Spider-Man and The Punisher go back a long time. In Frank Castle’s case, it’s been since the very beginning, as he made his first appearance in 1974’s The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (as did The Jackal) to hunt down Peter Parker in his masked persona. While there’s been no shortage of times these two have clashed in the decades since due to their differing moral codes, they’ve also joined forces on numerous occasions after reaching understandings.
This can currently be seen on the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where Tom Holland’s Peter working with Jon Bernthal’s Frank in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Meanwhile, in the comics, the five-issue limited series Punisher vs. The Amazing Spider-Man is chronicling some of their earliest adventures on Earth-616 together, and the next issue sees them tangling with a villain who’s also present in Brand New Day.
Spider-Man And Punisher Team Up To Fight The Tarantula
In the preview for Punisher vs. The Amazing Spider-Man #2, written and illustrated by Dan Abnett and Álvaro López, respectively, Spider-Man and Punisher team up against Anton Miguel Rodriguez, a.k.a. the original Tarantula, and his minions. This story takes place not too long after The Amazing Spider-Man #135, when Spidey and Frank first battled this villain together. That fight came just one issue after Gerry Conway and Ross Andru introduced Tarantula to the comics.
This rematch unfolds as one would expect, with Punisher and Spider-Man emerging victorious over Tarantula. However, the battle highlights their different approaches to fighting crime, with Punisher battling the supervillain’s minions silently and without any flare, while Spidey throws wisecracks at Tarantula and toys with him. Frank exercises restraint and doesn’t kill Tarantula after knocking him unconscious with a table, but he does tell his partner it would be better if he did because of the innocents who’ve died in the handful of times Spidey has already fought Rodriguez.
Punisher vs. The Amazing Spider-Man #2 arrives shortly after Spider-Man: Brand New Day briefly featured in a montage of villains Holland’s Peter faced in New York City since Spider-Man: No Way Home. Others included Tombstone, Boomerang, Ramrod, and The Hand, while Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey and Damage Control, led by Trammell Tillman’s Bill Metzger, served as the main antagonists. The latest Marvel movie was released a few months after Bernthal reprised Frank for the Disney+ special The Punisher: One Last Kill.
Along with Punisher vs. The Amazing Spider-Man flashing back to these protagonists’ earlier encounters, they both also have ongoing books running set in the present day. Writer Joe Kelly and artist Pepe Larraz are handling Peter’s adventures in The Amazing Spider-Man, while The Punisher has Benjamin Percy and Jose Luis Soares Pinto on writing and artwork duties, respectively. Upcoming titles featuring Spider-Man and Punisher separately include Spider-Man/Hulk: Fire & Brimstone, Predator vs. Punisher, and Midnight Spider-Man, the latter of which is set in Marvel’s new horror-focused Midnight Universe.
Punisher vs. The Amazing Spider-Man #2 will be released by Marvel Comics on Wednesday, August 19.
- First Appearance
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Amazing Fantasy
- Alias
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Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
- Alliance
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Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
- Race
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Human
