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It's been a rough few years for Punisher fans. And by "fans" I mean folks like me and my buddies who read Frank Castle's comics, and appreciate him for the flawed figure that he is. The character's iconic skull symbol has been co-opted by hate groups who have glossed over his complexities in order to extract only his most violent philosophy - that aggression is the only way to greet society. Now, Daredevil: Born Again is making this troubling development for The Punisher's character a phenomenon that also exists within the world of the MCU. And the Born Again team is not mincing words. 

In episode three of Daredevil: Born Again ('The Hollow of His Hand'), retired NYPD officer Cherry walks past a building with a Punisher skull painted onto the side of it, the word "triggered" emblazoned across the skull's forehead. Its appearance comes at a critical time in Born Again's story: Cherry was on his way to a safe house where Nicky Torres, a witness who could attest to Hector Ayala's innocence, was being kept. Previously, two NYPD officers, one of whom had a tattoo of The Punisher's skull on his wrist, had come to Nicky's apartment with plans to murder him. The appearance of street art with The Punisher's symbol near Nicky's safe house represents the omnipotence of New York's corrupt cops, who have eyes everywhere. Indeed, we see only minutes later that Cherry was followed by Officer Shanahan, the cop with the wrist tattoo, to where Nicky was hidden. 

The street art makes it clear that The Punisher's skull exists in the MCU as a reactionary symbol. I mean, why else would a person put the word "triggered" in all caps, on an already ostentatious piece of graffiti? It exists as a reminder of the nearly unlimited power that the police have over the lives of civilians, that if they do anything to "trigger" a cop, they could wind up dead. It's why Officer Shanahan and the other cop he brought to Nicky Torres's apartment didn't think twice about beating up a blind man like Matt Murdock, and then later trying to intimidate him in the bathroom of the courthouse. 

In recent years, The Punisher's skull has been appropriated by some members and associates of the police community at the same time that disturbing police brutality incidents are receiving more media attention. Its application within Daredevil: Born Again mirrors the philosophy underlying these real-life hate groups: one where police are above the justice system, and do not have to be held responsible for their actions on the job. Hopefully, we won't have to wait much longer to see what Frank Castle has to say about all of this. 

Fear not, we have the essentials when it comes to Marvel's Daredevil - especially with Marvel Studios' Daredevil: Born Again. Check out:

• The key difference between Netflix's Daredevil and Marvel Studios' Daredevil: Born Again, according to the showrunner
• The best Daredevil stories of all time
• What to watch before Daredevil: Born Again 
• Popverse Picks: Our favorite things for Marvel's Man Without Fear including Ann Nocenti comics, the Netflix series, and more
• How Vincent D'Onofrio reinvented Daredevil's Kingpin
• Marvel's Daredevil actors, ranked from Charlie Cox to Ben Affleck and even Rex Smith
• How Frank Miller accidentally killed a Daredevil cartoon (and Marvel killed a book to avoid pissing him off)
• That time we caught Daredevil actor Charlie Cox sneaking into New York Comic Con as Bluey