apparatus designed to keep your eyeballs INSIDE your head. THREE: your mom on speed-dial. We are serving you pants-off and eyeballs-out levels of horror and shock, and if ANYONE has a chance to call you back from the ledge of insanity that this comic will lift you to, then ABANDON you upon, it’s your momma. If she’s read it first, you can hold hands on your way DOWN INTO THE ABYSS!» Oh boy.

WHAT IF? THOR #1

Written by Ethan Sacks with a rt by Michele Bandini and a c over by Marco Checchetto, the Odinson experiences a new reality on October 24.

When young Thor’s father falls to the King of Giants, his life is forever changed. He’s ripped from Asgard to be raised in a world of persistent winter, learning the brutal way of life in Jotenheim. But how does the runt of the giants, Loki, feel about his new stepbrother?

«The ten realms better bundle up, because there’s a cold front coming to the Marvel Universe,» says editor Dan Edington. «The Frost Giants helped the Gods of Asgard chill out — permanently — and have taken Thor to be raised as one of their own! Being out of his element, Thor has got to find a way to keep warm with a little help from his new brother, Loki. But can he learn to run with the giants, or will the bitter winds of Jotenheim leave Thor out in the cold? There’s only once place to find out, this October when Asgard is out, and ice is in!»

WHAT IF? X-MEN #1

On October 3, writer Bryan Edward Hill, artists Neil Edwards and Giannis Milonogiannis, and cover artist Rahzzah bring you WHAT IF? X-MEN #1.

From the publisher that gave you OLD MAN LOGAN and HOUSE OF M. witness the X-Men as you never imagined!

Editor Chris Robinson keeps the pitch short and sweet: «The most life-changing comic since VENOM #1. Speculators take note.» Boom.

WHAT IF? SPIDER-MAN #1

Written by Gerry Conway with a rt by Diego Olortegui and a cover by Patch Zircher, the questions are asked. w hat if Peter Parker wasn’t the one bitten by the radioactive spider? W hat if the person who got bit was someone who didn’t live by the mantra of “with great power comes great responsibility”? What if that person was an egotistical bully who was only interested in taking care of himself?

What if…Flash Thompson became Spider-Man? Find out on October 3.

So. What If the Marvel Universe was different? Find out this October.

screenrant.com

Follow ScreenRant

Something New

The Spider-Man Who Became PUNISHER Coming To Marvel

Marvel finally shows what would have happened if Peter Parker decided to embrace gun violence as The Punisher, instead of Spider-Man.

Finally, Marvel is answering the question: what if Peter Parker didn’t become Spider-Man. but became The Punisher instead?

It’s an alternate history that at least two or three comic fans have considered before (probably?), since both Marvel heroes were forged in the fires of seeing a loved one murdered. With great powers, Peter became a superhero. With only guns to rely on, Frank Castle became Punisher.

Now thanks to What If? Punisher #1 the two heroes will be rolled into one (and their worlds along with them).

If the premise doesn’t convince fans that this reimagining is more compelling than gimmicky (a divide often found in ‘what if?’ stories) then the preview cover art by Chris Stevens isn’t going to move the needle. That being said, there really is no substitute for seeing Spider-Man’s suit reimagined as a Punisher t-shirt. and his wrist-mounted web shooters replaced with, well, let’s just call them bullet-shooters. Have a look:

Take a look at the official synopsis for What If? Punisher #1 direct from Marvel Comics:

WITH GREAT POWER…When Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben is ruthlessly killed by a burglar Peter let escape, he vows to never let the same fate befall another innocent bystander. From then on, he stands as a figure of cold retribution. Criminals beware – the guilty caught in this spider’s web will be PUNISHED. But will Parker stand triumphant…or shattered by this twist of fate? The friendly neighborhood takes a different turn in this WHAT IF? adventure, positing a very different sense of responsibility for the man who will be known as THE PUNISHER, as his battles against villains like the GREEN GOBLIN take a new path!

Punisher and Spider-Man are two very, very different characters, but could they be two sides of the same coin? They’re fueled by different philosophies and use different methods, but how many kicks to the other side does it take to turn a Peter Parker into THE PUNISHER!? Everything you think you think you know (not a typo!) about your favorite heroes and anti-heroes will change after you read this book!

It’s hard to argue that Spidey wouldn’t have found a more permanent solution to villains like Green Goblin by using a pistol as opposed to his sense of humor. But in a world where the hero is gunning people down, who’s to say the Goblin isn’t just as far on the right side of the line?

Assuming this title from Carl Potts and Juanan Ramirez isn’t quite the mash-up for you, then one of the other What If? issues coming later this year from Marvel could be more up your alley. Perhaps exploring what would change if Flash Thompson had been bitten by the radioactive spider in Peter’s place.

What If? Punisher#1 will be available on October 10 from Marvel Comics.