It seems possible that the Punisher will soon return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and when he does, bringing his War Machine armor from the comics to live-action would be perfect for his comeback. During the character’s War Machine arc, Frank Castle sported the armor from the murdered Avenger as he teamed up with Nick Fury Jr. in a deadly mission that showed off his full potential as a killer, as the armor transformed into somehow being even more dangerous than usual.
The Punisher becoming War Machine in the Marvel Universe resulted from one of the most tragic comic book deaths to date. In the controversial Civil War II event, James “Rhodey” Rhodes helps the Avengers take on Thanos. However, he was killed by the Mad Titan after getting punched so hard the villain broke through his armor. While Rhodey would eventually return thanks to Tony Stark, during his initial absence, the Punisher took over the War Machine armor and used the powerful tech during incredibly dangerous missions – a storyline that would be perfect for Frank Castle to see adapted in the MCU.
In the 2018 arc of The Punisher by Matthew Rosenberg Guiu Vilanova, Lee Loughridge, and VC’s Cory Petit from Marvel Comics, Punisher was recruited by Nick Fury Jr. to take down a group of criminals who had been using old, stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. technology. The mission leads to Frank Castle stealing back War Machine armor, which gave the violent antihero his coolest look ever. As a result, Castle sported his iconic (but controversial) Punisher logo on the Iron Man-built suit of armor from the fallen Avenger.
With the armor, the Punisher became a new kind of killer, as he could take on military machinery and weapons with his powerful arsenal of explosives with ease. If the MCU is looking for a way to bring Frank Castle back into the fold in the live-action universe, giving him War Machine’s armor would be the perfect way to do so. Fan art of Jon Bernthal in the War Machine armor proves how cool he could look.
Ultimately, Frank Castle being in a show like the MCU’s Armor Wars as the main antagonist with a potential plot featuring War Machine having to track down his stolen armor would make for an exciting return for the antihero that would put him in direct conflict with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The armor Punisher wears in the comics is one of his best and most powerful looks and is begging to get adapted with Jon Bernthal’s version of the antihero. There’s little doubt Punisher in the War Machine armor in live-action would make for a great comeback for the hero while adding a new dynamic to the character as he enters the MCU.