The Punisher

One of the NYPD's finest, Frank Castle refused to stand by while his partner and other officers took bribes from the mysterious underworld figure known as the Owl. Turning them in to Internal Affairs, Frank made himself a target - the officers he exposed sought revenge, gunning Frank and his family down while they were on a picnic in the park. The sole survivor, Frank became the twisted, murderous vigilante knwon as The Punisher. Gaining a cult following for his extreme brand of justice, the Punisher eventually went too far when he killed one of the cops who had slaughtered his family. Imprisoned on Ryker's Island, the Punisher continued his work, killing nine unrepentant criminals, including Jim Washington, a convicted rapist who had been apprehended by Daredevil; but Frank had unfinished business, and took the first opportunity to escape. Free again, the Punisher killed two more crooked cops behind his family's murder, including his former partner, Bruce Greenwood, who was visiting his attorney, Matt Murdock, at the time. Chased by Daredevil, the Punisher managed to escape, nearly killing Daredevil in the process.

Tracking Artie Jillette, the final living member of the group who had killed his family and go-between the Owl and the other corrupt cops, to his apartment, the Punisher held him at gunpoint, but was unable to kill the man in front of his children. Forcing Artie up to the roof, the Punisher was once more confronted by Daredevil, who appealed to his sense of justice, claiming he would make sure Jillette was sentenced for his crime. Before the Punisher could consider Daredevil's claims, Spider-Man blindsided him, knocking him out and letting Artie escape. Daredevil ordered Spider-Man to take the Punisher to the police while he captured Artie; later, as attorney Matt Murdock, he defended the Punisher in court. Jillette was reunited with the Punisher in jail, where Frank's friends on the inside made sure they were cellmates, ensuring the Punisher's revenge.

While in jail, the Punisher became a cultural phenomenon whose case was much-discussed and featured on several popular evening news programs. Unsatisfied with merely avenging his family's death, the Punisher broke out again, continuing his cold-blooded campaign against crime. He encountered Spider-Man while trying to gun down an unidentified bank robber employing a boomerang motif. Spider-Man easily defeated the Punisher again, and left both Castle and his target for the cops to pick up.