Having lost his family to mob violence, former Force Recon Marine Frank Castle has spent the last five years as a vigilante known as the Punisher. Castle assaults a party for local Don Gaitano Cesare, and kills him and the guests. Cesare’s caporegime Billy “The Beaut” Russotti escapes to his recycling plant hideout, and Detectives Martin Soap and Saffiotti, who were staking out the party, inform Castle. Castle infiltrates Russoti’s hideout, and after a brief firefight, Russoti is thrown into a glass-crushing machine that leaves him hideously disfigured. Russoti later refers to himself as “Jigsaw” because the stitches in his face resemble puzzle pieces. Castle, who takes cover behind the body of Nicky Donatelli, discovers that Donatelli was actually an undercover FBI agent. Punisher: War Zone 2008
Agent Paul Budiansky, the deceased agent’s partner, joins the NYPD‘s “Punisher Task Force”, partnering with Soap to help bring Castle to justice. Meanwhile, Jigsaw frees his deranged and cannibalistic brother, “Loony Bin Jim”.
Distraught over killing the agent, Castle attempts to make reparations to Donatelli’s wife, Angela, and daughter, Grace, to no avail. Castle threatens to retire from the vigilante business, but his armorer Microchip makes him reconsider, telling him that Jigsaw will go after Donatelli’s family for revenge.
Jigsaw, Loony Bin Jim and their two goons, Ink and Pittsy, break into Donatelli’s house and hold the family hostage. The Punisher tracks down Maginty, a known associate of Jigsaw, executing him after extracting the information before being apprehended by Budiansky and Soap. Castle tells him that Jigsaw went after Donatelli’s family, and Budiansky sends a police car to check on the Donatelli residence, intending to turn the Punisher in. When the patrol car fails to respond, Budiansky checks on the house, where he is captured by Ink and Pittsy. Soap frees the Punisher, who kills both Ink and Pittsy before leading Angela and Grace away. Budiansky then arrests Jigsaw and Loony Bin Jim after a short gunfight.