Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released in 2004 by Lionsgate, The Punisher brought Marvel's grim vigilante to the screen during a transitional era for comic book adaptations, before the genre's later dominance. Thomas Jane starred as Frank Castle, a man who loses his family and turns his grief into a one-man war on crime. The film leaned into pulpy, R-rated violence rather than spectacle, appealing to fans who wanted a darker, street-level take on justice.
This cell, Frank Castle - Armed, isolates the character at his most defining: a man permanently equipped for war. Frank Castle and The Punisher are named together here, underscoring the transformation at the heart of the story, from grieving father to weaponized avenger. For collectors, this is the essential image of the character, the identity built entirely around being armed and ready. Whether drawn from trailer material or theatrical stock, a cell like this captures the core iconography that makes The Punisher instantly recognizable.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Punisher (2004).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm neutral tint; the dye image appears well-saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a release print of The Punisher (2004).
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive stock, and base tint are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the early 2000s.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000064383
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
