In 15 years, will Frank Castle still be a veteran of Vietnam?

The Vietnam war ended in 1975. Born happens in 1971, when Frank is serving his third and final tour.

By then, I think he should be at least 25 years old, by the way he looked and acted. So in 2012, he should be 65.

I don't mind the age, since as a comic figure he could never age. What I think it'll be weird in a few years, is that Vietnam will had happened so long ago, The Punisher will feel outdated.

What do you think it's gonna happen in few years to the character? Do think they will give him a new war to be a veteran from?

Nah. They'll retcon him being frozen into an iceberg for a couple of decades.

Well in the 616 universe it looks like frank is in his 30th's. So i think it's becuase of the bloodstone that healed him in the FrankenCastle storyline. But it looks like they changed Frank history and that he's a Iraq veteran. They're not really clear about his origin in the new series. But in my eyes Frank will always be a Vietnam veteran.

@Overload17: Didn't know about this change. I agree that he's always gonna be a Vietnam veteran in the eyes of the fans. But when people that are born today read his comics in a few years, the Vietnam war would have happen so long ago, he's gonna look like an ancient character.

I am not sure why his military background even matters. What he does has absolutely nothing to do with military tactics or operations. They don't send in one-man-teams with a dozen weapons to take out a hundred enemies...he's a first-person shooter character, not a soldier.

@girl_from_the_future: Well the Vietnam thing matters for Frank not because of the combat tactics he learned but because of what it did to him mentally, and explain why he reacted the way he did to his family's murder. Had it not been for his experience in Vietnam he may have just done what most people do after a tragedy like that and find a way to cope with it instead of using it as fuel for his on man war

im pretty sure the bloodstone not only resurrected him, but placed him in his physical prime. he is still a Vietnam vet but with the body of a 30 year old

@SoA: so basically the bloodstone was a version of the same trick they used to make Magneto young and spry while still having survived the Holocaust

@brainwins: Well they didn't tell it in the story that they changed he's background. But they showed some pictures of Frank without the standard Vietnam soldier outfit. Instead he's wearing modern combat clothing.

Sliding timescale. Doesn't matter. He's a Vietnam vet. 

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

Rucka did give an interview stating that he was updating Frank's military sevice; Gulf War not Vietnam.

I can try to find the interview if you are interested.

@jsphsmth said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

Rucka did give an interview stating that he was updating Frank's military sevice; Gulf War not Vietnam.

I can try to find the interview if you are interested.

Sure, why not! Please post it if you can. :)

@InnerVenom123 said:

@jsphsmth said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

Rucka did give an interview stating that he was updating Frank's military sevice; Gulf War not Vietnam.

I can try to find the interview if you are interested.

Sure, why not! Please post it if you can. :)

CBR interview: "Steve and I went round and round on this, but ultimately, he wanted to make Frank younger because if he fought in Vietnam, he's in his 70s, and I get more mileage out of him being in his early 40s..."

@jsphsmth said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@jsphsmth said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

Rucka did give an interview stating that he was updating Frank's military sevice; Gulf War not Vietnam.

I can try to find the interview if you are interested.

Sure, why not! Please post it if you can. :)

CBR interview: "Steve and I went round and round on this, but ultimately, he wanted to make Frank younger because if he fought in Vietnam, he's in his 70s, and I get more mileage out of him being in his early 40s..."

Nice! I personally don't mind the retcon, as long as it's done well. But nothing will top "Punisher: Born". That story was amazing.

@InnerVenom123: Agreed. There were a couple of Frank Castle stories in The 'Nam that I enjoyed also.

I'm pretty sure we're seeing the "end" of the Vietnam era Punisher with the current PunisherMax storyline. Rucka seems to have retconned Frank as an Afghan/Iraq War veteran, which I'm okay with. Jason Aaron is giving the "original" incarnation of the character a hell of a sendoff.

Frank isn't Cap. He isn't going to keep his original war as part of his official story.

He's destined to be retconned into a veteran of the Afghan War, the Iraq War, both or whatever other war the U.S. gets into next.

It'll happen. Just wait and see.

Frank isn't Cap. He isn't going to keep his original war as part of his official story.

He's destined to be retconned into a veteran of the Afghan War, the Iraq War, both or whatever other war the U.S. gets into next.

It'll happen. Just wait and see.

@spiderbat87: The wait was short, huh? Lol!

@spiderbat87: The wait was short, huh? Lol!

Well that both makes sense and is annoying at the same time. Vietnam vets had a way different homecoming and a harder time integrating back into society. I thought that explained a decent amount of his character as an outsider.

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

We still haven't seen it stated in the comics yet that he is no longer a vietnam veteran. Yeah, they showed an image of Frank looking like he fought in the gulf war and not Vietnam but until its stated in the comics that he is no longer a vietnam veteran but a veteran of "Fill in the war" then his origin is still intact. Although it does look like Greg Rucka for whatever reason wants to change it.

