If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Fresh from his MCU Daredevil: Born Again revival, Marvel Comics resurrects Frank Castle in comic books for adults-only series Punisher: Red Band

Two years after replacing him with a new incarnation of the anti-hero, Frank Castle is back as Marvel Comics' Punisher for a new miniseries published under the Red Band 17+ imprint

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary, all members-only content debuting this week is free for one week! New members can also join for just $0.99/month for their first 3 months (save $15!) with code THREEYEARSOFPV.

Popverse's top stories of the day


It was only a matter of time before Marvel’s most violent anti-hero got to take advantage of the comic book publisher’s ‘adults-only’ imprint, and sure enough — this September sees the launch of the five-issue Punisher: Red Band miniseries, as Frank Castle reclaims his mantle and guns down everyone standing in his way one more time.

The new series comes from the Hellverine creative team of Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta, who are reversing course over the character being replaced as the Punisher by newcomer Joe Garrison in 2023. That series, which ended in early 2024 after four issues, followed a 2022 miniseries by Jason Aaron, Paul Azaceta, and Jesus Saiz that saw Frank Castle join The Hand, the clan of ninja assassins, as well as gain supernatural abilities. By that series’ end, Castle vanished from the regular Marvel Universe, only to be revealed to have traveled to the alternate dimension known as Weird World. Now, he’s seemingly back… and, in keeping with tradition, homicidally pissed.

“Frank Castle—that dark-hearted, vengeance machine, that monster who fights monsters—is one of my all-time favorite characters, and Punisher is a series I've been gunning to write for a long, long time,” Percy said in a statement from Marvel about the new series. “Not only is Frank back in black, but this is a Red Band book. You know what that means. I'm going to lean in fully and push the very limits of my favorite genre: hairy psychopaths. This is going to be as gritty and bloody as it gets. Street-level mayhem awaits you. And Julius Ohta—who I collaborated with previously on Hellverine—is bringing all the blood and fire and rage to the page with his beautiful, terrifying art.”

It should be noted that Castle has been revived at Marvel Comics following the character’s return to the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again. A one-off Punisher special is currently in development for Disney+ debut in 2026.

The new series begins September 10, with an issue featuring covers from Marco Checchetto, E.M. Gist, and Mike Zeck. You can see those covers, along with a preview from that first issue, in the gallery below.

Graeme McMillan

Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.

Comments

Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.

View Comments (0)

Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy