Thorn (Marvel Comics)

Publication history

Thorn debuted as Salvatore "Sal" Carbone in The Punisher War Zone Vol. 1, #1. Given superhuman abilities and amnesia by a near-death experience in The Punisher War Zone Vol. 1, #3, the character rechristened himself "Thorn" in The Punisher War Zone Vol. 1, #5.

Thorn received a profile in Marvel Encyclopedia #5, and a card ("Punisher vs. Thorn") in Series IV of the Marvel Universe Cards.

Fictional character biography

Wanting to eliminate the Carbones, a crime family situated in Brooklyn, the Punisher infiltrated the group with the aid of a petty criminal named Mickey Fondozzi. The Carbones were led by Julius, whose second in-command was his brother, Salvatore. While Julius welcomed Mickey and the Punisher (who had adopted the alias "Johnny Tower") into the organization, Sal disliked the two, and was suspicious of their motives, correctly assuming that they were sabotaging the Carbones' operations.

Needing leverage to get Sal off of their backs, Mickey and the Punisher spied on him, and discovered that he was consorting with rival Asian gangsters. Enraged by Sal's treachery, Julius ordered Mickey and the Punisher to dispose of him, so the two drugged Sal and drove him out to New Jersey. Due to his frequent narcotics usage, Sal was able to resist the drugs he was given and tried to flee, but fell through the ice of a frozen lake. Believing Sal to have perished, Mickey and the Punisher left.

Sal survived, and regained consciousness in a hospital, which he escaped from. Recalling nothing about his past other than vague details about the people who had tried to kill him, Sal robbed and murdered a man, and began making his way to La Isla de Tiburones Durmientes, which was where Julius's daughter was about to marry a Sicilian mobster. When a motorist he had flagged down asked him what his name was, Sal, unable to remember, replied with Thorn, a word he had glimpsed on a billboard.

After swimming to La Isla de Tiburones Durmientes, Thorn ran amok, killing his niece's fiancé and Julius, among others. The Punisher put a stop to Thorn's rampage by shooting him repeatedly, and knocking him into the ocean. Thorn recovered, and sometime later murdered a trio of drug dealers for their car, which he drove to New York. Thorn found and attacked Mickey and the Punisher, but the fight was interrupted by the boss of the dealers Thorn had killed. After massacring the head dealer and his underlings, Thorn and the Punisher continued their brawl, which ended when the Punisher threw Thorn off of a bridge, and onto a moving truck. The truck brought Thorn to New Jersey, and he was last seen wandering Newark.

Powers and abilities

For unexplained reasons, nearly dying in a frigid lake has left Thorn unable to feel pain, allowing him to sustain severe injuries, such as multiple gunshots, without being deterred. Thorn's brush with death has also eliminated his need for basic human necessities such as food, water, air, and protection from the elements, and made him repellent towards animals such as sharks.

Reception

In a 2009 interview with Comic Book Resources, illustrator Dale Eaglesham expressed fondness for the character, stating "I spent some time in the Punisher department from 93 to 95 and I really enjoyed working with Frank Castle. However, there's another Punisher-related character that I feel I have unfinished business with: Sal Carbone, the man they call Thorn. He went toe-to-toe with Castle and survived because he thinks he's already dead. He's insane, and he would actually make a great Punisher! Maybe I can talk Ed Brubaker into that one; I think he would love it".

Thorn ranked #4 on The Robot's Voice list "The 8 Worst Punisher Villains Ever".