Five Times Marvel Characters Fought Entire Nations

Frank Castle is used to hiding in the shadows and picking off bad guys one by one, but what happens when there’s nowhere to hide? What happens when he’s not battling the mafia or traffickers, but an entire country?

In PUNISHER #11, written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Szymon Kudranski, that’s exactly his problem. Frank’s battling Baron Zemo, a villain with the entire country of Bagalia willing to back him up whenever he asks. Things aren’t looking good for Mr. Castle, that’s for sure.

But this isn’t the first time a Marvel character has faced the might of an entire country. Here are five examples of more calamitous confrontations!

DEALING WITH DOOM

Doctor Doom is perhaps the most shining example of a villain having an entire country at his beck and call. As the king and demagogue of Latveria, the classic Fantastic Four character always has a nearly impregnable castle to which he often retires, escapes, or plots world domination. While Latveria is a humble country with simple people, Doom’s inventions keep the place modern and well-protected. In MIGHTY AVENGERS #9, the Avengers invaded Latveria, believing that Doom was behind a deadly chemical attack in America.

WAKANDA FOREVER

In 2010’s DOOMWAR event, T’Challa, Shuri, and the rest of the Wakandan royal family were overthrown in a coup orchestrated by (wait for it) Doctor Doom! Why? The villain wanted to get his hands on the country’s vibranium reserves and saw invasion as his only way to do that. Plus, asking nicely hasn’t always been his strong suit. The new regime called itself Desturi, a Swahili word for “tradition.” To take their homeland back, T’Challa and Shuri needed the help of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, but they were facing the forces of the most technologically-advanced nation on the planet.

CIVIL WAR

The introduction of the Superhuman Registration Act divided heroes, causing others to rally behind leading figures like Tony Stark/Iron Man (who was pro-Act) and Steve Rogers/Captain America (who was anti-Act). In defiance of the entire U.S. government, Cap refused to follow the new law and went underground as a fugitive with his supporters. Despite evading the law for quite some time, he ended up losing the war, surrendered, and was promptly placed under arrest.

GOING TO GENOSHA

Located off the east coast of Africa, Genosha was a mutant haven founded by none other than Magneto. It thrived, but even when isolated from the rest of the world, the idea of mutants alive and well still rankled the nerves of certain humans. The one who did something about it was Cassandra Nova, who ordered the Mega-Sentinels to slaughter every single man, woman, and child on Genosha. To add insult to injury, the world’s major powers barely cared. This is one of those rare cases where the power of a country (particularly one where every citizen has powers) was no match for an external threat.

ATTACKING ATTILAN

Just when you think one Civil War is over, another one begins. When the Inhuman known as Ulysses came onto the scene in 2016, Iron Man and Captain Marvel clashed over whether or not his precognitive abilities should be used to stop bad things before they happen. After War Machine was murdered by Thanos in a battle that Ulysses predicted, Iron Man infiltrated New Attilan and kidnapped Ulysses to find out how his powers really worked. Despite facing the likes of Medusa and Karnak – two members of the Inhuman royal family – Stark was successful in his plan and managed to distract everyone while he absconded with the young Inhuman.

What will happen when the Punisher faces Baron Zemo and the entire nation of Bagalia? You’ll have to read to find out!

PUNISHER #11, written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Szymon Kudranski, is on sale now online and at your local comic shop.