One of Marvel’s most popular characters, the Punisher wears a death’s head skull on his chest. The skull insignia has a lot of fans, especially in the US military.

Meaning and history

The Punisher made its debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 published in the winter of 1974. The character was created by at least four people. The idea belonged to Gerry Conway, who was then known as the author of The Amazing Spider-Man. Publisher Stan Lee, who was Marvel’s editor-in-chief back then, is supposedly the author of the villain’s name.

Marvel art director John Romita, Sr. and Ross Andru co-created the visual part of the character. However, we should point out, that Conway also took part in developing the design of the costume. In an old interview (2002), he mentioned that he had a habit of sketching the costumes of his characters, including the Punisher, and handing them to the artists as rough sketches.

In Corners’ sketch, the Punisher had a skull on one breast. John Romita, Sr. decided to make the skull larger, so that it would take up most of the villain’s chest. Also, he supposedly was the one who provided functional uses to the symbol. His sketch was finished by Ross Andru, best known for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man.

What was the inspiration behind the personality of the Punisher?

According to Gerry Conway, he was impressed by a character named The Executioner, which was invented by Don Pendleton. While Conway was developing the plot of the Jackal, he decided that the Executioner-inspired character could become the person whom the Jackal would use in his fight against Spider-Man.

And what about the inspiration behind the logo itself?

There’re at least two hypotheses. Some sources point out that the design was inspired by an emblem worn by a Vietcong sniper, while others claim that the Punisher logo was based on the image of the demon Olivier, a fictional supervillain from Marvel Comics.

Understanding skull symbol

Initially, the Punisher wasn’t that attractive – he just got under the feet of Marvel superheroes, most notably Spider-Man. In the course of time, though, he was made more attractive and eventually became quite a sympathetic and popular antihero.

Apart from just making the Punisher instantly recognizable, the death’s head skull emblem serves other purposes, too. It helps to lure the enemies’ fire to the area of his armor that is protected much better than the rest, and it helps to intimidate them. Also, it’s the symbol of the injustice returning to criminals. The symbol is typically the last thing his victims see. The skull is a reminder of the time the comics character spent in Vietnam: there, he used the emblem to taunt the soldiers who captured him.

While there’s hardly anything else to be said about the Punisher logo meaning in the world of comics, in reality, the emblem is heavily used by quite a few organizations and individuals, with a slightly modified symbolism. Many of his fans belong to the US Armed Forces or police.

Skull emblem, the US Armed Forces and police

The spray-painted elongated white skull with long teeth could be seen in Iraq and Afghanistan on a variety of surfaces, from buildings and vehicles to equipment. The emblem is a pretty popular military tattoo. It appears in films about the military and is even used as a wallpaper picture. It’s probably better known than the Punisher himself.

And yet, it’s exceptionally controversial and ambivalent. It’s not like Superman’s “S” or Batman’s silhouette that have only positive connotations. Besides honor and determination, the Punisher himself and his emblem represent unbound aggression and destruction.

Taking into consideration that the US police is sometimes accused of excessive brutality, it’s hardly a surprise that many people find the fact that the Punisher logo is used by police officers very disturbing.

For instance, in the winter of 2017, a Kentucky precinct placed the white skull emblem on vehicles. Very soon, the police started receiving calls – people told that in their understanding, the logo meant that the police was going to kill people. However, a police spokesperson insisted that in fact, they are putting an entirely different meaning into the emblem. It’s supposed to be a promise to bring justice to all those who break the law. Also, it’s a way to honor the officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Conway, the person who created the Punisher, mentioned that the very thought that that the police could break the laws that it was supposed to enforce was “incomprehensible” and contradicted his “understanding of the police.”

Colors

In most cases, the skull is depicted the way it’s shown on the character’s costume – white on the black background. Other versions are also possible, though.