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474- The Punisher Skull
99% Invisible
English - January 25, 2022 22:54 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MB - ★★★★★ - 24.9K ratingsDesign Arts business finance fitness interview leadership entrepreneurship entrepreneur marketing health Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Previous Episode: 473- Mini-Stories : Volume 14
Next Episode: 475- Rock Paper Scissors Bus
The Punisher has always been a complicated Marvel antihero: a man whose creator imagined him as a reaction to the failures of government at home and in the Vietnam War. So why is the Punisher’s trademark dripping skull insignia — a menacing image used throughout history to denote imminent death — being painted on police vehicles, adopted by members of the military, and donned by white supremacists?
This episode of Endless Thread explores the story of The Punisher’s symbol as a meme, and looks at how well we understand its origins, its use today, and whether its creator — or Marvel — can take it back.