Has a very established character that you like ever taken a very unexpected turn? Well...
I recently read the excellent 6-part series Punisher: Soviet. It ran from November 2019 to March 2020, aka right until the time the world seemed to turn upside down. And it seems oddly fitting given what the Punisher does in this series.
A quick spoiler free recap: gangsters are dropping dead in NYC but it's not the Punisher's doing even though organized crime thinks it is. After doing some digging (and going past another pile of bodies he didn't create), the Punisher meets Valery Stepanovich. And this is where the story gets interesting. It's not entirely unpredictable, Valery is even made out to be the "Russian Punisher" on the cover art of the first issue (see pic), but his backstory is very well fleshed out. Thus, the execution and storytelling, I felt, makes him more than just "Punisher Russian = Valery."
Like Frank Castle, the Punisher, Valery is a disgruntled veteran who's life of service in Afghanistan went unrewarded while corrupt high level officers made bank... and led to the death of Valery's paratrooper unit. He uncovered this years later and so started his vigilantism. The story of the Soviet-Afghan War gets the better part of issue #3 as Valery recounts his past and it's a great mix of patriotism, anger, and understanding.
Since this is spoiler-free, I won't spoil the details, but this lengthy recap does factor into the main story and the Punisher's final action in this series --- minor spoiler, but it's THE BIG CHANGE that round of the Punisher's aec here --- and that's NOT killing which goes against his entire ethos, but it's an action influenced by Valery.
I haven't followed The Punisher in a long time, but this was a very welcome read and break from screenplays. The visual aspect of comics makes them cinematic and the pacing is very sharp. Informatibe for screenwriters.
A highly recommended read for gritty action fans.
