Characters like thePunisherexist in a gray area that challenges both readers and traditional storytelling norms.
Sanderson misses that violence isnt the core issue regarding being an antihero.
They are characters designed to challenge traditional ideas of heroism.
They perfectly exemplify the complex morality of the real world outside the pages of comic books.
They are conflicted, damaged figures who force readers to question what justice and morality actually mean.
The moment serves no tactical purpose.
Its not about protecting others or stopping evil.
It’sone of the most awful things Punisher has done, and entirely disconnected from any notion of heroism.
Ever since becoming the Punisher, Frank Castle has lived a life filled with tragedy.
His hero’s journey has twists and turns that reflect his tragedy.
InPunisher: The End,Castle goes even further.
Faced with the extinction of the human race, he kills the last survivors.
He does so not because it will save anyone, but because he believes they deserve it.
Thats not heroic, or even anti-heroic.
He doesnt care about saving the world, and he never did.
If that were true, Ghostface from Scream would qualify.
Being the focal point of a story doesnt automatically place a character in the heroic spectrum.
Antiheroes must, by definition, act against traditional morality while still pursuing a personal, often conflicted goal.
The brutality in which those goals are pursued doesn’t qualify nor disqualify one from being an anti-hero.
It’s never been about how they act, but rather why they do so.
What defines an anti-hero is whether they can act heroically outside of traditional norms.
Without it, they’re nothing more thana villain in the spotlight.
Frank Castle lacks that internal struggle.
Punisher MAX: The SlaversandPunisher: The End,are available now wherever comics are sold from Marvel Comics.
Source:Brandon Sanderson, YouTube
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