Massacre at Central Park

"For her, there was never going to be any tomorrow, see... The last time I'd see her, I'd be holding her lifeless body in my arms. Meat was spilling out of her, Red. The place that her face used to be."

- Frank Castle to Daredevil

The Massacre at Central Park was a failed attempt by Cerberus Squad to kill Frank Castle and by Samantha Reyes to arrest the Blacksmith via a sting operation.

Background
"You want to kill the man? I cannot let you do that." "Why you protecting that piece of shit?" "I'm protecting you. Guys like that, it's never on them! Open your eyes, man. This whole thing is bullshit! You don't like the way that it smells? Get out!"

- Billy Russo and Frank Castle

Central Intelligence Agency agent William Rawlins and Colonel Ray Schoonover decided to team up and founded Operation Cerberus, an operation that would eliminate terrorist stationed in Afghanistan. With the help of Billy Russo and Morty Bennett in funding, they would transport heroine into soldiers that were killed on the battlefield and taken home. Schoonover and Rawlins got a group of soldiers into Cerberus Squad, notably Frank Castle. Amidst the operation, Afghan National Police officer Ahmad Zubair learned of the operation and was captured by Cerberus Squad. Zubair was tortured by Rawlins and was executed by Castle, placing him in an unmarked grave in Kandahar. Unbeknownst to the squad, Gunner Henderson secretly taped the torture and execution and gave it to David "Micro" Lieberman, an NSA analyst who gave it to Dinah Madani, Zubair's partner. As the operation progressed, the terrorist caught into Cerberus Squad's tactics as they learned that a high ranking terrorist leader was stationed in Kandahar. Rawlins ordered the squad to go there despite the risk of ambush and unsuitable terrain for a helicopter evacuation. The battle resulted in Schoonover losing his arm with casualties and injuries. Frank Castle took command and saved the remaining soldiers while dealing with the insurgents inside.

Returning to base, Rawlins coldly asked the squad did they kill the target and not caring for the casualties. Castle punched Rawlins, blinding him in the left eye and was taken away by Russo and the last remaining squad members. With the lack of confidence of Rawlins' leadership and heavy casualties, Operation Cerberus was shut down and condoned a failure.

In 2015, a mysterious individual known as the Blacksmith rose through the ranks as one of New York City's most powerful drug lords, rivalling Madame Gao's heroine trade. Despite efforts to track him, the Blacksmith proved to be elusive. Eventually, an undercover agent learned that the Blacksmith had arranged a meeting in Central Park between the Dogs of Hell, the Kitchen Irish, and the Mexican Cartel. District Attorney Samantha Reyes set up a sting operation but did not clear the park of civilians due to fear of showing their hand.

Both Rawlins and Schoonover decided to eliminate Frank Castle and his family for they believed he leaked the tape of Zubair's execution. Ordering Cerberus Squad to kill the family while the three gangs start a shootout, Billy Russo refused and allowed the event to happen. In addition, Rawlins ordered Carson Wolf to eliminate Micro and frame him a traitor to the Untied States.

Massacre
"We knew exactly where you'd be. Exactly where to go to get you. You bored your squad shitless talking about your homecoming tradition. Picnic in the park, Frank? You really were your mama's little apple pie, weren't you?"

- Carson Wolf to Frank Castle When the Blacksmith failed to appear and gangs grew eventually learned the agent's true identity they started a firefight. Using this as cover Cerberus Squad opened fire on Frank Castle, who was spending time with his family after returning from Afghanistan. Castle was shot in the head but survived. His wife Maria, and children Lisa and Frank Jr. all lost their lives.

Aftermath
"Anybody that had anything to do with what happened to Maria and the kids are dead. Mission accomplished. [...] But that was months ago. Now the only person you're punishing is yourself."

- Curtis Hoyle to Frank Castle

Determined to protect her reputation, Samantha Reyes coerced physician Gregory Tepper into identifying the undercover agent as a John Doe and kept news of the massacre from leaking for a week. Reyes also placed a "do not resuscitate" order on Frank Castle in an attempt to ensure his death.

Although Castle flatlined, he came back to life and escaped the hospital, intent on punishing those responsible for his family's death. Castle's mission was successful, leading him to learn that his former C.O. and mentor Ray Schoonover was a cause of his families death, eventually killing him.

Castle eventually joined forces with David "Micro" Lieberman, an NSA analyst who was deemed dead and framed a traitor after surviving a assassination attempt by William Rawlins. Castle learned that his past operation in Afghanistan was also a force behind the massacre.

Appearances
In chronological order:
 * Daredevil
 * Season Two
 * Penny and Dime (mentioned)
 * Kinbaku (mentioned, newspaper)
 * Seven Minutes in Heaven (mentioned)
 * The Man in the Box (mentioned)
 * .380 (mentioned)
 * The Dark at the End of the Tunnel (mentioned)
 * The Punisher
 * Season One
 * 3 AM (mentioned)
 * Two Dead Men (mentioned)
 * Memento Mori (flashback)