History
Maria as a teenager
Maria Castle (née Falconio) was the wife of Frank Castle.[4] She first met Frank while watching him play peewee hockey. Frank was too scared to talk to her. So, Frank's friend Steadman Sternberger wrote poetry for Maria and lied that Frank wrote it. This caused Maria to fall for Frank. Maria's influence caused Frank's anti-social behavior to recede, and they eventually marry. She became pregnant with their first child Lisa when Frank enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.[2] They later had a second child named Frank Jr.
During a trip to New York City's Central Park, Maria, Lisa, and Frank Jr. were killed after witnessing a gangland execution. This lead to Frank becoming the Punisher.[4] Since then, she and the children appeared many times as ghosts or in Frank's dreams.[citation needed]
Years later, the Hood made them appear to Frank to tempt him.[5] Microchip was working with the villain in order to resurrect his son, but the price was to kill a government agent, a price that he payed with no hesitation by killing G.W. Bridge. When Frank, Micro, and the Hood came to a last stand when Frank's family and Micro's son were resurrected through soul sacrifice. Frank believed they belonged to the dead, so he grabbed a flamethrower and burned them down.[6]
Sometime later Frank fought a woman in black leather suit with burnt skin, who called him "Angel". It appeared that Maria had been kept alive after her resurrection; Frank's attempt at burning her to death seemed to have failed and was working with the Jigsaw Brothers, but it was all a plan to catch Frank as it was revealed that Tanya Adrian was the burnt woman.[7]
To ensure Frank joined their ranks, the Hand resurrected her and presented her to Castle after he passed their test.[8] Her memory of her and her children's deaths was erased in the process. This once caused her to have a nervous breakdown after believing that her children were left in Central Park, unaware that they were dead. She was eventually calmed through sedation.[9]
When Frank had a falling out with the Hand and killed his assistant the Archpriestess, Frank took Maria and fled the Hand compound they lived in. However, Maria suddenly began weakening and was near death, forcing Frank to take her back to the compound. A resurrected Archpriestess told Frank that the process that resurrected Maria was incomplete and required constant treatment from the Hand. If Maria ever left the compound, Maria would die. Frank was forced to stay with the Hand in order to keep Maria alive.[2]
Attributes
Weaknesses
- Due to her incomplete resurrected state, Maria required constant treatment to keep her alive.[2]
Notes
- Maria loved jigsaw puzzles and could spend days on them.[10]
See Also
- 31 appearance(s) of Maria Castle (Earth-616)
- 21 minor appearance(s) of Maria Castle (Earth-616)
- 37 mention(s) of Maria Castle (Earth-616)
- 10 image(s) of Maria Castle (Earth-616)
- 1 quotation(s) by or about Maria Castle (Earth-616)
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