Batman & The Punisher Essay

We have the idea that superheroes represent all that is good, and that a superhero must possess strength beyond a normal human being as well as superhuman abilities. There is the idea that superheroes are supposed to be considered role models. Batman and the Punisher are only human, not mutants, and possess no super human strength or powers. Thus both of these heroes must rely on gadgets, tactics, and a sure will to survive due to their lack of superhuman abilities.

Despite their differences Batman and the Punisher represent the “Dark” hero that have based their lives on vengeance.

Both Batman and the Punisher became the “Dark” type of superhero for the same reason, which led them to their life of vengeance. Their families were gunned down by the mob as they watched. Batman was a little boy when his mother and father were murdered in front of him. Unlike Batman, the Punisher’s whole family was murdered at a family reunion and the Punisher was left for dead.

As mentioned earlier, Batman and the Punisher lack super human powers; therefore, they must rely on experience and ingenuity. Batman received his training from a secret vigilante organization known as the League of Shadows.

The League of Shadows are similar to a modern day assassin or ninja. Unlike the typical assassin, the League brings their unlikely suspect back to their secret lair to be judged, tried and executed. Like Batman and the Punisher, the League of Shadows only go after criminals; but the major difference is the League of Shadows focuses on the untouchable type of criminals. Batman left the League of Shadows because he could not be judge, jury and executioner. The Punisher received the majority of his training through the U. S. Marine Corps.

While he was a Marine, he received additional training from the U. S. Army and the Navy S. E. A. L. s as well as cross training with the Australian Special Air Service (S. A. S. ) Regiment during the Viet Nam War. The Punisher uses these techniques to update and expand his skills in the areas he needs for each mission, disguise, acting, and use of weapons. The Punisher, like Batman, is also trained in the art of assassination, camouflage, stealth techniques, and extensive training in multiple forms of martial arts. Both of our “dark” heroes must also rely on someone to craft and invent their weaponry, suits and vehicles.

They also have an alternate person to rely on for their information. Batman relies on Lucius for his crafting and Commissioner Gordon for his information; whereas, the Punisher uses a man named Microchip for his crafting and Lt. Soap for his information. Batman uses the infamous “Batmobile” to get to the scene of crime. The Punisher has a specially customized and equipped armored combat battle van to get to his crime scenes. The Joker and Jigsaw are the two former mobsters who gunned down the families of Batman and the Punisher.

The Joker’s victims have included men, women, children, and even his own henchmen and other villains. In the graphic novel The Joker: Devil’s Advocate, the Joker is reported to have killed well over 2,000 people. Despite having murdered enough people to get the death penalty thousands of times over, he is always found not guilty by reason of insanity. I has been often said that the Joker may not be insane, but instead has some sort of “super-sanity” in which he re-creates himself each day to cope with the chaos of his criminal life.

The Joker has a questionable past due to the multiple versions regarding his past, which is part of the chaos the Joker loves. As a result, no one knows his real identity. Even the Joker has this to say about his past, “Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another… if I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha Ha Ha! ” Billy Russo, aka Jigsaw, was a professional criminal and brutal assassin for the Maggia crime family, nicknamed “the Beaut” because of his good looks. Russo was hired by Bruno Costa to kill the assassin who had failed to assassinate the Punisher along with the Punisher’s family.

Later, Russo kills all of his targets but the Punisher, who narrowly avoids death in an explosion. Hours later, the Punisher returns and tracks down Russo to one of the Maggia’s nightclubs. Several criminals were killed, and Russo was thrown through a glass pane head-first but survives. Because of the extent of damage to his face, doctors are forced to piece it back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Batman and the Punisher were understandably devastated with the mob instructed murders of their families which ultimately led them both to their life of vengeance.

Thus the first people Batman and the Punisher sought revenge against were those responsible for their family’s execution-style deaths. Batman and the Punisher, despite numerous attempts, have been unsuccessful in killing the person who pulled the trigger. For Batman, that person is the Joker; and for the Punisher, that person is Jigsaw. Ironically for both Batman and the Punisher, with their failure to put an end to the trigger man’s life, these people became their nemesis which led them to their compulsion for retribution.