WARNING: This issue contains spoilers for The Punisher #218 by Matthew Rosenberg and Guiu Vilanova, on sale now.


Frank Castle has always been presented as, essentially, a one-man army. In The Punisher #218, the first issue to bring the vigilante killer into the Marvel Legacy relaunch, that statement became even more accurate.

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The issue opens up with Frank doing what he does best: Killing bad guys in brutal-yet-inventive ways. Eventually, Frank crosses paths with Nick Fury Jr., who has a bit of a job proposal for The Punisher. Long story short, the country of Chernaya is in the midst of bloody political turmoil facilitated by some rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents , and Fury needs a man of Frank's talents to clean up the mess. To do so, Frank will need a special weapon, one locked up and sealed away in the government's care: The War Machine armor. Fury gives him the location, and two simple rules to follow. One, don't get caught. And two, when all of this is said and done, the War Machine will be returned to Fury.

Without so much as breaking a sweat, Frank breaks into the facility and takes control of the War Machine armor. As he does so, he has a few choice words for Fury's second rule. With a big grin, he simply says "#$%& that," indicating that he has some creative plans of his own now that he's armed with something as powerful and devastating as Iron Man's own armor.

The Punisher War Machine armor twist

Fury sent Castle on a mission thinking he could keep him on a leash, but it sure seems like Frank has a few ideas of his own about what to do with it. Chances are, he'll be true to his word and go take care of the situation in Chernaya -- he's not the type of man to ignore people in need, after all -- but beyond that, well, let's just say Fury pretty much helped Frank up his game, exponentially. With a true flying engine of war as his arsenal, and unwavering dedication to his mission, The Punisher could very well kick his crusade up to a global scale.

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This might spell a whole lot of trouble for Fury, who's hoping to keep the entire operation quiet. With Frank not planning on letting go of the armor any time soon, a confrontation between the two battle-hardened soldiers already seems inevitable.