The Punisher Officially Beats Spider-Man at His Own Game

At the end of the day, The Punisher, for as effective as he is in making criminals pay, is just a normal man in the Marvel universe. Even in New York, he’s surrounded by heroes and villains with powers that outclass him, from Spider-Man and Daredevil to Bullseye, the Green Goblin, and more. Frank Castle does have two things on his side, though — a tactical mind and a hell of a lot of weaponry. Using both, he’s been able to punch a bit above his weight, even giving his web-slinging “friend” a run for his money under the right circumstances.

Spider-Man’s strength, speed, and webs have always given him a huge advantage over Frank whenever the two have come to blows in Marvel Comics, even though the Punisher was initially introduced as a villain for the web-head. Unless the situation is just right, like, say, Frank being under the control of Mister Negative and having his signature Punishercopter at his disposal, things usually don’t end well for the vigilante. Even Spider-Man: Brand New Day saw Tom Holland‘s Spidey making quick work of Jon Bernthal‘s armored vehicle and nerfing his ability to curse with ease in a silly demonstration of the chasm between them. Writer Dan Abnett‘s Punisher vs. Spider-Man, however, has seen the two working closely together to eliminate New York’s criminal infrastructure, albeit through much less lethal means than Frank would prefer. However, their slowly building friendship creates a new vulnerability for the Punisher to exploit when Spider-Man gets in his way.

Spoilers ahead for Punisher vs. Spider-Man

‘The Punisher vs. Spider-Man’ Gives Frank a Surprising Win

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

• Image via Marvel Comics

Issue follows up with Frank after a confrontation with Peter out of costume as he tries to learn more about who Spider-Man really is. However, their meeting takes a turn when he finds photos the Daily Bugle reporter took that show just how disturbingly deep the corruption within New York runs. Trying to prevent Frank from doing something rash, Peter throws on his suit and swings after him, attempting to reason with the Punisher before he takes his war into the offices of his once-ally and intel specialist, Smokeshow. Talk goes nowhere, and soon, fists are flying, but this time, Frank gets the upper hand. He uses Spider-Man’s empathy for him against him, going on the offensive and landing a punch right where he knew the hero was injured during their fight with Morgue and Rhino. He then pulls out his nastiest trick, using the very mechanical web-shooters that Spidey demonstrated to him to web up the web-head and give him quite the shock with a taser.

Four powers, and four completely different kinds of person behind them.
Here is what you would wake up with, what it would cost you, and why the MCU keeps handing it to
somebody exactly like you.

You get the power that is really about taking the hit so that
nobody else has to. Strength in the MCU always lands on people who were already carrying too
much, which is exactly why it suits you.

• Your instinct is to put yourself between the problem and the people, and you do it
  before anybody has thought to ask.
• Bruce Banner is the most interesting version of this because his story was never about
  lifting things, it was about control.
• The catch with strength is that people stop checking whether you are alright, since you
  have made a habit of looking like you always are.
• You would be the one everybody calls at two in the morning, and you would answer every
  single time.

You get the power that never switches off. Spider-sense is a gift
and a nervous system on permanent alert, and the people who get it in these films are always
the ones who were already worrying about everybody.

• You read a situation faster than you can explain it, and you are usually right in a way
  you cannot show your working for.
• Peter Parker is the template because he takes on more than he can hold and then
  apologises for not holding it well enough.
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived in July 2026 and put him back to being local, broke
  and permanently on call.
• The cost here is real, since a power that warns you about everything also means you are
  never quite off duty.

You get the quietest power in the building, and quietly the most
useful. Invisibility comes with force fields for a reason, because the people who prefer not
to be seen are usually the ones holding a shield around everybody else.

• You notice everything, largely because you spend more time observing a room than
  performing in it.
• Sue Storm is the strongest member of her team and the least interested in anybody saying
  so, which is very much your energy.
• The Fantastic Four: First Steps finally gave the family a proper MCU home in 2025 and
  made her the centre of it.
• Your risk is that being unseen becomes a habit rather than a choice, and the people who
  love you would like a look in.

You get the biggest and least comfortable power on the list, the
one that runs directly on feeling. Chaos magic is not really a superpower in the MCU so much
as an emotional state with consequences attached.

• You feel things at a volume other people do not, and you have spent years managing that
  rather than being managed by it.
• Wanda is the best written character Marvel has, precisely because her power and her
  grief turned out to be the same thing.
• WandaVision remains the high point of Marvel television, and it works because the
  spectacle is only ever a symptom.
• The warning attached to this one is simple. A power that answers to how you feel is only
  ever as steady as you are.

The fight ends with almost the exact opposite outcome anyone would expect — the Punisher leaving Spider-Man knocked out and tied up in his own webs, effectively beating him at his own game. It’s a showcase of how Frank thinks, registering every little thing about his foes and friends alike and being willing to use those tactical observations to his advantage against the very people who considered him an ally. Moreover, the moment sets the stage for a high-stakes conclusion to this reflection on the characters’ past together. Frank has his sights set on a kill, and Peter has a mess to wriggle out of if he hopes to stop the anti-hero from causing more death and destruction, even if the people he’s targeting aren’t exactly saints.

Punisher vs. Spider-Man is now on sale. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on all the latest developments within the world of Marvel Comics. Explore more comics and books with a free trial of Audible.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day