The final trailer for Marvel's The Punisher has dropped (which included a release date) and while I am excited for the series as a whole, I do have just a few problems with the trailer.
"Government is bad" is becoming a lazy trope
I hate the government as much as the next person and I agree they suck; however, I really feel as if this is merely becoming a trope, a cliche. The casting of Ben Barnes as Billy Russo (better known as Jigsaw) promises the potential to see Jigsaw, not seen since 2008, playing the foil to Frank Castle. The Punisher has an array of Rogues that could be utilized here.
Romance with Karen Page
In a Punisher series, romance isn't necessary. In fact, the lack of a romantic subplot has always been one of my favorite things about The Punisher. In the case of the Netflix series though, I am willing to see it play out before I pass judgement; however, the subplot between Karen and Matt (Murdock) has the potential to be underscored.
The costume looks stupid
Punisher: War Zone was a trash film by most metrics, but one thing it really had going for it was the look of The Punisher. What's disappointing is The Punisher easily has the simplest costume in all of comics. This series almost looks like it tried a little too hard.
Marvel's The Punisher hits Netflix on November 17th, the same day Justice League hits theaters.