r/thepunisher • u/Fancy-Language4242 • 11h ago

DISCUSSION I have a genuine question

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)

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u/ComplexAd7272 11h ago

Mainly because there seems to be this feeling of people behind the scenes either not truly understanding the character of The Punisher, or they DO understand and just decided to go another way. There's times when it comes off as them not really knowing what KIND of show they want to make or who Frank should be.

Is it a Frank focused show confronting his vigilantism, trauma, and PTSD? An ensemble piece? A modern thriller about government coverups and conspiracies? A gritty, street focused series? An action show? A revenge story? It dips it's toes in all of these, some more than others, but never really commits all the way to any of them.

It also for whatever reason has the WORST habits of the Marvel Netflix shows in a single series. Emphasis on side stories and characters you don't really care about. Taking forever to advance the plot. Seemingly wanting to focus on everyone EXCEPT Frank. Too many plot lines going on at once. An almost stubborn refusal to have Frank do Punisher things, wear the skull, etc...I LOVE Jon Bernthal, but I don't think anyone goes into Punisher media saying "I want lots of scenes of Castle sitting around talking!"

Having said all of that, I don't hate it or even think it's "bad" like a lot of people do. It's fine or okay, and there's nothing wrong with being fine. But compared to Daredevil, which miraculously managed to be 99% comic accurate, maintain the spirit of the characters from the comics, AND be a storytelling masterpiece....I don't think a lot of people walked away from Punisher feeling either "Oh man, they nailed it from the comics!" or "Wow, that was a revolutionary piece of television."

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u/Fancy-Language4242 10h ago

Well written, thanks! I think I'm actually happy I'm not into comics (sadly, we don't have them here in physical form), I think I wouldn't have liked the series if I read the comics haha

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u/JonGorga 5h ago

Oh, man. Comics is a WONDERFUL storytelling medium.

I don’t like Deadpool comics but I went to see all three Deadpool movies in theaters and marveled at how well they nailed it. The Keanu Reeves Constantine film is almost completely wrong as an adaptation of the Constantine comics but very enjoyable as its own thing.

You can still read them just not in print and not staring the Punisher! Haha!