Marvel's New Punisher Replacement Officially Unveiled

Published Nov 5, 2026, 6:30 PM EST

Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.

Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.

Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.

There's a lethal vigilante stalking New York's streets in Marvel Comics, killing off gangsters in his family's name... and it's not the Punisher. Marvel just replaced Frank Castle as its de facto lethal vigilante, bringing back a character fans haven't seen in forty years.

This week saw the launch of a new volume of Spider-Woman, setting up an explosive new status quo with Jessica Drew acting as the newest host of Carnage. While the serial killer symbiote is at its weakest, its lust for violence is slowly but surely seeping into Spider-Woman's mind.

The new comic sees Jess working as a professional investigator for the Daily Bugle, investigating crimes and reporting back to star reporter Ben Urich. As the issue opens, Spider-Woman is onto a grisly new lead...

The Hangman Returns To Marvel Comics

In Spider-Woman #1 - from Dan Watters, Andrea Broccardo, Mattia Iacono and Joe Sabino - Jessica Drew discovers that an old villain, long assumed dead, is actually alive and well. Debuting in 1973, Harlan Krueger is the Hangman - a vicious vigilante who started his career slaughtering the criminals of Los Angeles with a scythe and noose.

Krueger has a twisted sense of morality, executing anyone he considers to be making the world a worse place, from criminals to movie directors whose films he believes are a corrupting influence on young people. The Hangman seemingly died in 1982's Bizarre Adventures #31, but Spider-Woman retcons this as Krueger faking his death and becoming a killer for hire, while still targeting his favorite prey.

Hangman Is On a Punisher-Tier Crusade

After years staying off the radar of everyone from the Avengers to SHIELD, the Hangman has returned. As Spider-Woman investigates, she learns that Krueger's daughter Christine was almost killed in the crossfire of a gang war, inspiring him to return to his no-holds-barred attack on New York's underworld.

The Hangman starts out hanging various underworld enforcers before carrying out a gory massacre in a hospital, targeting the minions of gang leader Tombstone. Alison Sante - Krueger's former partner and Christine's mother - begs Spider-Woman to put a stop to his rampage, believing that once he considers his work done, he'll kidnap Christine and disappear.

While Punisher has a lot of negative qualities, Frank Castle is an expert tactical operator with a firm moral line. In contrast, the Hangman is erratic and incautious, with a disturbing sexist streak that leads him to believe he's 'rescuing' women by kidnapping them from 'dangerous' situations.

However, with a major confrontation between Punisher and the Avengers on the horizon, fans are getting suspicious whether the Hangman's return may be intended to take his place.

What Does Avengers' Red Line Mean For Punisher?

Marvel recently teased that the second arc of the newly launched Avengers Volume 10 would be 'The Red Line,' involving some kind of face-off with the Punisher. It's possible that the new street-level Avengers team will take it on themselves to bring Frank Castle to justice. If so, then Spider-Woman could be positioning the Hangman as his replacement.

Even if that's not the case, it's fascinating to see a Marvel hero go up against a villain so similar to the Punisher without the usual sympathy shown towards Frank Castle, especially one whose motive to 'protect his family' is so similar.

The latest volume of Spider-Woman has gotten off to an incredibly strong start, establishing a fascinating new status quo for Jessica Drew and confronting her with a villain who is the Punisher dialed up to 11.

Spider-Woman #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.

The Punisher