Claim: Punisher is a war veteran and is fictional.

The Punisher -LRB- Francis `` Frank '' Castle -RRB- is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The character 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 -LRB- cover-dated Feb. 1974 -RRB- .   The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder , kidnapping , extortion , coercion , threats of violence , and torture in his war on crime . Driven by the deaths of his wife and two children , who were killed by the mob for witnessing a killing in New York City 's Central Park , the Punisher wages a one-man war on the mob and all criminals in general by using all manner of conventional war weaponry . His family 's killers were the first to be slain . A war veteran and a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper , Frank Castle -LRB- born Francis Castiglione -RRB- is a master of martial arts , stealth tactics , guerrilla warfare , and a wide variety of weapons .   The Punisher 's brutal nature and willingness to kill made him a novel character in mainstream American comic books in 1974 . By the late 1980s , he was part of a wave of psychologically troubled antiheroes and at the height of his popularity , was featured in four monthly publications , including The Punisher , The Punisher War Journal , The Punisher War Zone , and The Punisher Armory . Despite his violent actions and dark nature , the Punisher has enjoyed some mainstream success on television , making guest appearances on Spider-Man : The Animated Series , and The Super Hero Squad Show , where the depiction of his violent behavior was toned down for family viewers . In feature films , Dolph Lundgren portrayed the Punisher in 1989 , as did Thomas Jane in 2004 , and Ray Stevenson in 2008 . Jon Bernthal portrays the character in the second season of Marvel 's Daredevil as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe . Bernthal is set to reprise the role in The Punisher , his own self-titled series .