For comic book fans, this summer at the multiplex has been like Christmas in July, with adaptations of "Hellboy," "Batman," "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." But Marvel Comics is making sure to leave at least one more present under the tree for fans to unwrap on December 5: "Punisher: War Zone."
It's the third big-screen interpretation for Frank Castle, but none have ever been as violent or sadistic as "War Zone," star Ray Stevenson told MTV News. In an exclusive chat, Stevenson talked about why Jigsaw is a classic comic villain, what lines from the film fans will geek out over, which comics influenced the film and why you're in trouble if you see a skull and crossbones. (Read about where Stevenson thinks the Punisher could go in sequels, and whether he expects he'll ever cross over into other Marvel films, in the Splash Page blog.)
MTV: What is the essential Frank Castle? Why does he continue to resonate with audiences?
Ray Stevenson: I think the thing about Frank, one thing we were very concerned about bringing out in the script, which is in the Max series, [is that] he doesn't pull his punches. He's in a world of pain. He's not a superhero; he's an antihero. There is no light at the end. When you commit to that, there's something heroically tragic about this lone warrior. You don't want to be him, but you're glad he's there. He stands out because of that.
MTV: You mentioned the Marvel Max series. Are there other comic books that fans should consider essential reading in preparation for your vision of Frank?
Stevenson: When I was doing the research, I didn't just read the Max series — I went [all the way] back. The character's been around for a long, long time, and there've been these metamorphoses and changes, but there are elements that have always kept the line through. So everything was relevant, everything had validity because you could see how it formed this lone vigilante nighttime predator. So my experience is based on that.
MTV: Is there a moment or a scene in the movie that you can point to as something real hard-core fans are going to geek out over?
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Stevenson: They're gonna get the lines. There are terrific lines in there, lines we've taken from the novels themselves, classic Frank lines. There's one of them, there's a guy bleeding out, and the guy says, "I'll see you in hell." And because Frank actually likes the guy, he's been teaming up with him, he says, "I see you anywhere near hell and I'll kick your ass out." Frank knows exactly where he's going, and he says, you're not gonna be in hell. It's got that split of being touching and moving, and yet you know he knows where he's going.
MTV: Obviously, that's a huge part of this interpretation, the ultraviolence —
Stevenson: The movie is überviolence; it's about violent people. But it does show cause and effect. It doesn't pull back from showing you that there's a price to pay for this. The biggest price is being paid by Frank. I was always very concerned about people taking from this and wanting to walk out there to take out the bullies and the bad guys. Nobody wants another Columbine. So I was very, very keen on saying that we've got to make sure to get this side out that nobody wants to be him.
MTV: In what way is Jigsaw a great Punisher villain? How does he stack up as a comic book foe?
Stevenson: He's a great foe because he relishes what he does. He has a delight in what he does. He has a kind of theatricality as well. You're going to enjoy him. His relationship with his brother, LBJ, Looney Bin Jim, is ferocious and phenomenal, and it's actually quite touching.
MTV: In what way?
Stevenson: Well, his brother has been locked up in a psychiatric hospital for years, and he frees him up to wreak havoc. And he's just animalistic and feral. It's beyond.
MTV: Do we get a Jigsaw origin story?
Stevenson: Yeah, again, it's coming from our source material. Frank goes out to take out this Mafioso crew who are all meeting for this great don's birthday. They're on the list that night; that's his job in hand. Billy [Russo, a.k.a. the Jigsaw, is] there, [but] manages to escape. Frank continues from that place to hunt him down, winds up in a glass factory. And he ends up putting Billy inside a glass crusher, and it carves his face off. Frank leaves him for dead. He survives and gets it all patched up again, and that's the Jigsaw. And yet he comes smiling through, so that's darkly disturbing. And then he sets on a [course of] vengeance: "I'm gonna get the Punisher." That's his M.O. So you've got these two foes contriving to come against each other.
MTV: Does Frank stand for anything beyond pure vengeance? What is the symbolism of the skull and crossbones?
Stevenson: It's a very potent symbol. In some way, he wants [that to be] the last thing people will see. He'll stand in front of you and take you out. The symbol itself is uncompromising. It's black and white, there it is. Boom! He doesn't really stand for anything other than that there will be a price. You can buy the best lawyers available and get off trials and work [your] way around the justice system, but there's somebody else there that [you] can't buy off.
[It's like] another line from the books: "You work for the devil, you better be prepared to die for him."
Check out everything we've got on " Punisher: War Zone."
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