The Punisher: Who Is Micro, Frank Castle's Right-Hand Man?

At the end of Daredevil season two, Frank Castle burns down his family's house to try to erase his old life and walks off to fully assume the role of The Punisher — but not before smashing a framed photo of his US Marine Corps platoon and retrieving a disc hidden there. Written on the CD is one word: Micro (which, at the time, sent fans running wild with speculation about The Punisher spinoff).

After the episodes dropped, the Daredevil social media accounts posted several cryptic messages with photos of the disc. On Facebook, the message read, "Tomorrow's answers are hidden in the past." On Instagram, the caption teased, "There's a storm comin'." And on Twitter, it said, "Seek and you shall find."

Fans of the comics know that David Lieberman, aka Microchip in the comics, is an elite hacker and former member of the National Security Agency who faked his own death to expose government secrets. He becomes an ally of Castle's, supplying him with weapons and gadgets, but they ultimately become enemies when Micro thinks that Castle has gone over the edge. Things are a little different on The Punisher. Read on to find out how, but be warned of light spoilers ahead.

Like in the comics, Micro's "death" is also a frame job, but he doesn't do it by himself. He is forced into it under threats to his family, a wife and two kids (just like Castle had). The people who threaten Micro are the same people who are responsible for Castle's family being murdered. On the show, Micro actually contacts Castle, telling him that he thinks he knows who really killed Castle's family, which is how they get embroiled in this conspiracy that is far more vast than they ever thought — and it all leads back to a private paramilitary firm called ATLAS, run by Castle's best friend from the service, Billy Russo.

After Micro convinces Castle that there's something going on with the government, the military, and his family's death, they begin working together to track down the mysterious Agent Orange, the man at the top pulling all the strings. As they carry out their mission, Micro acts as Castle's eyes and ears (and sometimes an EMT), as they start to forge an uneasy friendship.

There's also an added side plot with Lieberman's family, something wholly original for the series. Castle bonds with Micro's wife, Sarah, in his quest to get leverage over Micro — as in, fall in line or see how easily I can get to your loved ones. Castle and Sarah are drawn to each other, mostly out of loneliness and sadness, but thankfully it doesn't really turn into a love triangle situation (which would have felt really icky). There's a brief blip in this regard, but it's handled in a really great way.

Micro and Castle stick with their work, even as it grows ever more dangerous and Micro's family is put in jeopardy. There are some iffy moments — at certain points, you have to wonder if either man is going to survive the season. But in the end, they become the latest in a long line of Marvel buddy duos, which should be really entertaining to watch in the inevitable second season of this latest Netflix Marvel series.