After rewatchingThe Punisher, I’m still impressed the show managed to pull off revealing a central character’s backstory in the very final episodes of theMarvelshow. Prior to Jon Bernthal’slive-action Punisherappearing as a concrete part ofthe MCU timelinevia his role inDaredevil: Born Again,DaredevilandThe Punisherwere the only Marvel shows this iteration of the character could be found in. As the central series for the antihero,The Punishernaturally focused the most on its titular vigilante, though it made sure to flesh out a varied and engaging roster of characters along the way.
With a wide array of characters also comes a wide array of stories, particularly given just how intense the arcs of many ofThe Punisher’s cast end up being. This is especially true for one focal figure inThe Punisherseason 2, who goes from having a seemingly relatively normal life to getting in a fight with a Homeland Security agent in order to try and protect a wanted criminal responsible for countless deaths - a story that only makes full sense after their backstory is revealed in the final leg ofThe Punisher’s journey.
The Punisher’s 26-Episode Long Run Revolves Around The Backstories Of Its Main Characters
WhileThe Punisherunsurprisingly revolves around the origin story of Frank Castle - exploring how the murder of his family turned him into a one-man vigilante army -the story also makes sure that its central cast have backstories that are integral to the plot. Within season 1, much of the plot is defined by Micro being hunted for his discovery of footage revealing the misdeeds of the illegal military organization known as Operation Cerberus. Season 2 is similarly defined by Amy Bendix surviving a massacre that took place after she and her crew gained blackmail material on one Senator Schultz.
Along the way, the backstories of military figures who have history with Castle - like Billy Russo, William Rawlins, and Curtis Hoyle - add context to what happened previously in Frank’s life, and show the different ways the protagonist could have been defined by his experiences. Combine this with the backstories of Russo, Rawlins, and other characters like John Pilgrim working to provide villainous reflections of how Castle’s experiences could have turned him into something or someone worse over time, and there are few characters whose backstories don’t play a vital role in the setup and themes of the series.
The Punisher Season 2 Manages To Leave Out 1 Crucial Character’s Full Backstory Until Episode 11 (Of 13)
Conventionally,The Punishertends to reveal the backstories of its characters in the early chapters or otherwise midpoints of their story - using their past to either help establish them from the offset to viewers, or to provide extra definition or a twist where the plot needs it. However, one of the final backstories we learn in the show is revealed all the way inThe Punisherseason 2, episode 11, which is notable in that it’s under two hours away from the very end of the entire series, meaning almost all of the show’s story happens beforehand.
The Punisherepisode 12 & 13 have a 48 minute and 56 minute runtime respectively, meaning by episode 11’s ending there is exactly an hour and 44 minutes left in the entire show.
This esteemed backstory placement in the show is given to Krista Dumont, the therapist tasked with overseeingThe Punisherantagonist Billy Russo’s recovery following his dramatic confrontation with Frank Castle at the end of season 1, which saw The Punisher damage him so badly his memory fails for a good portion of the second season. Dumont makes some questionable decisions in this regard, largely in terms of her beginning a romantic relationship with Russo shortly after he escapes the hospital where he is being held, and attempting to flee New York with him before taking injuries that make this impossible.
However, the puzzle pieces of Dumont’s story don’t make full sense untilThe Punisherseason 2, episode 11, where we finally learn her actual backstory. While Krista previously alludes to having a fall as a child and receiving some scars from it - hence her fear of windows and heights - episode 11 explains how this fully ties into the story, asDumont reveals her fall came about because her father picked up her after an argument with her mother and jumped out of a window with Krista in his arms in an attempt to kill them both.
Since Krista explains she wishes someone could have been there for her father during a time where he was clearly struggling, this serves to explain why Dumont is so committed to helping Billy even at the cost of her own safety and wellbeing, and why she forms such a strong attachment to him, seeing a chance to be that person for someone she sees as being in a similar situation. That said, the fact that we only really understand why Dumont has been helping Russo for the entirety of season 2 by the time there’s one episode left before the show’s finale does make this timing feel especially surreal.
Why Krista Dumont’s Backstory Being Left Out Until The Punisher’s Final Episodes Works
The interesting thing about the timing ofThe Punisher’s backstory reveal is that it means we effectively learn the character’s origin story of sorts while she has only minutes of on-screen time left before the end of her story, and not that long left of the show itself. As such, this moment is used to connect Dumont’s childhood and early trauma to her character’s ending in the show, taking the decision to reveal her backstory so late from a move that could have felt like a mistake to something that ties in effectively to the final events of the series.
The context of this backstory helps justify why Dumont decides to fight Homeland Security agent Dinah Madani inThe Punisherseason 2, episode 12, which takes her out of the picture after Madani ends up putting her in hospital.Dumont’s injuries also set up Billy Russo and Frank Castle’s final confrontation and Russo’s death, as it explains why Billy would jump into a firefight with Madani immediately after this, and be too overcome with emotion to use his military training fully, leading to him taking the gunshot wounds that would make him an easy target for Castle to finish off.
All in all, while revealing a central character’s backstory so late in a show is arguably a bit of a risky move, it’s one that pays off for the series, and means there’s a suitably dramatic ending to Dumont’s story that also kickstarts the final chapter ofThe Punisheritself. That said, it’s also definitely a story decision that couldn’t have really been replicated with almost any other character - which is perhaps what makes it such a novel part ofThe Punisherseason 2 and the way it ends the Marvel show’s run.
