Martin Soap
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Martin Soap is a fictional character
, a police officer
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He served as a supporting character
and comic relief
for the Punisher
throughout the character's 2000 miniseries and 2001 ongoing series. Soap first appeared in The Punisher (vol. 3) #2 (May 2001
) and was created by Garth Ennis
and Steve Dillon
.
. A meeting with an alcoholic police officer generates the desire to be a cop when he grows up. He joins the New York Police Department and despite being promoted to detective becomes known as a screw-up, describing himself as "the department's biggest loser." When the police department became pressured by Ma Gnucci
to crack down on the Punisher, Soap is placed on the "Punisher Task Force", so the department could look like it was after the Punisher without really putting him in danger, as the Punisher is quite popular among most police officers. His first partner, Bud Plugg, is a forensic psychologist with no real police training. After Soap gives some well intentioned criticism of a psychological review about the Punisher, Plugg becomes despondent. He hangs himself in Soap's office.
Soap soon partners up with Lieutenant Molly von Richthofen, who was assigned to a similar task force after Ma Gnucci. The two work well together. Soap develops romantic feelings for Richthofen but is gently rebuffed when she told him that she was a lesbian. After the Punisher's assault on Ma Gnucci's compound, Soap and Richthofen are surprised by the Punisher, but let him get away in exchange for compromising pictures of the Mayor and the NYPD Commissioner. Using the pictures for blackmail
, Soap becomes the new Police Commissioner
. Molly retires to another country.
At the beginning of The Punisher (vol. 5), Soap is demoted to detective after being blackmailed with pictures of him with a prostitute. He is again assigned to the "Punisher Task Force". Distraught over the dead end his life has become, Soap attempts to commit suicide, but is approached by the Punisher. Soap agrees to become a mole
for him, supplying the Punisher with information on his targets from the police database. After Soap kills serial killer Bubba Sparks in self-defense, Soap is promoted to Lieutenant.
Soap is later taken hostage by hired goons working for ruthless tabloid reporter Chuck Self, who forces the Punisher to take Self along with him while the Punisher spends a night killing gangsters and petty criminals. If Castle fails to comply with Self's orders, Self will text-message his men to kill Soap. During the course of being chased by gang members and mafiosos, Self is injured several times while the Punisher himself remained unscathed. Self is later killed by accidentally falling into a wood chipper, and Castle returns to save Soap by killing Self's thugs. The Punisher leaves Self's mangled corpse on the hood of his own car, then Castle and Soap walk away.
Soap is seen as a bar regular, falsely believing the bar owner, Kevin, to be one of his true friends. Soap meets up with a succession of inappropriate romantic targets, including, but not limited to, a transvestite and a woman implied to be his own long-lost mother. Kevin is aware of the twisted nature of Soap's romantic conquests yet chooses not to inform him for his own amusement. When Soap nearly kills himself with a gun in the men's bathroom, Kevin intervenes and Soap believes that it's out of concern for his well being. But when Kevin makes a snarky comment because he didn't want a mess and preferred Soap to kill himself at his home, Soap snaps at Kevin, threatens him with his gun and terrifies him before storming off, having found self-confidence in himself. Soap tries to arrest the Punisher, but fails to stop him. Soap then becomes despondent; Castle then tells Soap when things aren't getting better, to "just go".
Soap leaves the NYPD, moves to Los Angeles
and becomes a porn star. Up to that point, he had simply been unaware that he has large genitals.
film
Punisher: War Zone
, played by Dash Mihok
. In the film, he is portrayed as a clumsy and overly self-important man, with a degree in behavioral psychology and almost no aptitude for actually confronting criminals (there are several comical scenes when he is shown fumbling with his own pistol). As a joke, his superiors assign him to the "Punisher Task Force," a meaningless sinecure
which consists solely of Soap, since the NYPD is fully in sympathy with the Punisher's actions, but has to (cosmetically) appear as though it is trying to discourage vigilantism. Soap is partnered with FBI Agent Budiansky (Colin Salmon
), fixated on apprehending the Punisher, who has killed an undercover agent by mistake.
