Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/16/the-qanon-cult-has-started-app.html
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If they want to appropriate an appropriate logo:
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Some enterprising writer at Marvel should write a comic where Punisher takes on such groups. Maybe then it would sink in that they’re the bad guys in this timeline.
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Many trumpers around here have been displaying the skull image on their cars or trucks for some time now. Most appear to be military bros or cops. I have at least one coworker who uses it as an avatar for email.
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We already have the real life Punisher showing his disapproval
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Remember the gripping storyline where the Punisher goes into a pizza shop to bust up a paedophile ring in the basement, only to find that there is no basement?
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Wait, are they for or against police authority? I’m losing track. Oh wait, right. They’re for the police as long as they’re on the same side but against them when they’re not. I should have known better than to expect consistency.
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The new consistency is inconsistency, it’s true, I checked.
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I hadn’t but have now - thanks, it’s quite superb.
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How is it surprising? If anything this is entirely as expected because the character is a classic edgelord anti-hero and i’ve seen quite a number of questionable people rocking Punisher decals and shirts with pride since ever. If anything its a quick gauge if someone is a douchebag or not, seems handy to me.
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That’s not what you said yesterday.
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The logo and the character have long had a presence with white supremacists and Neo Nazis as well. That was part of why it was disturbing to see the military and police glom onto it.
Marvel needs to put the character to bed for the time being. They could hire Ta-Nehisi Coates to pen a “The Punisher kills the American Right” mini series and it wouldn’t change anything.
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Of all the various possible meanings of the symbol that I can think of, all of them represent represent an ugly, more violent, turn for QAnon. I fear we’re going to see more violence from them, even a merging with various reactionary militia type groups like the Oath Keepers.
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They don’t actually READ anything, they just embrace the imagery and what they think it stands for.
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I’d say the character might be more relevant being a minority rather than some angry white dude, but i would be fine if they decided to retire the character.
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Which has happened in the past if I’m remembering it right. The character also has a long history of killing cops and US soldiers. And being used to explore political topics, most often from Marvel’s traditional left wing and progressive perspective. The best use of the character has often been in indicting and parodying our fixation on violence, revenge, and simple good guys bad guys reads on topical and social issues.
And still that logo is racing its way to full on hate symbol.
Plus the character is basically a spree shooter.
So I don’t think there’s much that they can do right now that wouldn’t just feed the beast. So better to shelf him for a while and get heavy with the law suits. Otherwise it feels like they’re gonna end up with a Pepe on their hands.
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That’s my main hesitation with the character, i understand the popcorn action, violent power fantasy but this is the type of thing that made more sense in previous decades. These days the idea of some guy with guns running rampant is not the kind of fantasy i want to indulge in.
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When the character was introduced into the MCU through Daredevil the premise they went with was “he does things that cannot be justified, but he also can’t be held entirely accountable for his actions due to a combination of PTSD and brain damage caused by an assassin’s bullet.”
I guess a lot of alt-right folks out there really identify with brain damage?
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Eh, but no because he specifically targets organized crime, for the most part. He is a vigilante.
And he is hardly unique, more or less being a carbon copy of The Executioner.
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