Frank Castle's merciless campaign against Marvel's heroes was a precursor to the superhero bloodbath that is The Boys. However you spin it, The Punisher is perhaps the most controversial figure to ever emerge from a Big Two comic book. At best an extremely dubious anti-hero and at worst a serial killer, Frank Castle is a cold-blooded monster who will dispose of his criminal prey by any means necessary.

Garth Ennis is responsible for arguably two of the greatest Punisher books of all time, with his Marvel Knights run and the ultra-dark Punisher MAX standing as definitive takes on the character. The prolific Irish writer is known for ultra-violence, extremely dark comedy, and an outspoken disdain for superheroes among other things. While Preacher is without a doubt Ennis' most well-known series, another of his creator-owned works has risen in prominence in recent years thanks to a fantastic tv adaption. Billy Butcher and his band of misfits that make up The Boys have left a bloody mark on the landscape of comics and television. The twisted send-up of comic book heroes shares a surprising link with Marvel's darkest character.

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The Boys' world is one of grim depravity, with monstrous superheroes unleashing their darkest desires upon a mostly unaware populace. Only Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Female, and Frenchie stand in their way. Garth Ennis' very first Punisher story, a one-off What If? titled Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe bears several striking similarities with The Boys. Set in an alternate reality, this version of Frank Castle's family is killed as part of collateral damage stemming from a gigantic battle between the members of the Avengers and X-Men against a group comprised of the Skrull and the Brood. Serving as a police officer on this earth, Frank arrives on the scene and a remorseless Cyclops casually waves off Maria and the kid's death, stating that they were simply in the way. An enraged Frank immediately shoots Cyclops in the head, the first of many casualties in Punisher's crusade against all things superhero.

While these versions of Marvel's heroes aren't depraved sadists like Homelander and his ilk, they bear an infuriating sense of ego and carelessness that has left many victims in its wake. Frank is hired by a man named Kesselring who represents all those who have been wronged by so-called superheroes. Kesselring asks him to "punish" them, and that he does in spectacular fashion.

A world of superheroes run amok. A shadowy group set out to punish them. And a brutal dark-haired man with a fondness for elaborate planning and trench coats doing the punishing. The similarities between Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe and The Boys are numerous and pretty blatant. Billy Butcher and Punisher would probably get along pretty well. The fact that The Boys was originally meant to be set in the DC Universe and was even launched under DC's Wildstorm imprint before moving to Dynamite for publishing makes it seem like Garth Ennis' plan from the very beginning has been to slaughter every hero at the Big Two. Maybe one day he'll get to send the Justice League towards a grisly end too.

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