Punisher's Vest

Punisher's Vest
Made	2015 (first vest) 2016 (second vest) 2018 (third vest)
Owners	First Vest Ray Schoonover † Frank Castle Second Vest Greek Mob Frank Castle Third Vest Frank Castle
Users	Frank Castle
Status	First Vest Destroyed Second Vest Inactive Third Vest Active
Appearances
TV Series	Daredevil The Punisher Daredevil: Born Again (unreleased)

"That skull? That's a Memento mori. It's Latin for “Remember, you will die”."

―Micro to Frank Castle^[src]

Punisher's Vest is a special military-grade Bulletproof Vest with skull insignia used by Punisher.

History

First Vest

Frank Castle's War

Punisher finding Ray Schoonover's old vest

Following the assassination of Ray Schoonover, Frank Castle acquired his secret arsenal which included the military-grade Bulletproof Vest. After returning to his family home, Castle painted a skull-like symbol on the vest, using the x-ray of his own skull posted in the newspaper as a reference.

Punisher burns the vest

Castle then returned to the city one more time and assisted Daredevil in his confrontation with the Hand. After burning down his house, Castle took his vest and weaponry and left the city to finish his crusade. Wearing the vest, Castle eliminated the remaining members of the Dogs of Hell, the Mexican Cartel and the Kitchen Irish, before burning his vest, believing that his war was over.

Second Vest

Ambush in Micro's Hideout

Punisher spray painting his new skull vest

Preparing for an assault on Micro's Hideout, Frank Castle spray-painted his symbol on a new bulletproof vest which was previously stolen from the Greek Mob. As the Anvil agents sent by Billy Russo stormed the hideout, Castle ambushed them, killing multiple enemies. One of the agents attempted to shoot Castle in the back but his vest protected him. Castle successfully killed all hostiles in the building before interrogating Jack and putting him down as well.

Duel at the Central Park Carousel

Punisher takes a scope on Billy Russo

With Billy Russo on the loose, the Punisher took it upon himself to find Russo and put an end to him. Wearing his vest, the Punisher took a position with a sniper rifle outside of Curtis Hoyle's apartment, waiting for Russo. After settling down on the last fight at the Central Park, the Punisher prepared his vest and weapons to confront Russo. During the duel, Russo shot the Punisher several times, but he survived thanks to the vest.

Punisher prepares to fight Billy Russo

Eventually, Castle was able to take Russo down and critically injure him and decided to let him live and suffer, completely destroying his face with the mirror glass. After both Russo and Castle were apprehended by the NYPD, the skull vest was confiscated by authorities, and Dinah Madani kept it for herself, as the vest represented a turning point for Castle, Russo, and her. Suffering a heavy cranial trauma and a partial memory loss, Russo began seeing the nightmares with the skull imagery from Castle's vest, although he had no recollection of the events at the park.

Skull Vest Returned

Frank Castle given his vest by Dinah Madani

"That blood, it's yours and it's mine and it's his. Maybe you moved on, Frank. Maybe you got closure. Good for you. But he hasn't."

―Dinah Madani to Frank Castle^[src]

Returning to New York City due to Billy Russo's escape from the custody, Frank Castle was given his vest back by Dinah Madani who had it hidden at her apartment.

Robbery of the ReadyQuick Check Cashing

Punisher reveals himself to Billy Russo

Frank Castle then wore the vest preparing for the confrontation with the Jigsaw's Crew outside of the ReadyQuick Check Cashing. Upon seeing the skull imagery on his vest, Billy Russo suffered a panic attack and regained memories of what his former friend done to him. After a chase, Russo and his remaining men managed to escape, as Castle was stopped by Brett Mahoney.

Ambush at the Valhalla

Punisher breaks into the Valhalla

Donning his vest once again, the Punisher infiltrated the headquarters of the Jigsaw's Crew to take Billy Russo down once and for all. However, Jigsaw was prepared for his arrival and ordered his men to organize an ambush, so they attacked the Punisher, rendering him unconscious. After the Punisher was brutally beaten with crowbars and wrenches, Jigsaw ordered his men to finish him, however, the Punisher managed to wake up and fight back.

Punisher surrenders to the police

In an attempt to get to Jigsaw, the Punisher mercilessly killed most of the Jigsaw's Crew members and opened fire on Jigsaw's supposed location, only to find several dead civilians inside. He was then arrested by the New York City Police Department, being a primary suspect responsible for their deaths. As Castle was taken to the Sacred Saints Hospital, his vest was confiscated by the police.

Third Vest

Ambush on the Gang Leaders

Punisher massacres the gang members

Months after executing Billy Russo, Frank Castle fully embraced his title of the Punisher and created a new skull vest. Armored with his vest and two rifles, Castle managed to track down two criminal gangs based in New York City and ambushed them at the abandoned warehouse. After all gang members ended up lured in the trap, Castle appeared on the scene and mercilessly massacred all of them on the spot.

Capabilities

"He... he tried to kill me. I couldn't see. That skull... that skull that I dream about every night, he wears it on his chest."

―Billy Russo to Krista Dumont^[src]

The vest is a standard military-grade Bulletproof Vest which protects the Punisher against impact force from all sorts of ammunition, but even more, his wearing it serves as an intimidation tactic by instilling feelings of fear and dread into his enemies.

After the showdown at the Central Park carousel, Billy Russo experienced nightmares of the skull's image for a year straight. He panicked when Castle revealed the horrific stimulus belonged to him.

Trivia

• In the comics, the Punisher wore a full-body suit of Kevlar with a white skull splashed across the front or a T-shirt with a similar skull symbol.
• During Castle's hearing, a supposed x-ray of his skull was being projected into the screen while Andrew Lee was being cross-examined. The x-ray image only showed the skull but without the mandible like one would normally see in skull x-rays, thus making it look like the Punisher logo.

• The Punisher logo was also referenced in a shape by the bloodstains on Castle's prison clothing.
• Castle painting the Punisher logo on his vest is the similar to how he did it in the 2004 film, The Punisher.

External Links

• Punisher's Vest on Marvel Database