Punisher

Real Name
Frank Castle (born Castiglione)

Occupation
Vigilante; former Special Forces instructor, U.S. Marine

Citizenship
U.S.A. with a criminal record, listed in Marine records as a deserter

Place of Birth
Queens, New York

Known Relatives
Maria Elizabeth Castle (wife, deceased), Lisa Barbara Castle (daughter, deceased), Frank David Castle (a.k.a. Frank Jr., son, deceased), Mario Lorenzo Castiglione (father, deceased), Louisa Castiglione (mother, deceased), Fredo and Rocco Castiglione (paternal uncles, deceased)

Group Affiliation
None; Formerly Secret Avengers, Daredevil's Unnamed Super-Hero Team, Green Berets, U.S. Marine Corps

Education
Extensive military training, partial priesthood training

Height
6'1"

Weight
200 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Black

Powers
None

Abilities
Punisher is the recipient of multi-disciplinary military training from the U.S. Marine Corps. While a Marine, he also received training from the U.S. Army and Navy. From this training, Punisher is proficient in not only basic infantry skills, but in special operations, which includes the use and maintenance of specialized firearms and explosive ordnance. He is highly trained in infiltration into heavily-guarded enemy territories and structures for the purpose of assassination, captures, and military intelligence. Also, he is trained in various forms of camouflage and stealth. From his airborne training, Punisher is able to pack and maintain his own parachute rigs, as well as professionally control his landings, in daylight and at night. From his Navy UDT training, Punisher is well-skilled in extended underwater operations, including demolitions. He is skilled with a great many types of explosives, ranging from simple dynamite to plastique to improvised explosives. His hand-to-hand combat skills are more then sufficient to allow him to incapacitate and kill men much stronger than he is, as well as to deal with groups of armed and unarmed enemies, killing them all without weapons if he deems it necessary. He is also extremely deadly in knife training, preferring the knife he learned to fight with in the USMC: the ka-bar. Additionally, he is a preternaturally-precise marksman. He is thoroughly trained and experienced in unconventional ("guerilla") warfare. He is an armorer, a gunsmith, and an expert in field medicine.

Other Info
Francis Castiglione was born in New York to parents of Italian ancestry (He goes by Frank Castle). Frank was studying to become a Catholic priest, but later changed his mind because he was unable to forgive those who did evil. He also married his wife Maria who was already pregnant with their first child. After he gave up becoming a priest, Frank decided to join the Marines. While in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), Castle graduated from Basic Training, then went on to Infantry School. Immediately following that, he went through the USMC's Reconnaissance, Force Reconnaissance, and Sniper Schools. Castle later permitted to go through U.S. Army Airborne School, and U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team training, becoming qualified as a Navy SeAL (Sea, Air and Land). Frank served in the Vietnam War in a special forces unit as a point man. For heroism in the line of duty, he received many medals, including the Purple Heart.

Castle, his wife, and their children were in New York's Central Park one afternoon having a picnic when they witnessed a Mafia gangland execution; an informant had been hanged from a tree. The Costa crime family wanted to eliminate all witnesses so they murdered the Castles. However, Frank survived. Frank was able to identify all of the shooters, but the police did not help Frank in his quest for justice (the police were tied in too deeply to the powerful Costa family). In reaction to this, Frank decided that the only punishment criminals might receive is that of physical destruction. Therefore, he decide to put the symbol of a death's head on his own body armor and went out for his own revenge. Since then, Frank Castle has waged a one-man war upon crime as the Punisher.

The Punisher has a Kevlar uniform that protects him from most gunfire, but he can still suffer concussive injury or penetration from sufficient or repeated impacts. He also uses a whole array of guns and other weapons.

The Punisher is the violent, sociopathic flipside of vigilantism. He is determined to eradicate crime by using any means necessary. He kills all who he considers guilty of crime. Because of his more anti-hero vigilantism, he has often crossed paths with several costumed crimefighters, most notably Spider-Man and Daredevil. These encounters have often resulted in his incarceration. Even when he was in prison, like in New York's Riker's Island Prison, Punisher was able to win in gang fights on his own. Adhering to his military philosophies, Punisher is constantly training whenever he is not out on actual maneuvers. He exercises fanatically to maintain his impressive physical conditioning and sticks to a balanced diet whenever possible. (To learn about the above characters and place, click on their highlighted names.)

To learn a little more concerning the life of the Punisher, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Punisher.