I was listening to a podcast with Gerry Conway The Punisher creator and he says he felt that the movies failed because they weren't his interpretation of the character or as he put it the true interpertation. http://firestormfan.com/2010/01/15/gerry-conway-firestorm-interview-part-2/     
 
My question is how are they different? I read Garth Ennis' In the Beginning story and that's really it but I know about him more from that version then Gerry's take on him. 
 
Anyone agree that's why the movies failed?

"Ger Conways version was vastly inferior to the Punisher that people know today. He was a very generic vigilante hitman who really wasnt very different from other "mystery man" type characters going around back in the 70s.   The movies failed because they tried to copy Garth Ennis MK and MAX run and couldnt do either justice. Conways version probably wasnt even looked at by the movies writers, primarily because they were relying on the punisher: year one series.   Gerry conways punisher vs garth ennis punisher: Conway had spiderman beat him down twice, and then gives him a lecture on morality . Ennis has him nuke an island full of mercenaries.   No comparison, no contest. Garth Ennis Punisher for the win. "

dont agree with him at all in fact thats pretty egotistical.
alot of times fans forget that the larger part of a viewing audience
of a movie are not comic fans nor diehards. how many people that
saw the Thomas Jane film do you suppose had even read a Punisher comic?
not the majority ill tell you that. no, i think the largest stone that sank those ships
was that the majority of the viewing audience werent comic readers, and therefore
werent imbued with a sense of nostalgia for the character. what they got out of it
instead was a guy with guns shooting mobsters. some different stuff, but not really
far off from any Rambo nor Charles Bronson movie, ect, done many times before it.
so it was fun for them, but for alot, nothing special. especially the portion of movie
goers that dont like objectless violence. that was about the more than the less of it.
the second same thing, except no real desired actors in it to give it in excuse. can
you imagine the reaction of a person who never read the comics seeing Jigsaw?

It does suck that he said that they didn't give him credits on Punisher or Spider-Man. It is weird how much Ennis' version has taken the character I don't see much other version picture of him around from fans. But who knows I read more DC Comics then anything else.