The Punisher Will Take On His Deadliest Foe Yet in New Marvel Series Fans Have Waited Decades For

The Punisher has fought some of the heaviest hitters in Marvel, and he will even show up to fight both Spider-Man and Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The Punisher is coming off one of his most devastating moments, as he ended up banished from this plane of existence after he was corrupted by the Hand’s Beast, and then had to fight his way through Weirdworld before finally returning to Earth-616. Things are getting deadlier for the Punisher now. In an announcement that hit at the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con, the Punisher will face his toughest opponent to date in a new comic book series that arrives in November.

Marvel announced at San Diego Comic-Con that the Punisher will face a nearly unbeatable nemesis this year in a four-part series titled Predator vs. Punisher by Frank Tieri and Jesús Saíz. The series will debut this November.

Punisher is the Latest Marvel Hero to Fight the Predator

Marvel made the announcement at the Next Big Thing Panel at the San Diego Comic-Con. The creative team includes Tieri, who scripted Alien vs. Captain America, and Saíz, who penciled Eddie Brock: Carnage. In the announcement, Marvel revealed that “New York City becomes a hunting ground when a Predator arrives looking for worthy prey and finds Frank Castle! As crime bosses fall, the body count rises and the streets run red, two legendary killers violently collide in a brutal showdown featuring a murderer’s row of underworld villains including KINGPIN, JIGSAW, SILVERMANE, THE OWL and more!”

The comics will be from Marvel and 20th Century Studios, and this isn’t Predator’s first appearance in Marvel Comics. The first appearance of Predator in comics came all the way back in the 1980s, debuting in Cloak and Dagger #1 (1985). However, this Predator is very different and reappeared in Marvel in 2022 in the six-issue Predator miniseries by Ed Brisson and Kev Walker. This led to a second volume in 2023, Predator: The Last Hunt in 2024, Predator: Black, White & Blood in 2025, and Predator: Bloodshed in 2026.

There were also four crossovers, with Predator vs. Punisher as the fifth. This series follows Predator vs. Wolverine in 2023, Predator vs. Black Panther in 2024-2025, Predator vs. Spider-Man in 2025, and Predator Kills the Marvel Universe in 2025-2026. These stories take place on Earth-41341, and while the announcement doesn’t list a specific Earth, it is likely to take place in the same world.

According to Tieri, the story will see Predator instigate a mob war involving some of Marvel’s most prominent gangland characters. However, it turns out that Predator is doing this because he wants to lure in the Punisher, considering him the biggest target that he needs to face next. There were also teases that the Punisher and Predator have a mysterious shared past.

There will also be a variant cover by Alex Maleev and an homage variant cover by Leinil Francis Yu inspired by Frank Castle’s iconic first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #129.

What do you think? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!