Of all the rivalries in the Marvel Universe, few are as long-lasting or fascinating as the feud between Daredevil and Punisher. Both men wear spandex and battle evil, but one is devoted to upholding the law, while the other has fashioned himself judge, jury and executioner. Sometimes they find themselves on the same side, but these two vigilantes will never see eye to eye.

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With the Punisher, played by Jon Bernthal, joining the cast of Daredevil for Season 2 (out this Friday on Netflix), this calls for a closer look at their history. While we wait for the new episodes to materialize, let's look back at the most memorable and influential encounters between Daredevil and Punisher in the comics. These nine stories are essential reading when it comes to understanding their troubled relationship.This article originally ran on June 24, 2015.

9 Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe

Before writer Garth Ennis reinvented Frank Castle for the Marvel Knights imprint, he first dabbled with the character in this one-shot that was basically a lengthier "What If?" comic. In this alternate Marvel Universe, Castle's family were collateral damage in a superhuman war rather than a gang shooting. With a little support from a shadowy group of billionaires, Punisher began a one-man crusade against every super-powered person (hero and villain) on the planet. Needless to say, they didn't stand a chance.This comic doesn't entirely stand the test of time (particularly visually). However, what prevented Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe from being a simple slaughter-fest was the dynamic between Punisher and Daredevil. Ennis opened the book with a flashback to their shared childhood in Hell's Kitchen. In the present, Matt Murdock repeatedly struggled and failed to make his old friend see reason and end his war. And with the issue culminating in one last showdown between the two men, Punisher's crusade reached a fittingly tragic conclusion.

8 Marvel Knights

"Marvel Knights" wasn't just the name of a hugely successful superhero imprint, it was also the name of a mini-series from writer Chuck Dixon and artist Ed Barreto. The Marvel Knights were an unlikely team of street level heroes. Daredevil and Punisher served as co-leaders of a group that also included Dagger, Black Widow and Shang-Chi.The series stood out for two main reasons. One was that they tended to confront superhuman threats normally well outside their pay grade -- something that would eventually become a running theme in Matt Fraction's and Rick Remender's Punisher work. The other is the uneasy alliance between Daredevil and Punisher. There's little love lost between these two vigilantes on the best of days, and the tension that arose as each tried to steer the team according to their philosophy was a lot of fun to read. It's a shame the series didn't last longer.Even so, it should be interesting to see how much this book influences the Netflix shows and the evolution of the Defenders team. Might Punisher and Daredevil find themselves on the same team?

7 Punisher MAX by Aaron & Dillon

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The two Punisher MAX series took place in a grounded, violent world where Frank Castle was an aging Vietnam veteran and most of Marvel's heroes and villains didn't exist. Writer Garth Ennis even set one of his stories in a Daredevil-less Hell's Kitchen overrun by the Irish mob. What's interesting about Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon's follow-up Punisher MAX series is that, while there was still no Daredevil, there was Daredevil's rogues gallery.Aaron kicked off the series with an unlikely team-up between Frank Castle and Wilson Fisk (the latter an up-and-coming mob enforcer who manipulated Castle into helping him rise to become the Kingpin). From there, Castle sought revenge against Fisk and battled his bodyguard, Elektra, and a very demented version of Bullseye. Perhaps the highlight of the series was seeing Bullseye attempt to understand his opponent by kidnapping a family, playing the part of a loving husband and arranging for them to be tragically murdered.Because of its black humor and larger-than-life qualities, Aaron's Punisher didn't always feel like the same version Ennis was writing in his Punisher MAX series. If anything, this series is more tonally in line with Ennis' Marvel Knights Punisher (especially with Steve Dillon having drawn both series). Still, it offered a compelling swan song for an aging Frank Castle, and it offers a hint as to how the Punisher may interact with other Daredevil villains in the Netflix series.

6 Daredevil and the Punisher: Child's Play

As a character, the Punisher was still very much a work in progress when he crossed paths with Daredevil for the first time in Daredevil Vol. 1 #183 and 184. These issues were vital both in fleshing out Marvel's bloodthirsty new anti-hero and in developing the relationship between Matt Murdock and Frank Castle.The conflict here started when a schoolgirl died from a drug-induced fall and both Daredevil and Punisher set their sights on the dealer responsible. Writer/artist Frank Miller laid out the foundation that has defined the rivalry between both characters ever since. Both are obsessed with ridding the streets of crime, but Daredevil is devoted to justice and upholding the law, while the Punisher selfishly cares only for vengeance. That dichotomy was perfectly illustrated through the role of a young boy torn between Matt's calls for justice and the powerful allure of Frank Castle's brand of vigilantism.These two issues are essential reads when it comes to understanding the Punisher/Daredevil relationship, and no doubt the writers of the Daredevil Netflix series are looking to them for guidance as they craft Season 2.

5 The Omega Effect

For an all-too brief period, we lived in a world where Mark Waid was writing Daredevil and Greg Rucka was writing The Punisher. Hey, at least one of those books still exists.Given the friendship between Waid and Rucka and the fact that both series were edited by Steve Wacker, it was inevitable that the two books would cross over sooner or later. "The Omega Effect" offered a logical jumping-off point for the crossover (which unfolded in The Avenging Spider-Man #6, The Punisher Vol. 8 #10 and Daredevil Vol. 3 #11). Daredevil had just come into possession of a hard drive containing vital information about the five biggest criminal organizations in the Marvel Universe. Everyone wanted their grubby mitts on that drive, including Frank Castle.The crossover didn't quite live up to the standard of Waid and Rucka's solo stories, but it was a lot of fun (particularly with Spider-Man serving as the mediator between his two allies). The most interesting element of the series didn't involve Punisher himself, but his new recruit, Rachel Alves. Daredevil had by this point given up all hope of saving Frank Castle from himself. But Rachel still had a chance to seek a better life. That conflict would remain at the forefront of Rucka's run until its too-sudden end.