Previous Post Quote: You may or may not agree with it but there was a very specific reason for why wolverine was brought onto the team and this was explained back at the beginning of New Avengers vol 1 - namely to do the unpleasant tasks that need doing regardless. If I recall this was Starks reasoning and Rogers disagreed with it in principle. Wait, did people actually buy that BS about him "doing things they wouldn't" crap? With that reasoning, why not put punisher on the team as well. He was put there cause he was popular, plain and simple, for the "cool factor" as you said. The Avengers has existed for about forty plus years or something without resorting to killing, so putting an unreformed mass murderer on the team all of a sudden is pointless. Can anyone tell me since joining, has anyone see him "doing things they wouldn't" yet? Cause regardless of what they turn them into now, I don't see them being happy that he would kill anyone.

The Punisher is a pathological killer who kills any person that fits his criteria without mercy or hesitation. You probably have to go back to War Journal Vol 1 for the last time Frank Castle used his discretion when deciding whether to kill or not.

Whilst Wolverine has killed plenty of people he at least developed as a character over the years and become less of a killer where as Castle has without a doubt only got more murderous over the same period. Logan is a much more modertate character than he used to be, and whlst he is still willing to kill when necessary the decison to do so at least weighs upon him more than it used to. Logan is also much more of a team player and in recent months appears to be trying to set a positive example - in Wolverine and the X-Men at least.

Of course it was about popularity - and the decision to include him clearly worked in that respect - but its not too far a stretch to unclude Wolverine on a team that has had everyone from embezzelers, to petty crooks to international terrorists on the roster at one time or another.