The Punisher first appeared in Netflix’s Daredevil and after leaving an absolutely stunning impression, Frank Castle got his own story to tell. And it has to be said that the series became a huge hit among the Marvel fans; so much so that they started looking for other appearances from The Punisher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While the story in itself is absolutely enthralling, it is filled with dark moments and very little humor, thanks to the background Castle comes from. But all of that makes for some absolutely breathless moments, with some great Punisher catchphrases to live for.
Updated on March 23, 2021 by Scoot Allan: Fans of Netflix’s The Punisher series were crushed by the announcement that after only two seasons it, along with the rest of the streaming service’s MCU-related shows, was to be canceled. However, the recent return of the character’s rights to Marvel Studios has given some hope that Jon Bernthal could resume the titular role as Frank Castle, which means the best live-action adaptation of the character can continue to drop some of the Punisher quotes we all know and love. A lot of the love for the series is rightfully due to the characterization of Frank Castle, who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, which has resulted in a number of phenomenal Punisher quotes.
15 “People Think That Torture Is Pain. It’s Not Pain. It’s Time.”
Frank Castle found himself put through torture or forced to torture others to get information over two seasons of The Punisher, which has resulted in one of the best Punisher quotes that perfectly highlighted Castle’s own personal torture that Micro was also dealing with during the second season.
It wasn’t the pain that could be inflicted upon him that really tortured him, as this quote revealed during his conversations with Micro, it’s the amount of time it takes to realize that whatever life as they knew it was now over due to the tragedies they each survived.
14 “The Only Way Out Is To Find Something That You Care About.”
The Punisher explored a number of different themes over the course of the series, including the consequences of war. This led to post-traumatic stress disorder in a number of the main characters, including Frank Castle.
One of his closest allies Curtis ran a support group for others dealing with the same trauma, and he frequently gave Frank and his group the same advice, though Frank only acknowledged this when he gave the same advice to Micro’s wife after she confided in him about her own grief.
13 “I’m Not The One That Dies, Kid. I’m The One That Does The Killing.”
The second season of The Punisher introduced fans to Amy Bendix, a street kid who falls under the protection of Castle after a hit is placed on her, putting religious assassin John Pilgrim on their trail.
A paternal relationship formed between Frank and Amy over the course of the season, that led the hardened Amy to express her concern for his safety. Frank made it clear to her that she didn’t need to worry about him — it was everybody else that was really in danger.
12 “Happy Is A Kick In The Balls Waiting To Happen.”
The pilot episode of the first season introduced a different version of Frank Castle than the one fans had seen in Daredevil, as he had abandoned his recently adopted vigilante identity in order to live a quiet life as a construction worker.
While this could be a new shot at happiness, Frank is quick to point out that’s not his goal because he’s already been happy and lived through what can happen when that is taken away. It’s hard to imagine a kick to a sensitive area being more preferable than happiness, but it does make a lot of sense in Frank’s case.
11 “Let Me Be What I’m Meant To Be.”
Frank Castle struggled with accepting his role as the Punisher over the course of the Netflix series because he didn’t want to let his wife down, even though he was driven to make things right for her memory. He had also gathered a group of friends around him after the death of his family who felt he was better than the Punisher and helped him fight against his calling.
However, Frank realized in the second season that he hadn’t changed to become the Punisher; he had always been the Punisher, something his wife knew and loved him for anyway. When his closest allies like Dinah Medani questioned him about what he was asking from them, he revealed he just needed them to let him do what needed to be done.
10 “There are worse things than dying, Bill. I wake up most mornings and I want it. I hope for it.”
This quote from Frank Castle pretty much tells the fans how difficult it is for him to live without his family. The fact that his family was killed because of something he did in Kandahar only adds to the guilt.
And it doesn’t end there, because Frank gets to know that Billy, someone he regarded as family who actually had something to do with the murder of his family. In all fairness, Castle has indeed died because this man is The Punisher.
9 “The only crime in a war is to lose.”
This is quote perfectly sums up Billy Russo’s mentality. He never cared about what anyone thought about him, nor about the people who loved him; all he cared about was how to come out on top when the dust is settled.
He is a betraying machine that uses anything to his advantage. He just wants to win and he won’t even consider the cost of that win, which he frequently proves over the course of two seasons as he transformes alongside Frank into his Jigsaw persona.
8 “Pissed off beats scared every time.”
Another from the book of Frank Castle’s brilliant quotes. This is not one of those that has some hidden meanings attached to it; instead, this is an accurate description of how The Punisher thinks.
There is no one in this world who isn’t afraid of things and Castle is no different; the only difference is that he is more angry than fearful. Although he tells this to Micro, The Punisher truly believes this. And it’s no surprise.
7 “He’s The Punisher.”
This is from Amy Bendix and Pilgrim’s revealing conversation about the prospect of the latter going up against Frank Castle. Pilgrim was ready to throw his life away for someone who didn’t care about him and he was doing it in the name of God.
Rightfully, Amy questioned his mindset before telling him that there’s no way The Punisher will let him walk free after what he has done. But she was proved wrong in the end.
6 “I hope he remembers everything. So that when I stand in front of him, he knows I played my part.”
Dinah Madani became a fan favorite in The Punisher because of her arrogant yet fearful character. She had her whole life ruined by Billy Russo, as the latter used her for trying to get a sneak peek into the case.
Dinah, for better or for worse, wasn’t willing to let that go and she refused to move on. She played a part in converting Russo into Jigsaw and from the above quote, it is quite clear that she wanted to let him know about it.
5 “The Tougher You Acted, The More Scared You Looked.”
While the quote itself came out of nowhere, there is no second-guessing the truth stated in it. Amy was a kid and when she first met Frank Castle, she acted tough, trying to imply that she didn’t need him, when in fact, she was clearly out of her depth.
Frank looked at her face and stated the obvious. He knew deep down Amy is as afraid as anyone and The Punisher wasn’t going to let any criminal touch a teenage kid. Amy understood that as well.
4 “Routine. Human Mind Needs It, Craves For It.”
This is an absolute gem. Frank Castle, while interrogating Micro, gave the fans an opportunity to learn about the real torture. It’s not the pain, it’s never the pain, instead, it’s the routine that breaks a human being.
Anything out of one’s comfort zone and bang, there one is looking like someone turned their world upside down. The human mind really craves routine because, without it, life is just chaos.
3 “Hey! I’ll Dance With Ya.”
While the words themselves don’t seem to hold any significance, the moment when Frank Castle said this is absolutely legendary. Towards the end of Punisher‘s season 2, Frank pretty much accepted his role as The Punisher and he went into the dark side of New York where two gangs were about to meet up.
And he showed up there like a king, told everyone that he is ready to dance before taking out his guns and open firing on every single one of them. Classic Frank Castle, that.
2 “We are all lonely. I sometimes think that that is all that life is. We’re just fighting not to be alone.”
This is something Karen Page said to Frank Castle when the latter showed up out of nowhere looking for help, and she couldn’t have been more correct, as Karen knows what it’s like to be lonely.
She feels like this because of her troubled past and the same can be said about Frank because his family, his everything, is gone. All they are trying to do is not be alone because it can mess with someone’s mind.
1 “One Batch, Two Batch, Penny, And Dime.”
No doubt the biggest quote from the series is Frank Castle’s homage to his daughter. The first time the fans noticed this was in Daredevil when Frank said this in order to calm his nerves before doing something huge.
And it continued throughout the Punisher series. This is another insight into how much Castle misses his family because all he has of them are memories. It’s really saddening.
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