Midway through the film, it is revealed that Soap is actually one of the Punisher's allies, feeding him information on his various targets. By the time Budiansky has figured this out, he has realized how evil the criminals they are up against are, and how powerless the "system" is to punish them. Soap and Budiansky both assist the Punisher to rescue the dead agent's family from Jigsaw
. In the aftermath, Soap starts to walk Frank home, beginning an unsolicited lecture on the benefits of mercy and rehabilitation
instead of outright execution - but halts when he is menaced by a violent mugger, whom the Punisher kills.
voiced by Michael Gough
. In the game, he interrogates the Punisher with Molly Van Richtofen inside Riker's Island prison. Flashbacks reveal Soap was secretly allied with the Punisher to feed the vigilante information to help him continue with his activities. Soap and his favorite bar are featured in one particular level. Punisher enters the bar in order to kill an important mob member, Bobby Gnucci, along with every single one of Gnucci's thugs that are also in the bar. Soap misses the entire spectacle because he was in the restroom vomiting profusely, partly from alcohol consumption and partly due to fear of Gnucci's thugs. Soap exits the restroom shortly after the Punisher leaves the premises, sees the mess, and sadly says, "Damn it, Castle, this was my favorite bar!"
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He served as a supporting character
Supporting character
A supporting character is a character of a book, play, video game, movie, television or radio show or other form of storytelling usually used to give added dimension to a main character, by adding a relationship with this character...
and comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
for the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
throughout the character's 2000 miniseries and 2001 ongoing series. Soap first appeared in The Punisher (vol. 3) #2 (May 2001
2001 in comics
-Year overall:* Marvel Comics withdraws from the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system for its publications.- January :* January 23: Fred Ray, Superman's primary cover artist of the 1940s, passes away at age 80.- September :...
) and was created by Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
and Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon is a British comic book artist, from Luton, Bedfordshire, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on Hellblazer, Preacher and The Punisher.-Biography:...
.
Fictional character biography
Martin Soap suffers misfortune right from the beginning. Moments after his birth, the nurse drops him on his head. He is abandoned as a child by his unwed teenage mother and raised in an orphanageOrphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
. A meeting with an alcoholic police officer generates the desire to be a cop when he grows up. He joins the New York Police Department and despite being promoted to detective becomes known as a screw-up, describing himself as "the department's biggest loser." When the police department became pressured by Ma Gnucci
Ma Gnucci
Isabella Carmela Magdelena "Ma" Gnucci is a fictional villain from the Punisher comics. She was created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, and appears in the "Welcome Back, Frank" storyline.-Fictional character history:...
to crack down on the Punisher, Soap is placed on the "Punisher Task Force", so the department could look like it was after the Punisher without really putting him in danger, as the Punisher is quite popular among most police officers. His first partner, Bud Plugg, is a forensic psychologist with no real police training. After Soap gives some well intentioned criticism of a psychological review about the Punisher, Plugg becomes despondent. He hangs himself in Soap's office.
Soap soon partners up with Lieutenant Molly von Richthofen, who was assigned to a similar task force after Ma Gnucci. The two work well together. Soap develops romantic feelings for Richthofen but is gently rebuffed when she told him that she was a lesbian. After the Punisher's assault on Ma Gnucci's compound, Soap and Richthofen are surprised by the Punisher, but let him get away in exchange for compromising pictures of the Mayor and the NYPD Commissioner. Using the pictures for blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
, Soap becomes the new Police Commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
. Molly retires to another country.
At the beginning of The Punisher (vol. 5), Soap is demoted to detective after being blackmailed with pictures of him with a prostitute. He is again assigned to the "Punisher Task Force". Distraught over the dead end his life has become, Soap attempts to commit suicide, but is approached by the Punisher. Soap agrees to become a mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
for him, supplying the Punisher with information on his targets from the police database. After Soap kills serial killer Bubba Sparks in self-defense, Soap is promoted to Lieutenant.
Soap is later taken hostage by hired goons working for ruthless tabloid reporter Chuck Self, who forces the Punisher to take Self along with him while the Punisher spends a night killing gangsters and petty criminals. If Castle fails to comply with Self's orders, Self will text-message his men to kill Soap. During the course of being chased by gang members and mafiosos, Self is injured several times while the Punisher himself remained unscathed. Self is later killed by accidentally falling into a wood chipper, and Castle returns to save Soap by killing Self's thugs. The Punisher leaves Self's mangled corpse on the hood of his own car, then Castle and Soap walk away.
