Nine issues in and finally this run is starting to provide some consequences and answers. While this issue is framed by the action of the long-awaited rematch between Ares and The Punisher, the plot actually progresses forward in several ways, which have made me feel slightly more positive about the direction of this run.

Advancing the Plot: The 616, Origins, Maria Castle

The first subplot involves Daredevil, Wolverine and other notable Marvel heroes learning of Frank’s current status within The Hand and planning to team up and intercept him. This subplot takes up a few pages and is mainly about the character reveals. With this run so far isolated in impact to the current Daredevil series, it’s nice to see the storyline is starting to impact the greater 616. Notably, Wolverine also makes direct reference to Frank burning his resurrected family during the Rick Remender “Dark Reign” run.

The second subplot involves a flashback where The Hand and The Archpriestess are discussing Frank Castle’s potential fate as the Fist of the Beast and ways that they could secretly push him into this role…including causing the murder of his family. While the flashbacks so far have been hinting towards a retcon, the subplot ends with the Archpriestess stating that The Hand cannot interfere in Frank’s life and must simply have faith in his destiny to become their Fist.

The third subplot progresses Maria Castle’s role in the comic, which has been pretty absent. Off-page, Maria recalls visiting veteran bars and listening to stories told by Frank’s fellow marines to learn more about him. These tales cause her to question her connection to Frank and cause her to question if she really knows who he is at all. In the present, Maria confronts The Beast with a handgun telling it that it cannot have her husband. The issue ends abruptly with Maria in a Hand dress and seemingly brainwashed, embracing Frank and stating that she loves him even more…because he fights to choose family, despite his destiny calling for war.

After multiple issues of ambiguity, the ambiguity continues…but small details like Wolverine’s mention of events during the Rick Remender run and the decision not to retcon the Central Park massacre show that Jason Aaron has thought ahead and examined the character’s history. It appears that Jason Aaron is writing with ambiguity purposefully with the intention to get a reaction out of the classic fan. Frank’s childhood and PTSD are being modernized for drama and depth, but his origins and status as a devoted family man are intact. The ultimate resolution remains to be seen, but it feels better to know that that the direction of this series isn’t pulled out of the blue and isn’t ignoring the past.

The Action

Outside of the plot development of this issue, the actual action and battle between Ares and Frank was disappointing…despite the outcome being very good for Frank. Manifesting the majority of the gifts of the Beast, Marvel allows Frank to kill Ares…surprisingly. Despite this positive win, I can’t get over how silly Frank looked doing it. The majority of the fight involves Frank flying with blood red angel wings and glowing eyes and charging head-on with simply a katana, pistol and no strategy. The classic tact and intelligence of Frank Castle is left on the back burner here and his minions (even his dedicated Punisher ninjas in black) are also cannon fodder with no depth. The effort in fleshing out Frank Castle’s humanity should be matched in the direction of the action, but it’s not. It’s sad to see Frank written as just another powered supe. Despite his power-up and the blood, it all feels cartoony…no different from Thor with a hammer or Captain Marvel.

Final Thoughts

All in all, it’s as much of a win for Frank this issue as we could have hoped. Frank kills Ares and possibly becomes the new God of War. His origins have remained untouched by The Hand and there’s a big battle between the heroes of the Marvel universe and Frank coming real soon. The artwork by Jesus Saiz and Paul Azaceta continues to rock and it’s one of the main highlights of this run. It’s doubtful that Frank is allowed to win against all of these other heroes, but it’d be real nice to see a run that has the balls to dish out some real consequences. After all, solicitations for issue #12 indicates that Frank will be The Punisher “no more”. Considering that Frank is entering uncharted territory and batting way outside of his average, it’d be nice to see some permanent upgrades with that.

RATING: 7.5/10

Next Up! Issue #10 on March 22nd.