Late Punisher creator Gerry Conway legacy is rejecting cops' use of skull symbol

That Punisher logo sure pops up a lot of places where it doesn't quite make sense

Legendary comics writer Gerry Conway passed away on Monday, but his lengthy body of work will forever stand strong. Conway created a lot of memorable characters in his many years as a comic writer, but perhaps none so well-known as Marvel's The Punisher. Appearing first in Amazing Spider-Man #129 and co-created with artists John Romita and Ross Andru, Frank Castle was introduced as a misguided villain, which puts him on a crash course with our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Over the years, the character has been fleshed out by dozens of creators, multiple films, and even a popular Netflix TV series. Details and timelines have changed, but, through it all, Frank Castle has remained solidly in the realm of antihero. With hundreds of deaths on his conscience from his time as a shell-shocked vigilante, he claims to only kill those that "deserve it." Yet, considering the pretty clear PTSD he's suffering dating back to his first appearance, let's just say that he might not be of sound mind to make those choices.

The real hero of this story is, as usual, Peter Parker. At first fighting Frank, Peter quickly realizes that he's dealing with a broken man, and opts to refocus his hostility on their shared enemy instead.

There have been many takes on The Punisher, but it's rare to find one that doesn't at least consider that he might, just maybe, be in the wrong. His first appearance portrayed a man who "brought the war home," offering some insight into the time in which he was introduced. In 1973, the Vietnam War was finally drawing to a close, but not before costing millions of lives, the disruption of civilizations, and a myriad of humanitarian crises.

In the nonfiction book Bring the War Home, writer Kathleen Belew details the sharp rise in American paramilitarism in the aftermath of the United States' withdrawl from Vietnam. This is a crisis that The Punisher seems to directly reference as he mutters about his "lonely war" while wandering off into the shadows.

Once you've read enough of his comics, it's hard to view Castle as anything but a tragic figure. A man who has become so consumed by his war on crime that nothing else remains. A man who makes terrible, lethal mistakes, and who can never seem to leave his past behind. It would seem that this character should have extra relevance in today's world when viewed through this lens. Instead, many have leaned into the glorification of violence that follows the character through his worst moments. What will eventually define the character is hard to say, but Conway never minced words about how he felt about The Punisher, or those who glorify him.