Later, while standing in front a neon cross made of the words "Jesus" and "Saves," a mugger confronts Castle's police contact Detective Soap (Dash Mihok). Soap calls out for Castle, and as the Jesus part of the sign goes dark, so arrives The Punisher to save him. Present in the film and in Castle's life are the Christian ideas of mercy, grace, forgiveness, and the possibility of redemption. Castle is aware of them, others know about them, but it is as if all have decided that both God and his mercy have failed. And so steps in Castle.

The trouble is, even Castle's absolute judgment isn't always as ironclad as it may seem. When Carlos (Carlos Gonzales-vlo), an ex-gangster Castle is hesitant to trust, dies, Carlos tells Castle he'll see him in Hell, to which Castle replies, "I see you anywhere near Hell, I'll kick your ass out." When Donatelli's former partner Agent Budiansky (Colin Salmon) tries to accompany Castle into the movie's final battle, Castle replies, "I never took the time to think about where I was headed&ellips; now I'm far down that road," and takes action to ensure that Budiansky will not step down that road also.

In these two scenes, we see for a moment a chink in Castle's absolute judgment. In Carlos he recognizes the ability to reform. By refusing to pull Budiansky into the life he himself feels unable to escape, he acknowledges the imprisonment of what he is doing. In both situations, his own action or promise of action actually places him in a more merciful God-like role, promising to save Carlos from Hell and preventing Budiansky from heading on the path towards it. But the unfortunate reality for a Castle is that he is still headed down that path himself.

By punishing all of mankind, it is as if Castle is taking man's sin upon himself by committing sins in others' place. The problem is, unlike Christ, he is stuck with it. In a world where there is no mercy for the men he kills, neither can he find mercy or forgiveness for himself. And although Castle may do a good job of punishing men who have done bad things and saving decent people from becoming the victims, he still cannot free himself.

In this world, as in Punisher: War Zone, it can often seem like justice is not being served, the innocent are not being protected, and those who do wrong are too evil to ever be saved. To want a hero to step in and bring that justice and protection is perfectly logical. But the truth is that human heroism is not enough to right the wrongs of men. Vengeance will only lead to more vengeance, attempts to do right will inevitably collide with wrong, and our own abilities to help and save others will eventually fall short. Sure, Frank Castle may be able to punish the "bad guys" and save the "innocents," but in a world where "bad guys" can become good and no one is truly innocent, we need more; we need God.

Fortunately for us, God is not imaginary. Even though He does promise that we all will one day face judgment, He also offers us His mercy. And in saving us not only from the evil forces which surround us, but also from the evil within ourselves, He gives us a hope that not even the most well-equipped hero or super hero could provide

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