Punisher Skulls at BLM Protests: The Marvel anti-hero's complicated history with police and armed forces
Frank Castle aka the Punisher is a lot of things but he is not and has never been a hero. But that hasn't stopped soldiers, police officers, and other legitimate law enforcement officials from using the Marvel Comics character as a symbol of effective justice. Most recently, members of the Detroit Police Special Operations department were seen wearing the Punisher's skull symbol while cracking down on Black Lives Matter protesters. Photos of the incident have been circulated online with a number of people criticizing the police officers for using the symbol, which has roots in Nazi Germany and the Totenkopf emblem used by Hitler's SS.
However, the use of the symbol by American forces goes way back, at least till the Iraq War when it appeared on unofficial unit patches and tattoos and was spraypainted on vehicles, buildings, and more. While the soldiers who used the symbol were most likely inspired by the character's background as an ex-military man, it is undeniable that his use as a symbol is at least a little bit problematic considering his violent extrajudicial methods. Punisher's creator Gerry Conway is one of the people who has been most vocal when it comes to condemning the character's use as a symbol by legitimate officers of the law.
"To me, it's disturbing whenever I see authority figures embracing Punisher iconography because the Punisher represents a failure of the Justice system," Conway told Syfy Wire in 2019. "He's supposed to indict the collapse of social moral authority and the reality some people can't depend on institutions like the police or the military to act in a just and capable way."
"The vigilante anti-hero is fundamentally a critique of the justice system, an example of social failure, so when cops put Punisher skulls on their cars or members of the military wear Punisher skull patches, they're basically sides with an enemy of the system. They are embracing an outlaw mentality. Whether you think the Punisher is justified or not, whether you admire his code of ethics, he is an outlaw. He is a criminal. Police should not be embracing a criminal as their symbol."
Well despite that, the character's symbol has been co-opted by a number of police officers and has been used as a symbol of the Blue Lives Matter movement. In 2017, the Catlettsburg Police department had large decals of the Punisher skull removed from police vehicles after it was pointed out that Frank Castle is a murderous criminal, barely any better than a serial killer. The issue has been addressed in the comics as well, with a scene in 'Punisher' volume 12 issue 13 showing the Punisher chastizing two NYPD police officers for claiming to be his fans. "I'll say this once. We're not the same," the character says, tearing up a decal of his symbol that was on their car. "You took an oath to uphold the law. You help people. I gave all that up a long time ago. You don't do what I do. Nobody does. You boys need a role model? His name is Captain America, and he'd be happy to have you."
After what happened in Detroit, Marvel has pointed to that particular issue as the essence of their stance on the matter and Gerry Conway is currently attempting to reclaim the symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement. "I'm looking for young comics book artists of color who'd like to participate in a small fundraising project for #BLM to reclaim the Punisher skull as a symbol of justice rather than lawless police oppression," Conway wrote on Twitter. "Respond and follow so we can DM."
As for the Detroit Police Department, they have also condemned the use of the symbol by their officers issuing the following statement to i09, "Any expression of this fictional character in no way reflects the values of the Detroit Police Department, nor will its use be tolerated. We take this matter very seriously and are taking immediate action to address it."