In this battle between DC and Marvel, we are looking at two characters who are very similar to one another in both their goals and methods. While John Cena himself said that Peacemaker is a douchebag version of Captain America, this character is more like the Punisher. However, in a battle between these characters, who would win?
While Peacemaker is the superior physical specimen and has a lot of tools at his disposal, the Punisher is superior in every other aspect. Based on what he has shown in the Marvel shows and on his feats, the Punisher is the better shooter and the superior hand-to-hand fighter compared to Peacemaker.
Even though the Punisher is better than Peacemaker and will most likely win a confrontation between these vigilantes, Peacemaker is no slouch. He is still one of the strongest non-superpowered characters in fiction. Still, the Punisher stands as the better character when it comes to what he is capable of. But it is better to take a look at what Peacemaker and the Punisher can do in a more detailed way.
Physical Capabilities
Played by John Cena in The Suicide Squad and the spin-off Peacemaker series, Peacemaker is no doubt a physical specimen. He muscles on top of muscles and is said to be at the peak in terms of what humans can do physically. This means that he is at the peak human level in terms of his strength, durability, reflexes, and stamina. Smaller men will easily fold if they go up against a man of Peacemaker’s physical capabilities.
The Punisher is no slouch when it comes to his physical capabilities. He isn’t the biggest man, but he is pretty strong as well, considering that he underwent rigorous physical training himself and is capable of bench-pressing more than 500 pounds. The Punisher is said to be at peak human conditioning levels, and that means that his endurance, stamina, and durability are all at the highest level possible for any human.
While the Punisher is an impressive physical specimen in his own right, Peacemaker is simply more impressive in this category. The Punisher is similar to Peacemaker in terms of every other physical capability except for strength, which is an area where Peacemaker excels. This is why we give the point to Peacemaker.
Points: Christopher Smith 1, Frank Castle 0
Hand-to-Hand Combat
Peacemaker was trained in hand-to-hand combat since he was a child. That means that his skills as a fighter are quite amazing, and he becomes even more amazing when you pair his fighting skills with his superior strength and physical capabilities. In that regard, Peacemaker can go toe-to-toe with some of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the DC universe as long as they are not superhuman.
On the other hand, the Punisher is one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the Marvel universe, especially if you don’t count the ones with superpowers. He is a master martial artist who excels in close-quarters combat, especially when you look at his skills in fighting styles such as Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Systema, ninjutsu, Shorin-Ryu Karate, Hwa Rang Do, Chin Na, and Nash Ryu Jujutsu.
In fact, he is so good as a close-quarter fighter that Nick Fury gave him a rating of six in his fighting skills. To put things in perspective, Daredevil, who is one of the greatest hand-to-hand fighters in Marvel, has a rating of five.
Given the fact that the Punisher is a master of a lot of different fighting styles, he is better at this category compared to Peacemaker. Christopher Smith is no slouch when it comes to fighting, but Frank Castle is just simply the better hand-to-hand fighter between the two characters.
Points: Christopher Smith 1, Frank Castle 1
Shooting Skills
One of the things that Peacemaker excels at is the use of different ranged weapons that he can fire with so much accuracy in an instant. In The Suicide Squad, he was capable of shooting people down without taking a tenth of a second to aim. Meanwhile, in his final confrontation with Bloodsport, he was able to shoot a bullet with his own bullet. That is a testament to how good of a shooter Peacemaker is.
Frank Castle himself underwent extensive training as a shooter. He completed the training for the Navy Seals, Long Range Patrol, Ranger School, and a lot of the other training programs in the military. That means that he is one of the best-trained shooters in the entire Marvel universe and is a master of using different types of ranged weapons as well.
Both Peacemaker and the Punisher are great shooters in their own right and have undergone extensive training. They are also very quick at drawing their weapons, and that means that it could easily be a stalemate between these characters. But it could also go either way.
Points: Christopher Smith 1, Frank Castle 1
Equipment
Peacemaker is one of the most well-equipped characters in the entire 2021 The Suicide Squad film. You could see that he has a lot of different weapons at his disposal, such as his Magnum Desert Eagle, Remington 870 shotgun, ax, sword, and blowgun.
Amanda Waller even said that he is so dangerous that anything in his hands can be used as a weapon. On top of that, he has an oddly-shaped helmet that he wears to protect his head.
In most cases, the Punisher’s weaponry tends to change depending on what the occasion or the mission calls for. But there is no doubt that he is also well-equipped and often uses weapons such as rifles, knives, machine guns, and a lot of different military-grade weapons that you don’t normally see from your regular vigilantes. On top of that, Frank Castle wears a suit that protects him from bullets and impact.
Both Peacemaker and the Punisher are often well-equipped. However, Frank Castle’s equipment isn’t as consistent as Christopher Smith’s. While Castle, with the right equipment, is a dangerous weapon, Smith’s consistent weaponry and his mastery over those weapons give him the slight edge here.
Points: Christopher Smith 2, Frank Castle 1
Intelligence
Peacemaker may not be a bumbling idiot, but he was never portrayed as the smartest character in The Suicide Squad. That may change in his own spin-off series, but he was never shown to be the most intelligent or the best in terms of judging a situation.
He may perhaps be an expert in battle tactics and strategies, but the fact that he is so obsessed with peace is his ultimate weakness. Christopher Smith will stop at nothing to keep or achieve peace, and that often clouds his judgment.
On the other hand, Frank Castle is a master tactician who has singlehandedly incapacitated large groups of criminals without any help whatsoever. He has always been portrayed to be an intelligent character in terms of battle tactics, and that makes him a very dangerous man on any kind of battlefield. The Punisher is not a genius, but he still is very smart when it comes to knowing what to do in certain situations.
That said, because Frank Castle is not encumbered by an obsession, we can say that he will probably make better judgments compared to Peacemaker. Christopher Smith is not an idiot, but he often makes poor choices because of his obsession with peace.
Points: Christopher Smith 2, Frank Castle 2
Feats
Based on what we saw in The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker is unbeatable when fighting regular goons who haven’t received the type of training that regular military men do. He often played with these goons to the point that he and Bloodsport turned it into a competition.
However, when he matched up against a smaller yet equally capable Rick Flag, who received extensive military training, he nearly died. The fight could have gone both ways.
On the other hand, the Punisher is not only great against goons but is equally great against well-trained individuals who have received their own extensive training as well. His best feat is when he was able to beat Daredevil in single combat.
And that is saying a lot because Daredevil, despite his lack of sight, has augmented senses and is one of the best close-combat fighters in the entire Marvel universe.
Even though Peacemaker’s feats in the movie are pretty great, the fact that he struggled against Rick Flag is what ultimately makes him the inferior combatant when compared to the Punisher, who was able to best some of the most well-trained fighters in Marvel.
Points: Christopher Smith 2, Frank Castle 3
Peacemaker Vs. The Punisher: Who Wins?
When you factor in all of the abovementioned considerations in this battle between ruthless vigilantes, The Punisher comes out the winner. Sure, Peacemaker is the superior of the two in terms of strength and even his regular equipment.
However, The Punisher is simply better in all of the other areas that matter. He is arguably the best hand-to-hand fighter among the regular people in Marvel and has the battle intelligence and feats that make him the superior fighter.
