The Punisher 2099
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| The Punisher | |
 Punisher 2099 #1. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Punisher 2099 #1 (1993) |
| Created by | Pat Mills |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Jake Gallows |
| Team affiliations | Doom 2099, Church of Thor, Shield 2099, Public Eye Police Force, Matt Axel |
| Notable aliases | Minister of Punishment |
| Abilities | Possesses a cybernetic suit that grants: Increased agility, durability and strength "Face-scrambler" to conceal identity Ability to upload martial arts programs into the suit |
The Punisher 2099 is a comic book series following the account of Jake Gallows a.k.a. the Punisher in the year 2099 in an alternate Marvel Universe. The majority of the issues were written by Pat Mills & Tony Skinner, art by Tom Morgan. The rest were written by Chuck Dixon. The series ran from February 1993 through November of 1995 with a total of 34 issues.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Jake Gallows, a member of the Public Eye Police Force (a police protection racket charging money to citizens) and Church of Thor, lost his mother, brother and sister-in-law (and was himself seriously injured), when they were slain on the orders of Kron Stone, psychotic son of powerful businessman Tyler Stone. After recovering, Jake comes across the original Punisher's war journal, stolen from the archives of the Public Eye. The last page bore the challenge: "You who find this, I charge you to carry on my work." Soon after, he became the new Punisher. Jake would find revenge against Kron Stone (The Punisher 2099 #2), or so he believed. Kron, after threatening the lives of several children, confronts Jake with a device that stops all high-speed projectiles, such as bullets. Jake pulls a knife and slowly stabs Kron. He seemingly dies, but Tyler's technological resources bring him back to life at a later date.
Jake fought against the unique crimes of the dystopian 2099 future. He kills rogue organ-thieves, those who track down and steal organs from unwilling victims. He tries to protect those who cannot afford their police subscriptions and thus are ignored. Conversely, he also goes after those who use their money to get away with crimes. Jake also deals with a technologically minded partner named Matt Axel, and struggles with the uncaring attitudes of his bosses and colleagues towards the poor and the attentions of a police psychiatrist who believes Jake is up to something. Over the course of the series he would deal with a recurring villain who causes grotesque physical transformations with his hand, named the Fearmaster.
For a time, Jake establishes a prison underneath his house (regular prisons have been abolished) and instead years are subtracted from people's lives by injection. Occasionally he would sentence one to death in a molecular destabilizer if he felt their crimes truly horrific. Jake himself ponders the merits of such a facility. After a carefully planned breakout, most of the prisoners died. The prison was rarely seen again.
Along with other current era heroes, such as Bloodhawk, Spider-Man, and Ravage, the new Punisher would help to bring down the false Norse Gods. He struck the final blows against Thor, his patron deity.
Jake encounters several 'versions' of classic heroes where he arrives to protect a poor neighborhood from a Cyber Nostra land grab. The people, celebrating the old heroes by dressing up like them, reject Jake's violent ways, even when the Nostra kill the 'Barrio Man', their leader. When all the Nostra are dead, the new Barrio Man, who seems to be someone else with an identical costume, approaches Jake. He expresses gratitude for Jake's help but asks that he leave.
Unlike his predecessor, Jake is completely unwilling to kill corrupt police officers, no matter how heinous their crimes. In one instance, he refuses after several officers try and kill him with a cyborg gladiator. After Jake manages to kill the gladiator, the officers attempt to kill Jake themselves. He hides, refusing to fire, but his suit is over-ridden by his partner Matt, who kills the cops (ironically, Matt himself is a policeman, and, as a more sensible, charitable man, usually acts as Jake's conscience). Matt would be involved with several more incidents with the Punisher, sometimes teaming up with others to help him.
Jake later confronts illegal hoverboard racers. These races would result in many deaths, as the riders were not averse to tricking each other into fatal obstacles. Oddly, racers would willingly catch any opponents who fell off their board.
[edit] Corruption
Ultimately, Jake would become the premiere law enforcer under the Doom administration, as the Minister of Punishment, head of the Ministry of Punishment, Federal Law Enforcement for the United States. He creates a new police force with wide-ranging powers. Curfews are enforced. The age of legal responsibility is lowered to seven. Matt Axel joins up with the Punisher again, working out of his mobile base. He literally quits on the spot after believing Matt has gone too far in employing thought-crime devices. In detecting homicidal tendencies in one man, the devices scan the neighbors next door who are simply enjoying spousal activities. It is not confirmed what the activities are but the Punisher clearly indicates he disapproves of them, that they aren't illegal...yet.
The homicidal man is confronted and subdued after attacking a SHIELD officer. The Punisher forces one of his officers to kill the man.
During this time, he confronts an alternate reality version of himself that is much more brutal. Jake Gallows dies defending Doom against the wave-spiders of Anthony Herod.
[edit] Equipment and base of operations
As a Public Eye Officer, Jake Gallows is a weapons expert, collecting some of the best future weaponry, in addition to some notable firearms from the past. One of his key weapons is the "power bat" which can vary in density, to either injure or kill an opponent. Jake keeps this set at 'soft rubber' as default, a precaution which saves his life on at least one point. The Punisher also wears a cybernetic suit capable of uploading various martial arts techniques for hand-to-hand combat. His suit is also equipped with multiple technological devices, such as a face-scramble to avoid detection by the many security cameras on the city streets.
The Punisher also uses a super-sonic motorcycle for transportation.
Jake keeps a secret base in the basement of his home. The base contains a complex prison, which he uses to temporarily detain prisoners. The Punisher interrogates prisoners and when finished he executes them via an electric chair-like molecular disintegrator.
[edit] See also
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