INTRODUCTION The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle) is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics, and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, with publisher Stan Lee green-lighting the name. The Punisher made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (cover-dated Feb. 1974). The Punisher is often portrayed as a vigilante, an anti-hero who employs murder, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture in