Contains spoilers for “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 1, Episode 4

At the very end of the third episode of “Daredevil: Born Again,” the White Tiger (the late Kamar de los Reyes) is brutally shot and killed by a man sporting the Punisher logo on his bulletproof vest. Yet when Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) returns in the very next episode, it becomes clear that he wasn’t responsible. The real Punisher notes that this is the work of “bulls*** fanboys,” and we can tell that, despite Frank’s penchant for violent behavior, there is someone else out there wearing his trademark skull. 

Considering the events of Hector Ayala’s trial, it appears that this is a corrupt cop playing anti-hero. What some may not be aware of is that “Born Again” is touching on a very real controversy concerning the Punisher logo, where emergency responders and military personnel have been known for decades to display the infamous skull on their vehicles and body armor.

In 2005, a group of Milwaukee police officers known locally as “the Punishers” allegedly engaged in vigilante activity and were condemned by many of their peers as a “gang.” In 2012, Iraq veteran and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle published his memoir, “American Sniper,” in which he noted his platoon’s (nicknamed “the Punishers”) usage of the skull. “We spray-painted it on our vests and much of our gear,” Kyle recalled. “Like him, we were righting wrongs.” According to Kyle, the symbol was their version of “psyops,” meant to mess with the heads of their Al-Qaeda opponents and convey the message that they weren’t fooling around.

While some hate groups have been known to brandish the symbol, it’s largely utilized by law enforcement and military personnel. Even some firefighters have been known to sport it. Marine Corps veteran Christopher Neff offered some insight to Vulture as to why the infamous skull appears so often in these circles. “Frank Castle is the ultimate definition of Occam’s razor for the military,” Neff explained. “Don’t worry about uniforms, inspections, or restrictive rules of engagement. Find the bad guys. Kill the bad guys. Protect the innocent.”

Despite this, there are rules that even the Punisher has to follow, and not everyone has been thrilled by the skull’s real-world usage, including Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway. “I think the way cops use it is extrajudicial: they are cops, and they are going to punish you,” Conway told The Guardian in 2020. “And the Punisher is an outlaw. He’s a symbol of the failure of the justice system to treat everyone equally.” Conway first introduced the character in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #129 back in 1974, and back then he was largely in an antagonistic role. Now, Conway believes many have missed the point. “It was such a fundamental misunderstanding of what the character was and was supposed to represent,” he continued. “In that sense, he’s been completely defiled.”

Marvel has taken steps to distance itself from the controversy in recent years. The company changed the Punisher’s logo in 2021, and in 2019’s “Punisher” #13, the titular anti-hero disavows any New York cops who would follow in his footsteps, threatening to kill them if they do so. Now, “Daredevil: Born Again” has continued the discussion, and time will tell how things will be resolved.