Reading the Punisher trade paper back Welcome Back Frank today got me to thinking about vigilantes. Specifically if there are no objective moral values and you take Hobbes' notion that rational being seek peace, make covenants, and keep covenants then is there a way to say that The Punisher is a way of dealing with beings that have become irrational. This may sound a little drastic as the Punisher is known for his brutal methods, but Hobbes acknowledges that a coercive element is need in society to keep people from breaking their covenants. In the Punisher's world the cops and government are failing to do this job. The Punisher has taken it upon himself to be the agent of enforcement of the social contract.

Bit of a stretch I know but in interesting idea. It would be far easier to defend the Punisher's actions from a utilitarian perspective. By killing off a small group that is hurting the greater good the Punisher is attempting to bring about the most amount of happiness to the most amount of people. Allowing the Punisher to do his job makes more people happy then not letting him do his job.