[4] In the first arc, Castle is committed to taking down a criminal organization known as "The Exchange," and is later joined by a former Marine whose husband was murdered on the couple's wedding day.

The grief-stricken wife, Rachel Cole, seeks the Punisher out and the two create a bond due to their mutual time in the United States Marine Corps.

Midway through the series, Cole and the Punisher become involved in one of Daredevil's exploits, who is holding a device called the "Omega Drive" containing damning information on all the major crime organizations in the Marvel Universe.

The Punisher wants the device for obvious reasons, as it would give him a multitude of new targets to neutralize.

The series concluded with issue #16, at which point Rucka and Checcetto moved on to a 5-issue mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone to finish their story.