@cody1984 said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

We still haven't seen it stated in the comics yet that he is no longer a vietnam veteran. Yeah, they showed an image of Frank looking like he fought in the gulf war and not Vietnam but until its stated in the comics that he is no longer a vietnam veteran but a veteran of "Fill in the war" then his origin is still intact. Although it does look like Greg Rucka for whatever reason wants to change it.

Rucka changed it already. I linked the article where he gave more info on the change early in this forum.

@jsphsmth said:

@cody1984 said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cody1984 said:

He's still a Vietnam Veteran since they didn't retcon his origin to be something else.

In Greg Rucka's new Punisher ongoing, a flashback shows Frank to be in a more modern war. Probably the Gulf War.

We still haven't seen it stated in the comics yet that he is no longer a vietnam veteran. Yeah, they showed an image of Frank looking like he fought in the gulf war and not Vietnam but until its stated in the comics that he is no longer a vietnam veteran but a veteran of "Fill in the war" then his origin is still intact. Although it does look like Greg Rucka for whatever reason wants to change it.

Rucka changed it already. I linked the article where he gave more info on the change early in this forum.

No he didn't do it yet since in the comics it doesn't state he isn't vietnam veteran anymore...we just got an image that looks like he was fighting the in the gulf war is all. Also I have read that article before and quite Frankly he is hinting that Frank is no longer a Vietnam Veteran but didn't come out and directly state he is no longer a vietnam veteran.

@cody1984: CBR interview: "Steve and I went round and round on this, but ultimately, he wanted to make Frank younger because if he fought in Vietnam, he's in his 70s, and I get more mileage out of him being in his early 40s..."

You can choose to believe whatever you want.

@jsphsmth said:

@cody1984: CBR interview: "Steve and I went round and round on this, but ultimately, he wanted to make Frank younger because if he fought in Vietnam, he's in his 70s, and I get more mileage out of him being in his early 40s..."

You can choose to believe whatever you want.

Like I stated earlier to you in a pm

What he did was give the impression that Frank is no longer a Vietnam Veteran in the comic but didn't flat out state so. If Norah Winters stated "Frank Castle having served in Iraq came home to have his family murdered in front of his eyes" than yes that is a pure retcon. We didn't get that in the book though. We might get that later but for right now we haven't.

I assumed the Bloodstone returned him to his physical prime. Until Ruckas' recent semi-flashbacks depicted him in a more modern war. Perhaps he has been changed into a Gulf War vet like the Thomas Jane version of Punisher.

@King Quisling said:

I assumed the Bloodstone returned him to his physical prime. Until Ruckas' recent semi-flashbacks depicted him in a more modern war. Perhaps he has been changed into a Gulf War vet like the Thomas Jane version of Punisher.

Yes, he is now a Gulf War vet. In the posts above, a few people have linked the article where Rucka discusses it, if you are interested in reading it.

@jsphsmth: Thanks. Didn't even read other comments. :P

Yeah, I he's modern war now.

I thought it was Desert Storm

@brainwins: Well they've killed off his MAX persona with the cancellation and they cancelled his 616 after In The Blood and he's now rebooted younger and from the last Gulf War as if none of his history ever existed. Sorry to say but he's already no longer from Vietnam. That character Marvel is completely done with :(

@jsphsmth said:

@King Quisling said:

I assumed the Bloodstone returned him to his physical prime. Until Ruckas' recent semi-flashbacks depicted him in a more modern war. Perhaps he has been changed into a Gulf War vet like the Thomas Jane version of Punisher.

Yes, he is now a Gulf War vet. In the posts above, a few people have linked the article where Rucka discusses it, if you are interested in reading it.

That slipped past me while reading his new series. Thanks for confirming this.

Iraq.

In the 616 universe I'm sure his backstory won't change, but in other Earths or revamps the Punisher might be an Iraq War veteran (that is if this war even ends -.-), much like how Iron Mans origins are in the Vietnam War, while in the film he created his suit in an Iraq War-like area.

Don't know why they change his origin, they have already rejuvenate him with the bloodstone i can't understand why Rucka didn't continue what Remender did. IMO i think we can't compare wars, Vietnam was much worse than Gulf War. All this crap of keep changin' origin is to catch new readers. For me Frank will always be a 'Nam vet, he is what he is because that.

I wonder if this has changed

I don't think he's a Nam Vet anymore. In the show, Frank was depicted as a Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran.

They might just keep on making him younger, like they do with Magneto. It has not officially been retconned yet, but for some reason Greg Rucka had him wearing Desert Storm camouflage in his run.

I hate it when they retcon stuff like this, why i love Punisher MAX so much

The best versions of him will be.