On Monday, celebrated comic book creator and one-time Punisher writer Mike Baron responded to the recent changes Marvel Comics has made with their gun-toting vigilante character the Punisher, and vehemently defended the use of the Punisher’s skull logo by military and police officers.

According to Baron:

“I am proud when the police and military use the Punisher as their symbol. In my mind, the punisher stands for justice… the way I wrote him, that’s what he did.”

Baron’s comments are in stark disagreement with critics of the character, including The Punisher’s own co-creator Gerry Conway, who called the Punisher and his skull logo a symbol of “lawless police oppression” in 2020.

Mike Baron made his comments on a recent livestream hosted by Ethan Van Sciver on his Comic Artist Pro Secrets YouTube channel. You can watch the full livestream for yourself below.

Baron noted that the core motivation of the Punisher, as well as his appeal, isn’t all that complicated.

“Human nature doesn’t change… There will always be a yearning for justice… When I did the Punisher, I approached it as a straight crime story. There were no superheroes, science fiction, aliens, or monsters, and that’s what it should be. I mean, the Punisher’s not that difficult a character to do.”

Baron went on to wish the current Punisher creative teams the best of luck with telling their new stories.

Mike Baron wrote approximately eighty Punisher stories in the character’s heyday of the late 80s and early 90s, helping to transform the character into one of Marvel’s most recognizable brands.

Have thoughts on the Punisher’s place in pop culture? Let us know in the comments!

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