The adoption of the skull is a sign some police no longer want to be police – they want to be vigilantes, capable of using “any means necessary”. After all, as Worcester states, “the legal system is little more than an inconvenience” to the Punisher.
The Punisher's iconic skull logo is one of the most recognisable comic book images in history. It's a symbol to strike fear into the heart of criminals. Spider-Man's spider logo means “you're gonna get webbed up for the cops”.
The Punisher skull first gained popularity in military circles during the Gulf War, when soldiers began to wear it on their helmets and other gear. The skull's association with the Punisher's vigilante justice and "no mercy" attitude made it a fitting emblem for soldiers engaged in warfare.
The Punisher skull is a favored symbol among white nationalists, Proud Boys, terrorist groups and January 6 insurrectionists. It's been found tattooed on mass shooters and would-be killers who were stopped before they could open fire.
The adoption of the logo by the far right came to light in 2012, Navy SEAL Chris Kyle used the symbol during his deployment in Iraq. “We all thought what the Punisher did was cool: He righted wrongs,” Kyle stated in his 2012 book American Sniper. “So we adopted his symbol — a skull — and made it our own.
“We all thought what the Punisher did was cool: He righted wrongs. He killed bad guys. He made wrongdoers fear him,” Kyle's memoir reads. “We spray-painted [the Punisher skull] on our Hummers and body armor, and our helmets and all our guns.
Despite frogmen making the fictional character's logo cool among real-life warriors, it only made sense for Marines to follow suit. After all, Castle was a Marine. Frank Castle's iconic Punisher skull made the jump from comic books to real battlefields when it was adopted by SEAL Team 3.
Yet, it wasn't until US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle used the Punisher skull logo that it developed a meaning with the US military. In his autobiography, Kyle recalled how his team came to adopt the symbol. “We called ourselves the Punishers,” he wrote. “He's a real bad-a** who rights wrongs, delivering vigilante justice.
Despite Frank Castle's backstory, the Punisher logo has been particularly popular among police officers, with many adopting the iconic skull symbol. In fact, in 2014, when the Blue Lives Matter movement arose in response to Black Lives Matter movement, the Punisher logo was adopted by this camp.
However, this final issue makes it clear that Marvel, or at least the author, really does not like the Punisher. Maria's judgment is clear and irrevocable: Frank's crusade was foolish, he never pursued justice, and not even revenge. Everything he wanted was an excuse to let loose his murderous instincts.
If you use it as part of your business, though, it is using the mark in commerce and the trademark owner can (and often will) come after you. That's the same basic problem with Marvel and the Punisher logo worn by so many police officers.
As time passed and his brand grew, the skull became synonymous with the Punisher. But in spite of that, Marvel no longer uses the original version. Beginning in 2022, Marvel began to employ a new incarnation of the emblem. Getting rid of the human skull, Marvel swapped it for something a bit more demonic in nature.
The Punisher won't kill cops, or other members of legitimate authority such as soldiers. Even when pursued by forces intent on killing him, Frank won't kill police officers. The Punisher is, after all, a former Marine and a firm believer that armed forces are one of the few things that can keep law and order.
It's a Memento mori . When Frank puts on the skull outfit, he is not only reminding himself that his choices can lead to his death, but also that his enemies' choices have led them to their own.
More to the point, the character himself is inherently anti-police. The whole reason that Frank Castle took on his vigilante role was that he felt left behind by the system.
So you may be thinking, why the sudden change? The logo has had quite a history after being controversially adopted by sources outside of the comic books. Right-wing groups, the US military, and the police force during the BLM protests all took the logo on as an emblem giving it negative connotations.
It's his duty to protect the innocent. It's his burden to have to do terrible things to make it so. That's something many troops can get behind. It also helps that he truly encapsulates the rest of the minor moments that come with being a veteran.
For those who don't know, Frank Castle, aka The Punisher hates the police. He does not trust them, he thinks they're corrupt, and especially hates anyone who tries to adopt his symbol.
The Punisher is infamous for killing his foes, and as a result hardly any other Marvel superhero will work with him. Castle's motivations for killing have always stemmed from tragically losing his family to violence - but even Daredevil can see that Frank has taken his revenge mission too far this time.
This one-man war machine does have a code when he conducts business though, the main rule being to spare innocents at all cost. He makes sure not to make the mistake his family died because of. The mistake that made him The Punisher.
The vigilante anti-hero is fundamentally a critique of the justice sysytem, an example of social failure, so when cops put Punisher skulls on their cars or members of the military wear Punisher skull patches, they're basically sides with an enemy of the system. They are embracing an outlaw mentality.
Castle was shot in the head, but miraculously survived. The violent event was orchestrated by Rawlins (with help from Billy Russo) in an attempt to kill Castle, whom he believed had leaked footage of Zubair's torture and murder.
