Why I Like The Idea Of Marvel’s Punisher On FOX

A few weeks back, it was announced that ABC Studios, Marvel, and Criminal Minds producer Ed Bernero were teaming up to create a TV adaptation of Marvel’s Punisher for the FOX TV network.

The immediate reaction, as per usual with these things, came from people complaining that being on FOX would tone the character down. Some comments made in the log line also created concern.

I’m not worried. Actually, I feel the opposite; I think it could be a very good thing, and The Punisher is one of those characters perfectly suited for television…. and even more, it’s perfectly suited for *FOX* television, on a broadcast channel.

I fully admit I’ve been wrong before. I read David E. Kelley’s script for Wonder Woman and didn’t hate it; I saw the potential there. Then I saw Wonder Woman, and, well… that enthusiasm flew out the door. So please take this disclaimer that I could be going into this with fanboy-colored glasses.

Anyhow. Back to my point…. the first criticism about The Punisher being on FOX and not a more adult cable network like HBO, Showtime, or even FOX’s FX is that it wouldn’t be violent or adult enough.

To that, I say this: The Punisher first appeared in 1974’s Amazing Spider-Man issue #129. A Code-approved comic book about *Spider-Man.* That’s almost bordering on kid-friendly, though I don’t expect for the character to be that way on TV. I’ll also say that to date, I have never seen any of the Punisher films; the reviews were often implying they weren’t something I want to see, but I imagine they were as violent as they “needed” to be and yet, they still weren’t extremely successful.

I also point to the recent PunisherMax comic book from Marvel. Yes, Jason Aaron is one of Marvel’s more prolific and popular artists, but beyond the scheduling that killed me from full enjoyment of the book, it was that it took matters TOO far with the adult content, at least for me. Elektra suddenly having sex with the Kingpin, and then with a woman? Did I read that right? Was that necessary? It sure wasn’t necessary when Frank Miller wrote his original (and best) Elektra epic in Daredevil 30 years ago… The same thing would go for if The Punisher aired on a network like Starz. There’s a point where you try to be so adult, violent, and “naughty” that it almost gets comical. It’s why I had no interest in watching Camelot, and no, I don’t watch True Blood either, because it tries too hard. Even something like Torchwood seemed to take “pushing the envelope” to a level of “pushing too far” sometimes.

Comparatively, Greg Rucka’s new Punisher series? Exactly what I’m looking for from a TV show. There’s a lot of violence, sure; but it’s no more violent than I think you could see on 24. One of my favorite classic TV shows, The Equalizer, aired in the 1980’s, and it was plenty violent for broadcast TV.

(I might also add that Rucka’s new book has a great, ready-made supporting cast and locations that look like a TV show set. I’m not sure if that is intentional or not, but everything’s right there… although characters like Microchip, Jigsaw, and Lynn Michaels would still be welcome anytime)

I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t think The Punisher needs to be “HBO-violent,” but at the same time, I don’t think being on FOX will downplay that much.

Then there’s the matter of the log line. I haven’t read the script, nor do I think anyone would allow for me to, but I actually wonder if the whole “police” aspect is something that happens in the pilot only. Like maybe Frank tries to join the police and it doesn’t work out… at least I kind of hope that’s the case. I understand trying to make the character more “relatable,” but declawing a character’s defining moments can hurt. I loved Human Target but hated that the key conceit of the comics – a man who wears so many “masks” he forgets his own identity, as well as the abandoning of masks to begin with – was left by the wayside. It became more of a “bodyguard for hire” show, which was still fun, but it could have been something more.

And, really, The Punisher doesn’t need to be changed from the source material or “made more accessible.” The basic concept works wonders. There’s a reason the original Punisher comics by Steven Grant and Mike Zeck worked, and why people continued it when the many ongoing series came later. This is a character who bravely gave to his country, and then was failed by his country and “the system” when he saw his family gunned down. Can you imagine losing everything and everyone you’d loved? Of course you can. Does that make the character inaccessible? Not at all. Again, I point to Rucka’s new series, which has spotlighted the supporting cast more than Frank Castle himself in the early issues… build the supporting cast, have contacts for Frank, and that’s all the accessibility that you really need.

Oh, and one more thing – I’ve seen a lot of commentary that suggests “FOX will just cancel it” whenever anything major is lined up. Whereas, yes, like any network, FOX might cancel something in a way fans might seem premature… Human Target (that again!) may have had more time if it had been more regularly scheduled, Lie To Me probably could have used more time, but you can’t say shows like The Good Guys and Dollhouse weren’t given a chance. Even the loved Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was justifiably ended; it was an expensive show, running the same time as a movie franchise, and – as much as I would have liked to have seen a Season 3 – the ratings just were falling. Let The Punisher be in a consistent timeslot, don’t change it up week to week to match the whims of American Idol or baseball, and watch the audience come in.

In the end… as long as a Punisher TV show has good writers, a good supporting cast, and respect to the core material… it’ll do really well. If Frank Castle starts calling himself “Frank Themiscyra” and creates a third identity where he’s a CEO, then we have a problem. If the setting is changed and Frank Castle is suddenly living in Florida, that’d just be weird. Use Wonder Woman as a lesson of how bad comics TV could get, but know that with the right characters and concept, we could have something great and long-running. But for now… of all of the comics-to-TV adaptations currently in development, I think this one might have the best chance, and unlike others, I think FOX is exactly the right place to do it, and a creator with experience writing criminal minds might be the right person to make it happen.

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