Posted in: Comics, Disney+, TV | Tagged: frank castle, punisher

Punisher Symbol Controversy Being Reignited by FBI Director Kash Patel

FBI Director Kash Patel's "challenge coin" reignited the controversy over Marvel's Punisher logo and its use by law enforcement and military.

As those of you who frequent Bleeding Cool know, Rich Johnston has been covering for quite some time the continued controversy over the use of the symbol used by the Marvel Comics character The Punisher, aka Frank Castle: the huge, white skull with elongated teeth. Specifically, how it continues to be used as a"call to arms" by law enforcement units, military groups, and right-leaning organizations across the country. We saw examples of it on display in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the demands for police reform and social justice, as well as during protests and counter-protests in Detroit and Charlottesville.

It didn't matter that Gerry Conway, the character's creator, was vehemently against the symbol being used by these groups. The issue was even addressed in the comics in 2019 when Frank put two fawning, admiring police officers in their place: "We're not the same; you took an oath to uphold the law, you help people. I gave all that up a long time ago." Frank was looking to drive home the irony that those who have sworn to serve and protect would get inspiration from someone whose very existence goes against the laws they supposedly swore to uphold.

In his autobiography, American Sniper, Chris Kyle discussed the meaning behind marking his equipment with the symbol during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. "We all thought what the Punisher did was cool: He righted wrongs. He killed bad guys. He made wrongdoers fear him. That's what we were all about," Kyle wrote. The symbol would be seen more on the military side, from Middle East encampments to frontline fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. It would also find its way into the military culture back here in the United States, corrupted even further by those who use it as a way of pushing radical, right-wing conspiracy thinking.

In 2021, Jon Bernthal, who portrayed Frank Castle/Punisher in Netflix's live-action Marvel universe, found himself in the middle of controversy over the very matter. The actor posted an image of himself by the signage for the Southwestern District Action Team in Baltimore, Maryland, a police unit (which you can check out below).

For their part, Marvel Comics would address the matter by changing the symbol, debuting it in Punisher #1 in March 2022 (from writer Jason Aaron and artists Jesus Saiz & Paul Azaceta) as Frank became the leader of the Hand. From there, Frank would end up in Weirdworld, find himself briefly replaced by a new Punisher with a new skull logo, and even be the subject of a Vietnam-era story from Garth Ennis. In September 2025, Marvel Comics would officially bring back Frank Castle and the skull logo in Punisher: Red Band #1 (from writer Benjamin Percy, artist Julius Ohta, and cover artist Marco Checchetto). The move would come six months after the premiere of Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin)-starring Daredevil: Born Again, which saw Bernthal return as Frank – and also sporting the skull logo.

Now, it seems that FBI Director Kash Patel has reignited the controversy, utilizing the skull logo as the basis for a recent "challenge coin" he created. The medallions are created to signify a specific military unit or command, used to prove membership and passed along as a sign of respect or gratitude. Patel's "coin" features a skull with spiders for eyes and guns for the teeth, with "KH" at the top (with an "S" set between them) on the front. On the back, there's the FBI seal, the words, "Presented by the Director of the FBI Kash Patel," an image of an old Tommy gun from "The Untouchables" era, Patel's signature, and a blue "9." The medallions have already seen pushback on social media, with many arguing that Patel's FBI represents pretty much everything that Frank fights against. You can check out the "challenge coin" for yourselves online.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!