The Punisher’s One Flaw

Before the arrival of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, find out the one glaring flaw from The Punisher season 1, starring Jon Bernthal.

Frank Castle & Turk Barrett in episode 4 of Netflix’s The Punisher (Marvel Television)

I find the first season of Netflix’s Punisher to be not just one of the best superhero projects ever, but one of the best media ever. The character studies on The Punisher (played by Jon Bernthal) and Micro (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach), the reflection losing family has on a person, the weight on veterans’ minds, and the portrayal of war tactics in the tight corners of NYC are some of the things which made me fall in love with this season.

However, there is one strong flaw I can’t ignore. And it comes in episode 4.

SPOILERS FOR PUNISHER SEASON 1 FOLLOW.

The Punisher and Micro finish building their relationship and start to have trust in one another. The next step is actually executing the mission. And to do that, we need one of Punisher’s most beloved things in the whole universe. Guns.

Micro tracks Turk Barrett buying a shipment of guns at the docks from the Greeks. The Punisher raids it, and holds Turk at gunpoint. At the end of the conversation, Turk reveals he doesn’t have the guns as the Greeks moved them elsewhere. The Punisher debates shooting him, before letting him go with only a knockout blow.

As we mentioned before, guns are beloved to Frank Castle. But the love is not exclusive to The Punisher. The mafia and Agent Orange used guns to take out Frank’s family. And to avoid them being logged into the system, they most likely bought them off illegal dealers like Turk. Additionally, the arms dealers actions fuel the black market and allow both mafias and corrupt law enforcement officials to increase their power. In this way, Turk and his line of work indirectly contributed to the death of the Castles.

In the face of this, Frank’s sparing of Turk never made sense to me. I get it, Turk is a decently popular character in both television and comics, appearing in multiple Marvel Netflix shows. He even held an infinity stone in the comics during 2018’s Infinity Wars prequel.

However, I think it’s better to avoid out of character situations than make sensible decisions within them. I feel the same way about…

SPOILERS FOLLOW FOR DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN SEASON 1.

…Matt Murdock exposing Hector Ayala’s identity in court. It made complete sense as a desperate measure within the situation, but I would’ve rather avoided writing that altogether because it ruins the immersion and the established equity of the character. I’d feel the same way about a scene where Captain America had to murder a soldier, or X-23 a mutant.

SPOILERS FOR DAREDEVIL END.

Yes, I understand why Turk was used. He’s recognizable, he’s funny, and he draws attention, especially in situations where he’s begging for his life. He does little things like voice cracks and tightly squeezing his eyes shut to portray fear. Turk’s a good fit for what the episode neesd. And for those reasons and that character equity that stretched across the whole Netflix imprint, he couldn’t be killed.

But, I’d rather Turk not even be featured if the end result is Frank Castle doing something that’s unlike Frank Castle. Give the gun dealer role to another actor and let them invoke humor/emotion, while letting Frank build his persona as The Punisher by taking them out in the end.

It gives greater weight to all the themes involving Frank’s family if Frank can’t even spare someone who wasn’t directly involved in their murder, but features the same line of work. Highlighted is the extent of his anger.

That’s the main gripe I had with a show that otherwise, is one of the best character studies I’ve ever seen. And a character I can’t wait to see return alongside Web-Head in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

If you enjoyed this article, click this link for a story featuring a darker theory on why The Punisher spared Turk!