Soap is seen as a bar regular, falsely believing the bar owner, Kevin, to be one of his true friends. Soap meets up with a succession of inappropriate romantic targets, including, but not limited to, a transvestite and a woman implied to be his own long-lost mother. Kevin is aware of the twisted nature of Soap's romantic conquests yet chooses not to inform him for his own amusement. When Soap nearly kills himself with a gun in the men's bathroom, Kevin intervenes and Soap believes that it's out of concern for his well being. But when Kevin makes a snarky comment because he didn't want a mess and preferred Soap to kill himself at his home, Soap snaps at Kevin, threatens him with his gun and terrifies him before storming off, having found self-confidence in himself. Soap tries to arrest the Punisher, but fails to stop him. Soap then becomes despondent; Castle then tells Soap when things aren't getting better, to "just go".
Soap leaves the NYPD, moves to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and becomes a porn star. Up to that point, he had simply been unaware that he has large genitals.
Punisher Noir
Soap appears as a competent NYPD Detective investigating the murder of Frank Castelione, and the murders committed by Frank's son, the Punisher.Film
Soap appears in the 20082008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Punisher: War Zone
Punisher: War Zone
Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 comic book action film directed by Lexi Alexander; based on the fictional Marvel Comics vigilante/anti-hero the Punisher. It is the third film to depict the Marvel character Frank Castle...
, played by Dash Mihok
Dash Mihok
Dashiell "Dash" Mihok is an American actor.-Life and career:Mihok was born in New York City, New York, the son of actors Andrea and Raymond Thorne . He attended the Bronx High School of Science and was raised in Greenwich Village. While at the Bronx High School of Science, Dash played baseball as...
. In the film, he is portrayed as a clumsy and overly self-important man, with a degree in behavioral psychology and almost no aptitude for actually confronting criminals (there are several comical scenes when he is shown fumbling with his own pistol). As a joke, his superiors assign him to the "Punisher Task Force," a meaningless sinecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
which consists solely of Soap, since the NYPD is fully in sympathy with the Punisher's actions, but has to (cosmetically) appear as though it is trying to discourage vigilantism. Soap is partnered with FBI Agent Budiansky (Colin Salmon
Colin Salmon
Colin Salmon is a British actor best known for playing the character Charles Robinson in three James Bond films.-Personal life:...
), fixated on apprehending the Punisher, who has killed an undercover agent by mistake.
Midway through the film, it is revealed that Soap is actually one of the Punisher's allies, feeding him information on his various targets. By the time Budiansky has figured this out, he has realized how evil the criminals they are up against are, and how powerless the "system" is to punish them. Soap and Budiansky both assist the Punisher to rescue the dead agent's family from Jigsaw
Jigsaw (Marvel Comics)
Jigsaw is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Throughout his many appearances, he has served as one of the Punisher's few recurring villains...
. In the aftermath, Soap starts to walk Frank home, beginning an unsolicited lecture on the benefits of mercy and rehabilitation
Rehabilitation (penology)
Rehabilitation means; To restore to useful life, as through therapy and education or To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity....
instead of outright execution - but halts when he is menaced by a violent mugger, whom the Punisher kills.
Video games
Martin Soap appears in 2005 Punisher video gameThe Punisher (2005 video game)
The Punisher is a 2005 action game which stars the Marvel Comics antihero, The Punisher. After his family was murdered by the mafia, Frank Castle devoted his life to the punishment of criminals. Players take control of the vigilante hero to track down criminals and kill them...
voiced by Michael Gough
Michael Gough (voice actor)
Michael Gough is an American voice actor and singer.-Television roles:*Dog from WordWorld* Don Diego de la Vega and The lead role in The New Adventures of Zorro* "Goof Troop" - Fester Swollen...
. In the game, he interrogates the Punisher with Molly Van Richtofen inside Riker's Island prison. Flashbacks reveal Soap was secretly allied with the Punisher to feed the vigilante information to help him continue with his activities. Soap and his favorite bar are featured in one particular level. Punisher enters the bar in order to kill an important mob member, Bobby Gnucci, along with every single one of Gnucci's thugs that are also in the bar. Soap misses the entire spectacle because he was in the restroom vomiting profusely, partly from alcohol consumption and partly due to fear of Gnucci's thugs. Soap exits the restroom shortly after the Punisher leaves the premises, sees the mess, and sadly says, "Damn it, Castle, this was my favorite bar!"