I have a genuine question

[u/Fancy-Language4242]

Hey guys! I just finished s1 of the series and I heard a lot of people thought the show was bad. I am a casual, never read comics, only watched this and s2 of daredevil. But personally I think that the show is great, I liked the character and Jon is a hell of an actor. Why are people saying that the show is bad (for example compared to daredevil which is an amazing show also)

[u/gvrmtissueddigiclone]

I think I understand both sides?

I'm in the same boat because Daredevil and the Punisher show introduced me to the character and I had a good time with it. It also took a few years until I started following it up by checking out more of the street-level New York comics (I'm mostly an X-Men kinda girl) and was actually introduced to the comics version of the Punisher, which I also really enjoyed. And now I both still like the show but also understand why people who were a fan of the comics first and were hoping for a faithful adaptation, criticise it - because there are differences that would be disappointing if you are a comics'-Punisher fan first. (Punisher: War-Zone is imo the most in-character screen-adaptation, if you want to check it out and maybe get a bit of a taste of what people mean).

For me personally, I think that some of the differences between Bernthal's Punisher and the comics' Punisher make sense, actually, or at least I can explain them to myself. But obviously, it means the adaptation is less faithful to the comics (I could go into detail about that, but in a way, it feels like a bit of an 'alternative/what if-' version to me, with a lot of the differences coming from that fact that it wasn't a random shooting that killed Frank's family but a conspiracy and that it was also partially the result of his own actions. I think this explains a lot of the differences between these versions of the character. Also, I know Marvel has a sliding age scale, I mostly see the comics version of Frank Castle as older than the Netflix version and that's another way in which I justify some of the differences to myself)

THAT SAID...I also think that some criticism is just reddit being reddit and fans being fans.

[u/Sweaty-Bar-4187 → u/gvrmtissueddigiclone]

Great point.

That said, I don't really see changing the Punisher's origin story as a problem.

1- There were already hints back in Daredevil Season 2. Dutton, the inmate Frank killed in prison, mentioned that the drug operation involved more than 100 people. That suggests it was a massive trafficking operation, not exactly the same situation as in the comics. Because of that, other parties being involved in the murder of the Castle family was never a far-fetched idea. What I'm trying to say If someone has a problem with that plot point, I think the issue comes from how it was originally presented in Daredevil, not from The Punisher series itself.

2- "Some" (not all) Punisher fans have only read MAX, so their entire perception of the character comes from that run. But I honestly think that anyone who has read War Journal or 90's punisher would have a much greater appreciation for the show. Like Where Frank is targeted in one of the stories by a former friend from his unit, because of a drug-smuggling operation in 'nam that he suspects Frank may know something about.

The writers of the show did a great job taking ideas like that and connecting them to the death of his family in a way that feels logical and believable.

I don't think there's anything wrong with changing certain events from the comics.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this.