Stuff Punisher Likes: Batman's Notable Kills

Mar 25, 2016

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(Warning: Contains mild spoilers)
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice is now in theaters. In the film, we find Batman behaving more or less like The Punisher, being incredibly violent and highly deadly to the point where he’s seen using firearms in his war against crime. Indeed, what Batman displays in the film is highly against The Dark Knight’s usual no-kill, no-using firearms policy he strictly follows and expects his allies to do the same. This is a hallmark trait that Daredevil, himself vowed to follow, resorting only to bend the rule when he has no choice. Punisher would love to team up with this version of Batman who has no problems killing any criminal threatening Gotham City. Even so, Batman wish that he didn’t have to use guns or take a life of a human being. But sometimes he acknowledges that this is absolutely necessary to make sure that nothing like the criminal shall ever walk the streets again.
Batman took this approach in the very early days of the Batman comics when Batman resorts to killing criminals with either firearms or swords. In the first ever Batman story (Detective Comics #27, 1937), Batman punches a crook into a large vat of acid.

Apparently this story is similar to the origin of The Joker where The Joker (as The Red Hood), to escape Batman, forced himself into a large vat of radioactive waste that transformed him into The Clown Price of Crime.
Later in Detective Comics vol. 1 #32 (1939), Batman had to kill a mad scientist, who was also a half Vampire known as The Mad Monk, to free a young girl from an evil spell.

In another early Batman story (Batman No. 1, 1940), Batman kills two criminal henchmen inside of a truck, causing it to crash into a tree and released a monstrous human who was a victim of an evil scientist who injected in him a toxic serum similar to the Titan formula The Joker created to build an army of monsters out of Arkham’s mental patients.
Batman used a steel rope to strangle him to death and left him hanging from the Bat Jet for a short while before disposing him on a different spot. But then came the establishment of the Comics Code of Honor which banned such scenes from the comics for many decades. When the code was removed, Batman went back to killing villains, but only when he is forced to, like when he had to kill Darkseid to save the universe in 2008’s “Final Crisis.”

And finally, Tim Burton’s 1989 film shows Batman forcing The Joker to fall to his death from the top of the Gotham Cathedral right after he grapples his leg to a statue.

In spite of the no-kill, no-firearms rule, Batman in many different versions and stories did resort to killing and using firearms but only when he has no choice. The Punisher-like Batman in the BvS film uses weaponry and makes kills without a problem. Anything to defend Gotham City from crime. Anything to take down the Man of Steel.

OwossoHarpist

Sherry Konkus lives in Owosso, MI. She is the proud owner of the Camac Athena EX Concert Grand Harp named “Grover” and Camac Mademoiselle named “Ernie.” She’s also the proud author of The Punisher Harp Zone. Sherry is the one who came up with the idea of portraying The Punisher from Marvel Comics as the punishing harpist who plays the harp in memory of his family who was killed by the mob years ago.

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Why does The Punisher play the harp?

It’s easy to imagine The Punisher shooting up criminal hideouts and blowing off the heads of thugs and mob bosses as the ultimate punishment for their crimes. But it’s hard to imagine (and believe) that there is also very gentle side to The Punisher no one knows about except for The Defenders (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist), Microchip (aka David Linus Liberman), and Spider-man (aka Peter Parker) who actually saw and became amazed at him doing something no one has ever thought he could do with his violent hands– play the harp. A gentle stringed musical instrument no one could ever believe that The Punisher would have such talent and ability to use his otherwise destructive hands to gently and tenderly pluck and caress its strings.

Indeed, it’s very hard to imagine and believe that the Punisher’s violent hands that brake bones, strangle necks, and punch out guts are the very same hands that softly and tenderly pluck, caress, and gracefully sweep across the strings of the harp.

Why does he do it, you asked? Because Frank is doing this in memory of his family whom he communes with through songs, poems, and prayers as he gracefully wave his battle-scarred arms and hands across the strings to fill his private family shrine with harp music that moves The Punisher to joyful tears.

Where did the Idea of The Punisher and his Harp come from?

It’s a concept I, Sherry Konkus made up myself. It combines my new found obsession with The Punisher that I had since 2014 and my life long love for the harp. It is the very best concept I ever made. This is my version of The Punisher from Marvel Comics who is portrayed by me as the punishing harpist who plays the harp in memory of his late family who got killed by a criminal mob years ago and whenever he needs a break from waging a one man war against organized crime.

The Punisher was created by Gerry Conway with the help of artists John Romita, Sr. and Ross Andru. His name coined by Stan Lee. The Punisher is owned and trademarked by MARVEL.

The idea, concept, and inspiration behind The Punisher’s portrayal as The Punishing Harpist who plays the harp in memory of his family is in fact my own. Sweetest. Idea. Ever.

The Punisher Harp Zone Archive

Stuff Punisher Likes: Batman's Notable Kills