WARNING: This article contains minor spoilers for Marvel's The Punisher, arriving Friday, Nov. 17, on Netflix.


After months of anticipation, and cryptic teasers, Marvel's The Punisher at last arrives Friday on Netflix, shifting Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle from the role of sympathetic antagonist on Daredevil Season 2 to a full-blown protagonist.

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Castle's motivations and methods in his war on crime remain largely the same, but the 13-episode drama greatly expands his violent world, one populated by faces both new and familiar. What's more, many of these key players are rooted in The Punisher's Marvel Comics history, although some of them have undergone drastic changes in their journeys to live-action television.

Below we break down many of the key players of The Punisher's first season, and, when applicable, compare and contrast them to their comic book counterparts.

Frank Castle

Frank Castle

A man who needs no introduction, Frank Castle is of course the fan-favorite Marvel Comics vigilante who's waged a one-man war against crime since his 1974 debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #129. When his family was murdered after witnessing a mob killing, the Marine veteran of the Vietnam War first sought revenge, and then launched a much larger crusade against against the mob and criminals in general. Initially an antagonist -- in his first appearance The Punisher's target was Spider-Man -- Castle has evolved into a popular antihero, who still regularly comes into conflict with Marvel's more traditional superheroes.

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Played by Jon Bernthal, The Punisher was introduced on the second season of Marvel's Daredevil, where he cuts a wide swath through New York City's criminal underworld as retribution for the loss of his family, gunned down when they were caught in the middle of fight between rival gangs that's later revealed to be part of a sting gone wrong. Believed dead in an explosion toward the end of Daredevil Season 2, Castle reemerges on The Punisher to kill the last of his targets before going off the grid again, to work in quiet anonymity in construction. However, he soon learns there's more to the murders of his wife and children than he realized.

Micro

Micro

Known in Marvel comics as Microchip, David Lieberman was introduced in 1987 in The Punisher #4 as a computer hacker of renown until one of his scams nearly got him killed, leading to his "retirement." While investigating the murder of his nephew, who had inadvertently hacked into the computers of Wilson Fisk, Microchip met and entered into a partnership with Frank Castle. Over the years he's assisted in The Punisher's crusade, obtaining information and difficult-to-find ammunition, setting up safe houses, outfitting vehicles (such as the legendary Battle Van), and laundering money.

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Played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach on Marvel's The Punisher, where his moniker is shortened to Micro, Lieberman is a former analyst for the National Security Agency who obtained video from Afghanistan that some powerful people in U.S. intelligence would rather remain hidden. Now believed dead, Micro has gone underground, and enlists Frank Castle in an uneasy partnership to take down their common enemies.

Karen Page

As well established on the first two seasons of Daredevil and on The Defenders, the Karen Page of Marvel's Netflix dramas leads a decidedly different life from that of her comic book analog. Introduced in 1964 in Daredevil #1, Page was a secretary in the law firm of Nelson & Murdock and, at different times, a love interest of both Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson. Learning Murdock's secret identity created a chasm between the two, and she eventually left New York to pursue an acting career. Years later she reentered the picture as a heroin addict who sold Murdock's secret to a drug dealer, who passed it on to Wilson Fisk. She reconciled with Murdock and received help for her addiction, but was ultimately murdered by Daredevil's enemy Bullseye.

By contrast, the Karen Page of Marvel's Netflix universe (played by Deborah Ann Woll) has her share of secrets -- a mysterious event from her past, and her killing of Fisk's right-hand man James Wesley -- but her future seems brighter than her comic book counterpart's. Still an investigative reporter for the New York Bulletin, on Marvel's The Punisher she's one of the few people who knows Frank Castle is alive.

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Billy Russo

The archenemy of The Punisher, Billy "The Beaut" Russo in the Marvel comics was a handsome hitman hired by Costa crime family to cover up its connections to the botched gangland execution that inadvertently resulted in the murder of Frank Castle's family. That means killing not only Castle but anyone connected with his efforts to bring the Costa family to justice. Of course, that's easier said than done, as Russo soon learns: Castle guns down all of Russo's associates and then pushes him through a plate-glass window, leaving the hit man horribly disfigured. Russo then abandons the nickname "The Beaut" and adopts the more appropriate moniker of Jigsaw.

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The version of Russo introduced on Marvel's The Punisher bears no resemblance to his comic-book counterpart. Played by Ben Barnes, he's Castle's best friend from their tours of duty. Following deployment in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Russo returns home to found a successful private military corporation called Anvil. Although he quietly funds a counseling program for veterans and offers employment for those who find reintegration into civilian life difficult, there's a sense that Russo isn't as altruistic as he may seem.

William Rawlins

A corrupt CIA agent who debuted in 2005 in The Punisher MAX #14, Williams Rawlins had his hands in everything from heroin smuggling to terrorism to war crimes, only some of which were sanctioned by the U.S. government. Ordered by a group of corrupt generals to help mobster Nick Cavella kill The Punisher, Rawlins was instead captured and tortured by Frank Castle, who cut out his left eye in the process. Although he managed to escape, Rawlins was eventually killed by Castle in Afghanistan.

Portrayed on Marvel's The Punisher by Paul Schulze, Rawlins is a high-ranking CIA agent who oversaw an illegal black-ops mission in Afghanistan. Now on the verge of promotion within the agency, Rawlins -- initially referred to by Castle as "Agent Orange" -- is willing to do anything to keep all of the skeletons in his closet hidden.

Curtis Hoyle

A relative footnote in Frank Castle's comic book history, Curtis Hoyle was introduced in 1987 in The Punisher #1 as an Army lieutenant he knew from their time together in Vietnam. Sometime following the war, Hoyle became involved with the Rockhouse Operation, and rose through the ranks of the drug ring to become its second in command. When Castle went undercover in an attempt to get close to the organization's leader, Hoyle saw through his disguise, and was thrown to his death from a helicopter.

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On Marvel's The Punisher, Hoyle (played by Jason R. Moore) is an old friend from the military who's one of the few people that knows Castle is still alive following the events of Daredevil Season 2. Discharged after losing his leg in Afghanistan, Hoyle now runs a counseling program for military veterans funded, at least in part, by Billy Russo.

Dinah Madani and Sam Stein

Marvel's The Punisher

New characters created for Marvel's The Punisher, Dinah Madani and Sam Stein are New York City-based agents for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security whose investigations lead them to cross paths with Frank Castle, believed dead by authorities.

Played by Amber Rose Revah, Madani is brought from Afghanistan, where she left behind unfinished business, to New York City, where she immediately clashes with her supervisor (C. Thomas Howell). Stein, portrayed by Michael Nathanson, is Madani's new partner, who must earn her trust while maneuvering internal politics.


Debuting Friday, Nov. 17, on Netflix, The Punisher stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, Ben Barnes as Billy Russo, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Micro, Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Daniel Webber as Lewis Walcott, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Farah Madani, and Paul Schulze as Rawlins.