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The following contains major spoilers for The Punisher #7, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
In all his years operating as the Punisher, Frank Castle has dealt with some of the absolute worst that humanity has to offer. From otherwise common lowlife criminals to the superpowered and supernatural, it seems as if Frank has seen it all. Recently, however, the Hand managed to welcome a whole new kind of element into the Punisher's life, one that couldn't be overcome with violence in any capacity. Unfortunately, bringing the Punisher's wife back with the promise of eternal bliss isn't going nearly as well as the Hand would have hoped, and Maria Castle is about to go from their biggest victim to their ultimate undoing.
In Punisher #7 (by Jason Aaron, Jesus Saiz, Paul Azaceta, Dave Stewart, and VC's Cory Petit), the titular anti-hero faces off against Daredevil within the Hand's stronghold amidst glimpses of his previous life. This series has shown more of Frank's early years than almost any other, and this time the flashbacks are seen through the eyes of Maria Castle. When Frank finally returns to his wife, he finds her somberly accepting the fact that their children won't be coming back as she did. She doesn't fully understand the circumstances of their current place in the world, yet she accepts that this is all likely for the best. Of course, this is hardly true, and as Maria's memories slowly come back into focus, it looks as if she is beginning to realize that for herself.
The Punisher's Wife, Maria, Will Be The Hand's Undoing
Maria's resurrection has easily been among the most disturbing developments in Frank's life, exceeded only by the gruesome, seemingly incomplete revival of their children. Though Frank himself is well aware of the grotesque nature of his family being brought back, having Maria in his life once more has blinded him to the horrors at hand. Much the same, Maria only exists as a fragment of her former self, and as such is almost completely unaware of what has happened. With whatever magic is behind her return having also effectively trapped her within The Hand's unhallowed grounds, Maria doesn't have much of an opportunity to learn the truth from beyond the surrounding walls, although she won't have to travel far for that to happen on its own.
The brutal deaths of Frank's family have been an indelible part of his story from the very beginning. It was their murders that initially spurned him on to become the Punisher, and it is his memories of them that have driven him to continue his violent campaign in the years since. That grief has long clouded Frank's better judgment, but his newfound role as the leader of The Hand has pushed that idea to the fringes of what is believable. As much as having Maria back may mean to him, the version of her waiting in his bed is hardly the Maria he, or even she, used to know. If anything, she is a vaguely pained effigy of the woman Frank loved in life, and once that realization sets in, she will almost assuredly be what causes him to turn on his own worshipers.
The Punisher Will Inevitably Lose His Wife Again
It is hard to imagine that this story will lead Maria to anything other than the truth, and it is genuinely impossible to think that it will bring her any sense of comfort. Between the crimes he has carried out while commanding the legions of Hand ninjas to the heartbreaking sight of him destroying the twisted remnants of his children, Frank is likely closer to his personal breaking point than anyone knows. His current state certainly belies that idea, but Maria does not, and her impending downward spiral will absolutely shatter Frank's resolve if nothing else does first.
It may not be Maria who personally destroys the Hand, but everything she has been through, all ultimately in service to their demented, demonic Beast will undoubtedly push the Punisher to do so on his own. No matter what comfort her presence brings, Frank is quickly coming to understand that it simply isn't worth the human, and potentially divine cost. At some point, Frank is going to have to bury his wife all over again, and when that time comes, hers won't be the only body that is interred.