punisher

In what appears to be the smartest, and most sensible move given what is going on right now, Marvel and Netflix have decided to pull ‘The Punisher’ from New York Comic Con this week, cancelling the panel that was originally set for this Saturday. The decision comes in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas this past weekend, leaving 500 wounded and 59 dead, which involved an armed gunman opening fire on a concert crowd.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the two companies had the following to say about the decision:

“We are stunned and saddened by this week’s senseless act in Las Vegas. After careful consideration, Netflix and Marvel have decided it wouldn’t be appropriate for Marvel’s The Punisher to participate in New York Comic Con. Our thoughts continue to be with the victims and those affected by this tragedy.”

Inappropriate is the right word here, because ‘The Punisher’ is heavy on the violence, and is about a man taking the law into his own hands to literally punish those he sees as criminals, most often with a gun in hand. One does wonder if these events are enough to push Marvel and Netflix to complete delay the release of the series, maybe even push it to 2018, as now may not be the right climate to release a show like this, even with all the fans clamoring for it. After all, it does not actually have a release date yet, so pushing it back a few months would not hurt them that much, especially since Marvel’s parent company, Disney, is well known for trying to be sensitive in situations like this.

I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough, but even pulling out of New York Comic-Con is a pretty good indicator that Marvel and Netflix are worried about bad PR with this series, which could spell trouble for ‘The Punisher.’ Feel free to share your thoughts on the situation in the comments below.