Two of the deadliest characters in the Marvel Universe are unarguably Wolverine and the Punisher. Even so, only the Punisher can be considered even more deadly, because he knows how to defeat Wolverine in an absolutely humiliating way. While Wolverine assuredly has a higher kill-count than Frank Castle because of his unnaturally long life, the Punisher has proven himself to be a killer with no remorse or hesitation, taking on any number of criminals or supervillains at once, all without the added benefit of superpowers. When the Punisher went up against Wolverine, he was able to defeat the mutant warrior in one of the most humiliating ways imaginable.
In Punisher #17 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, the Punisher and Wolverine are working together to take down a dangerous mob boss and his crew. In the middle of the fight, Wolverine and the Punisher run for it in order to regroup and plan out their next moves. The Punisher, it seemed, already had some ideas as to what to do next and abruptly shoots Wolverine in his crotch to use him as a distraction.
While Wolverine writhed on the ground in pain after the Punisher humiliatingly took him down, the pursuing mobsters surrounded him, leaving the Punisher available to ambush the distracted villains and mow them all down. While humiliating, the Punisher’s tactic in incapacitating Wolverine is ingenious given Wolverine’s protective skeleton. Wolverine previously had his entire skeleton coated with adamantium, giving him an internal armor that prevents major injuries upon attacks. Based on the human anatomy, there are no bones in the crotch region of the body, which also happens to be one of its most sensitive areas. Because of Wolverine’s healing factor, the Punisher knew that shooting him in the crotch would be the most effective way of taking him down without the fear of killing him.
The manner in which the Punisher defeated Wolverine speaks to Frank’s tactical knowledge in combat and his ability to spot weakness in anyone he encounters, including his allies. Wolverine was with the Punisher to help him on his mission, but Frank was ready to attack at a moment’s notice and knew exactly how to do it effectively, even against a near invulnerable person like Wolverine.
While the Punisher was definitely being a bad partner in his take-down of Wolverine, his actions weren’t out of malice but necessity. Wolverine fights like he can’t die, because he can’t, and that makes him a liability to someone like the Punisher who mostly uses the element of surprise to kill his enemies. Instead of letting Wolverine continue on his rampage which could have led to the Punisher getting hit in the chaotic crossfire, he used Wolverine to get the jump on the mobsters. In order to carry out the mission as effectively as possible while also ensuring his own safety, the Punisher defeated Wolverine by taking him down the best way he knew how, and it was humiliating.