By [ad_1]
Marvel’s second Punisher proved to have a much bigger heart than Frank Castle when he found a way to bring all of his victims back to life.
Frank Castle has been waging his one-man war on crime as the Punisher for nearly fifty years. In that time he has inspired plenty of copycat vigilantes, although none has filled those shoes like Nigel Higgins, aka Outlaw. While he might not have had a long tenure as an anti-hero, Nigel found it difficult to leave the violent legacy that he created behind. At the same time, he also discovered just how much of a hero he really was, and how to make up for every life he had ever taken.
Nigel Higgins was first introduced in 1992’s Punisher #64 (by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Doug Braithwaite) as a man on a mission to follow in Frank Castle’s footsteps. When the Kingpin started making moves in Europe, Nigel acted as the UK contact and informant to Castle, and helped investigate the original Punisher’s apparent death after 1993’s “Suicide Run.” Despite all the good he did as the British Punisher, Nigel questioned the morality of what he was doing and eventually retired from life as a vigilante.
Outlaw returned in 2015’s Contest of Champions #1 (by Al Ewing, Paco Medina, and Juan Vlasco) when he was transported from his reality and thrust into the Collector and Grandmaster’s wargames on Battlerealm. There he faced twisted versions of iconic heroes and villains from across the Multiverse. While Nigel was outclassed by superpowered symbiotes, cosmic powerhouses, and even the Punisher of the far future, he still managed to come out of each encounter on top. Higgins was then able to take hold of the reality altering artifact that was the contest’s ultimate prize and used it to end the contest.
Once Outlaw returned home, he discovered that winning the Contest of Champions brought back to life every person he had ever killed in his time spent as a vigilante. With that enormous weight lifted, Higgins went back to work on the streets as a largely non-violent hero. Forming the Champions of Europe alongside the likes of Ares and Captain Britain would occasionally see him take up arms against various superpowered threats, but in his daily activities Outlaw was able to refocus his efforts into helping people rather than hurting them.
Despite this incredible accomplishment, Nigel Higgins hasn’t been seen in any kind of major capacity in recent years. Still, this does nothing to change the impact he left on the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Although the most benevolent version of the Punisher has since faded into relative obscurity, he still proved capable of doing something that Frank Castle has not. This puts Outlaw in a class all his own, as he has found his peace and humanity in a way that has eluded the Punisher for the majority of his career as a vigilante.
About The Author
[ad_2]
