CARLOS CRUZ

Real Name: Carlos "CC" Cruz

Identity/Class: Human, conventional weapons user

Occupation: former vigilante, former member of the Navy

Affiliations: Navy S.E.A.L.S.;
    former ally of Microchip and Phalanx

Enemies: Salvador Borosco's men, Bullseye, Rosalie Carbone, Hog, Punisher (Castle), Shining Condors, Stone Cold, Vaducci crime family

Known Relatives: Christina (sister), Randy (nephew, deceased), Luis (uncle)

Aliases: CC, Punisher

Base of Operations: New York City

First Appearance: Punisher II#97 (December, 1994);
    (as Punisher) Punisher II#99 (February, 1995)

Powers/Abilities: No superhuman powers. Skilled at various forms of armed and unarmed combat, uses various ballistic weapons, wears kevlar uniform and helmet. His helmet contained a two-way radio with which he could communicate with Microchip. It also had gas filters and a brief oxygen supply.

Height: 6' Weight: 210 lbs

 

 

 

 

History:
(Punisher II#97 (fb) - BTS) - Carlos served some time in a Youth Study Center for crimes he committed at age ten.

(Punisher II#97 (fb) - BTS) - Carlos served in the Navy Seals and had some action in the Middle East, but afterwards was laid off as part of the subsequent military cutback. He spent some time patrolling and protecting his neighborhood in between looking for a new job.

(Punisher II#97) - Carlos came across a band of criminals mugging and beating a man in his neighborhood. Carlos drove the muggers off with a baseball bat, and the man, who turned out to be Microchip, sought to recruit him to replace Frank Castle, the current Punisher, whom he'd seen as having gone over the edge.

(Punisher II#98) - Carlos was interested initially until learning that Micro's true intent. However, while he was flatly refusing the offer, his nephew, Randy, was killed in a drive by shooting. The Shining Condors were taking out a rival gang, and little Randy just happened to get in the way. Upon learning this, Carlos returned to Microchip and accepted his offer, hoping to use Micro's knowledge database to track down his nephew's killers.

 

(Punisher II#99) - Microchip gave Carlos the lowdown, supplied him with his costume, and sent him on his first mission: Rosalie Carbone.

(Punisher II#100) - Carlos tracked Rosalie Carbone to her mansion, but found it to be a red herring, as Rosalie had been replaced by a double. He broke into the mansion and killed several of Rosalie's men, setting off an alarm to a defense force hired by Rosalie. He escaped from Hog and his defense force with the aid of Microchip. From the double, Carlos learned that the real Rosalie was on an oceanliner meeting with the Vaducci crime family. He located the ship and confronted Rosalie in her room. She mistook him for Frank Castle and tried to engage him in banter, but Carlos raised his gun to kill her. However, the attempt was interrupted by assassins sent by Vito Vaducci, and Carlos took Rosalie and fled the room. Carlos figured he might need Rosalie to get off the ship alive, but she grabbed a gun and shot him, knocking him into the ship's hold. From there, Hog, leader of the above defense force, attacked him. Carlos shot Hog in the eye with a ballistic knife, broke out of the hold, and confronted Rosalie again, but Hog tackled him over the edge and into the ocean.

(Punisher II#101) - Carlos killed Hog by head-butting the knife in his eye, driving it into his brain, then swam to safety. Microchip directed him to his nephew's killers, the Shining Condors, and Carlos blew them all away. Microchip then asked Carlos to check on Frank Castle, whom he had trapped and imprisoned in an effort to re-condition. After hearing a gunshot and then silence for a day or so, Micro feared that Castle had killed himself. Following Micro's instructions, Carlos located and opened Castle's prison, but Castle had been faking, and he grabbed Carlos from behind and put a gun to his head.

(Punisher II#102) - Carlos escaped Castle when Micro released an anesthetic gas from which Carlos' mask protected him. Castle was reimprisoned, but freed a short time later by his new allies, Ponygirl and Mouse. Afterwards, Microchip directed Carlos to a Las Vegas meeting of Rosalie and Vito Vaducci. En route, Carlos found himself allied with Phalanx, an armored vigilante with an agenda against criminals. The two fought their way into the mansion, where they confronted Rosalie, but also found her men and the assassin she had hired: Bullseye.

(Punisher II#103) - Carlos and Phalanx were occupied by Bullseye and Rosalie's men, and Rosalie herself escaped in the commotion. Phalanx was killed and Carlos and Bullseye ended up in a stand-off in which each had a gun to the other's head. Both fired, but both were out of bullets. Bullseye laughed and walked off, telling Carlos that he was no Frank Castle.

(Punisher War Journal#79) - Attempting to link back up with Micro, Carlos found him dead. Though Castle had gone after Micro and had considered killing him, Micro had actually died at the hands of Stone Cold. Not knowing this, Carlos made it his mission to take down Castle once and for all.

(Punisher War Zone#41) - Carlos attacked Castle as he stalked a group of Bolivian drug dealers. The two fought back and forth and ended up under fire from the Bolivians as well. Dazed by an attack and separated from the fight, Carlos sat down to catch his breath, and was executed by Stone Cold.

Comments: Created by Chuck Dixon and Rod Whigham.

Carlos Cruz was initially described as having been active during Operation: Desert Storm, but that is topical.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Not to be confused with any of the other "Punishers", such as:

 

Last updated: 05/03/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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