The Punisher's Most Brutal Kill Ever Is a Nod To Raiders of the Lost Ark

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Punisher: Red Band #5!

The Punisher just paid homage to Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, mirroring one of the action-adventure movie’s most classic moments in Frank Castle’s deadly confrontation with Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. In a hardcore moment, the Punisher chooses to shoot his opponent in cold blood, rather than take him down in hand-to-hand-combat.

Punisher: Red Band #5 is written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Julius Ohta. Its climactic scene evokes the infamous moment in Raiders when Indiana, faced with a much larger enemy wielding an equally-massive scimitar, impatiently shoots the swordsman instead.

Here, Marvel puts a gruesome R-rated spin on the interaction, as the Punisher isn’t satisfied with just one bullet.

The Punisher Brutally Takes Out Kingpin In A Scene Straight Out Of "Raiders Of The Lost Ark"

Punisher: Red Band #5, Written By Benjamin Percy, Art By Julius Ohta; Available Now From Marvel Comics

Punisher: Red Band has been all about setting its protagonist back to his usual paradigm: Marvel’s most cold-blooded “hero,” fighting its worst street-level criminals. The series has been maneuvering Punisher and Kingpin into position for an endgame confrontation since it began, but how it plays out proved to be a shockingly effective anticlimax.

The natural dramatic instinct when writing the long-brewing Punisher/Kingpin showdown might have been to draw it out. More dialogue, more back-and-forth action. Maybe Kingpin gets the upperhand, only for Frank Castle to prevail in the end. Author Benjamin Percy subverts all that, and the result is a scene that will inevitably remind readers of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The difference is that the moment in Raiders is bloodless, and ultimately serves as a comedic character beat for Indy. The Punisher version is much more gruesome, as Castle unloads on Kingpin with two machine guns. Yet it is also an important step in Punisher’s character arc throughout the five-issue series: Frank Castle is finally, fully back.

Punisher's Hardcore "Raiders" Moment Confirms Frank Castle Is Officially So Back

Could Kingpin Survive His Wounds In Punisher: Red Band #5?

Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of Hollywood’s most iconic improvisations. There was, in fact, supposed to be an epic fight between hero and henchman. Except Harrison Ford was sick on the day of filming, and after one-too-many takes, he suggested the sequence of events that appears on screen.

The ending of Punisher: Red Band #5 seems more deliberate, more intentional. It fits perfectly with the book’s vision of who Frank Castle is, and what it means for him to become the Punisher once more. Whether Wilson Fisk survived the shooting or not, the point is that Punisher has returned to his most merciless, most punishing self.

Punisher: Red Band #5 is available now from Marvel Comics.