When Did Daredevil And Punisher First Meet In Marvel Comics - And Why Was It Controversial?
by Devin Meenan · /FilmWhile Charlie Cox's Daredevil has rarely crossed paths with the A-list Marvel heroes, there's another vigilante that's been sharing his orbit since "Daredevil" Season 2 — Frank Castle, aka the Punisher (Jon Bernthal). When Daredevil returned full-time in "Daredevil: Born Again," Frank came back too (and if you missed him in "Born Again" Season 2, you can see him again in the special "Punisher: One Last Kill").
In Marvel Comics, Daredevil and Punisher first crossed paths in "Daredevil" issues #183-184, part of the legendary run on "Daredevil" by Frank Miller. This run basically defined modern "Daredevil" (Miller is the one who made Catholicism a vital part of Matt Murdock's character), and thus cemented Daredevil and Punisher as one of Marvel's greatest rivalries.
But almost a decade passed between the Punisher's first appearance and his path crossing the Man Without Fear's. The Punisher was originally created by the late Gerry Conway with artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru as a Spider-Man antagonist. As with the Kingpin, Miller imported Punisher to bulk up the lacking rogues' gallery in "Daredevil."
The two-part story, "Child's Play" and "Good Guys Wear Red," centers on the death of a young girl, Mary Elizabeth O'Koren, who accidentally kills herself while high on PCP. Her brother, Billy, is out for revenge on the dealers who sold her the drugs — as is the Punisher. Daredevil, who beats up criminals but never kills them, has to both stop the Punisher and save Billy's soul.
Originally, this story was going to be published in "Daredevil" #167-168, but it ran into some publication hurdles. The Comics Code Authority censorship board was still in place at the time, and did not permit drugs to appear in stories. That was a problem for "Child's Play," where the whole premise involves drug-related crime.
The Comics Code Authority came down on Daredevil and Punisher's first meeting
The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was founded in 1954, largely due to the publication that year of psychiatrist Fredric Wertham's book "Seduction of the Innocent," which claimed comics were slipping subversive or immoral stories to children. (It's very much the comics equivalent of the censorious Hays Code in Hollywood.)
This wasn't the first time this had happened to Marvel Comics, either. "Amazing Spider-Man" #96-98 was a story all about the dangers of drugs, written by Stan Lee at the request of the U.S. government. But the issues had to run without CCA approval because they mentioned drugs at all, even though the story was practically a "just say no" PSA. At the time, comic issue covers would have a stamp mentioning CCA approval, which is not found on the covers of "Amazing Spider-Man" #96-98.
As comics historian Brian Cronin documented at CBR, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter originally planned to release "Child's Play" this way. However, Marvel President Jim Galton overruled this, and "Daredevil" editor Denny O'Neil declined a proposal to turn the two issues into a graphic novel. Eventually, the story was published (with some edits) in issues #183-184. Note how Roger McKenzie, who had been writing "Daredevil" before Frank Miller, has a co-writing credit on issue #183, not because he came back to help but because the issue was a holdover. The discarded (and uncolored) cover for "Daredevil" #167, featuring Daredevil fighting the Punisher, has since been released:
The published "Daredevil" #167 was a fill-in issue scripted by David Michelinie, while #168 became Miller's debut as writer and artist. He used the issue to introduce Elektra, a character who took on a life of her own far beyond what Miller had first planned.
The core of Daredevil and Punisher's rivalry was there from the start
"Child's Play" & "Good Guys Wear Red" is a high point of an already superlative comic run. It has some of Frank Miller's greatest artwork and writing on "Daredevil." Take some simple scene-setting ("Darkness doesn't descend on Hell's Kitchen. It spews up from shadowed doorways") or when Bill O'Koren grabs a gun, "Something hard and cold and filled with death. Just like his sister."
The core of Daredevil and Punisher's rivalry is there from the beginning; as a lawyer, Matt still believes in civil justice, whereas the murderous Punisher is all vigilante. Part of the drama is whether Billy will take Daredevil's path or the Punisher's.
Reading these issues, you can see the roots of "New York's Finest," one of the stand-out episodes of the Netflix "Daredevil." Frank (Jon Bernthal) has Daredevil chained on a rooftop, and they debate with spirited conviction on whose vigilantism is the proper way.
The story spotlights the inadequacies of the legal system at punishing the guilty, because while it comes down on Matt's side, it doesn't want you to dismiss the Punisher out of hand. Matt, who uses his enhanced senses to listen to people's heartbeats like a living lie detector, is duped into defending a murderous drug dealer because the man's pacemaker threw him off.
At the story's end, the only reassurance Matt can offer Billy is that laws are "the best we've got." The boy walks off, a bit dissatisfied, and Matt watches him go. His soul is safe for now, but who's to say he won't grow up into a man more like Frank Castle? Miller's "Daredevil" never treated endings like they need to comfort readers, and "Child's Play" is no exception.